Of all the difficult subjects to broach with your children, having an inherited cancer gene in the family must be among the most daunting. Ever since I made a television documentary called Children can Cope, which was about being truthful … Read More
Plan to cut stillbirths by screening for smoking
How would you feel if you, as a mum-to-be, and your partner, as a dad-to-be, were told you were going to be checked to see if you were having a sly cigarette? Would you think it was sneaky or an … Read More
No measles jab means no university in the US
Maybe you’re getting bored by me banging on about the importance of childhood vaccinations, but I have to say I’ll continue until we’ve overcome the prejudice against them. Want to know how seriously the authorities in the US are taking … Read More
Genetics does have a role in cancer risk
Sometimes I get asked how genes cause cancer. It’s an extremely complex subject and one I’m not qualified in, but here goes. Macmillan Cancer Support also has a patient booklet on the topic. Genes are found in every cell in … Read More
Targeting personal mutations is the new way to treat cancer
Personalised medicine is one of the most promising recent developments in cancer treatment, allowing doctors to specifically target the mutations that make an individual patient’s cancer unique and often untreatable. With the latest advance in targeted therapy, the US Massachusetts General Hospital … Read More
We must tackle food producers on obesity
Over several decades of trying to rein in our obesity problem, now at epidemic proportions, I’ve felt like throwing the towel in several times. Why? Because nothing I can do affects the growing trend to bigger and bigger sizes. It … Read More
Rapid pre-eclampsia test can save lives and complications
Every year 23,000 pregnant women in Britain suffer this potentially deadly condition that’s notoriously difficult to diagnose because some symptoms – such as high blood pressure, swollen feet, headaches and nausea – are also common in normal pregnancies. Pre-eclampsia, which … Read More
Excess weight linked to pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer rates have increased by nearly a fifth since 1999. Smoking is a known cause of this often-fatal disease yet the number of smokers has reached a record low while pancreatic cancer rates continue to climb. Could the obesity … Read More
Home light therapy helps tots suffering with jaundice
Recently I answered a reader’s letter about newborn jaundice. I’ve had a few more enquiries so it seemed like a good idea to write about it in more detail. Jaundice is a common condition affecting about six out of 10 … Read More
Leukaemia survival chances boosted by new pill
A particular form of leukaemia, acute myeloid leukaemia, or AML, is hard to treat at the best of times – but some patients have a certain genetic mutation that makes their AML more likely to recur and harder to treat. … Read More