I’ve been worrying about this for some time now. How should we, as health professionals, address the deeply held beliefs of our patients when they aren’t true? Especially when they may harm others, although in a fairly obscure or indirect way? […]
Category: oncology
Q: Portacath or Hickman Line, madam?
A 6 year old girl with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia presents with another episode of febrile neutropenia with positive blood culture from her Hickman line. On a ward round, her parents discuss that they would like her to have a Portacath device inserted so that she can go swimming and is more comfortable around her friends. […]
Q: Honey for neutropenia?
It’s my own question, this time, and throws up lots of annoying little things. The problem is straightforward: I’m a paediatric oncologist in my spare time, and was asked about the use of LifeMel honey to prevent infections. Now, being both an EBMer and a Physician, I said I didn’t know, but didn’t think it […]
GnRH analogues to prevent ovarian failure?
Should gonadotropin releasing hormone analogue be administered to prevent premature ovarian failure in young women with systemic lupus erythematosus on cyclophosphamide therapy? A 15 year old girl with acute renal failure was found to have class IV systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) nephritis on renal biopsy. A decision was taken to start her on the routine […]
Unanswered Question: Is LDH a good predictor of malignancy in children?
A four-year old girl presents to the accident and emergency department with a history of being generally unwell for the preceding week and on examination is found to have cervical lymphadenopathy. In addition to a volley of tests, a Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) was requested by a registrar who had read that this was a predictor […]