Denialism

Category: Cancer Basics

  • Cancer 201—treatment basics

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    MarkH
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    Once a cancer has been diagnosed, we must use our knowledge of biology, medicine, and clinical trials to plan treatment. Treatment can be curative or palliative (that is, with a goal of reducing symptoms or extending life, rather than effecting a cure). Understanding cancer treatment requires a little bit of basic biology, and as with…

  • Cancer 102

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    MarkH
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    In Cancer 101, I gave some basics to understanding cancer. A commenter asked a good question, and our next lesson will attempt a simple answer. The question regarded how a pathologist can tell if a cancer is “invasive” by looking at a specimen. Well, depending on the specimen, the answer changes, but let’s use the…

  • Cancer 101

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    by

    MarkH
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    Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the U.S., and at any moment directly affects almost 4% of the population, or about 10.8 million Americans. A diagnosis of cancer can be one of the most frightening moments in someone’s life, and yet most people understand little about the disease. I hear the same…

  • DrPal, tell us more about HPV and cancer

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    by

    MarkH
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    OK, if you insist. This comes with the usual caveat directed at scientists that I know this is oversimplified, but I wish to reach the largest audience possible. Feel free to correct my mistakes, but please don’t bother me about oversimplification. So here’s the deal. Several decades ago, it became scientifically fashionable to believe that…