October 2, 2009 – 11:45 am
If you missed Catalyst on ABC Television last night, there were two excellent reports that are well worth taking the time to watch.
This investigation of the prostate cancer screening debate was much more helpful than the sort of media coverage that we so often see of this fraught issue (and which I’ve been guilty of [...]
September 24, 2009 – 10:48 am
Right now, right around the country, well-meaning community groups, including men’s health groups, are out on the hustings, urging all men of a certain age to be screened for prostate cancer.
There are many potential downsides to such simplistic messages.
You can read more about some of them in this article, published today in the SMH and [...]
September 22, 2009 – 10:00 am
If you’ve had chemotherapy for an early stage cancer, and are experiencing problems with your memory or concentration, you may be interested in a new study for which volunteers are being sought.
Dr Janette Vardy, a medical oncologist at Sydney Cancer Centre and the University of Sydney, has sent in this report:
“We are conducting a [...]
September 10, 2009 – 8:26 am
We’ve heard a lot lately about the importance of physical activity for helping to prevent disease, thanks to the release of the Preventative Health Taskforce report. So it’s timely to be reminded that activity can also be beneficial for those with illness.
Dr Janette Vardy, a medical oncologist at at Sydney Cancer Centre and the University [...]
August 25, 2009 – 9:06 am
The National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission’s final report made numerous recommendations, many of which require a great deal more work before they could be considered ready for implementation. It seems unlikely that changes will happen quickly.
However, Professor Ian Olver, CEO of Cancer Council Australia, has a few suggestions for reforms that could be [...]
August 12, 2009 – 5:43 pm
Following Croakey’s recent discussions about selecting doctors, Sally Crossing, Chair of Cancer Voices NSW, thought Croakey readers might be interested in the following initative. She writes:
“At the end of last century, women with breast cancer told the Breast Cancer Action Group NSW that a priority for them – and their referring GPs – was to [...]
August 11, 2009 – 10:24 am
The alcohol industry – and all those who sail with it – are awaiting the release of the Preventative Health Taskforce report which has now been with Minister Roxon for some weeks. The Taskforce’s brief was “to provide evidence-based advice to governments and health providers on preventative health programs and strategies, focusing on the burden [...]
Professor Ian Olver, the head honcho at the Cancer Council Australia, wrote this Crikey piece about why gene patent law requires urgent attention, based on his appearance today before a Senate committee inquiring into such matters.
Sally Crossing, the chair of Cancer Voices NSW, also appeared at the Senate committee hearing this morning, and here [...]
There is a new entry to the Croakey Register of Unreleased Documents. CRUD records the details of evaluations, plans, reviews and other such documents that should be released (whether by governments or other commissioning bodies), in the interests of promoting better informed policy, practice and debate.
The new entry is:
• The NSW Radiotherapy Plan 2006-2011
Our source [...]
Unlike most diagnostic tests, the retrospectoscope is universally reliable, even in the hands of a journalist like myself.
With the benefit of the retrospectoscope, it now seems so obvious. What were we thinking, expecting that there suddenly would be miraculous clarity around the vexed issue of prostate cancer screening, just because some randomised controlled trials were [...]
