The Dismal Disease: Temozolomide and the Interaction of Evidence

“I think the challenge is really that we still, not only in glioblastoma, but in oncology at large, treat the majority of patients with a one-size-fits-all approach.” — Roger Stupp    Blockbuster drugs are rare. To be a blockbuster, a drug must shift over $1bn worth in one year. There …

Stop Fighting, You’re Making Me SAD

Does medical science have to be adversarial to make progress? Does progress in patient care consist of weeding out treatments which are ineffective and replacing existing therapies with new and better alternatives? Subacromial Decompression (SAD) surgery is one of the most commonplace shoulder surgeries, performed regularly as a treatment for …

The Parachute Problem: Extracorporeal Life Support and the Demand for Trials

“One of the best things about [extracorporeal life support] is that it acts as a parachute. It’s there when everything else fails and has known results”. Robert Bartlett   1: Parachutes and the Demand for Trials   The United States Parachute Association recorded 120 deaths while skydiving in America in …