Medscape General Surgery Podcast

Gun violence is a public health issue, says a leading bioethicist. As such, it's up to doctors to talk about gun safety with patients.

Dr. John Marshall found board certification 'really hard,' partly because questions had no right answer. He asks: Are boards a fair measure of a practicing physician's skills and knowledge base?

Liquid biopsy may detect cancer recurrence, changes in the tumor, and development of drug resistance -- eventually, says Dr. George Lundberg. But for now, patients and physicians should be wary.

Dr. Maurie Markman suggests that the findings of this study be shared with women with the BRCA+ mutation.

A French company recently implanted a new artificial heart, and the patient is doing well. But artificial hearts raise many ethical and practical issues.

A new study suggests that men diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer might benefit from removing or debulking the primary tumor. Dr. Gerald Chodak explores the validity of the study.

Drs. Kathy Miller and Ian Krop talk about why a single-arm study in low-risk cancer is a huge advance for a population of understudied breast cancer patients.

A man suffered a tragic, sudden accident and woke up paralyzed and with a breathing tube. Doctors asked him whether he wanted to continue living. Should they have waited?

Dr. Kathy Miller previews SABCS 2013, highlighting studies on platinum agents in triple-negative breast cancer, trends in local therapy, and whether CTC levels should guide therapy decisions.

FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, MD, talks with Medscape at the National Health Research Forum in Washington, DC.