This Medical Life

The lifetime risk for colorectal cancer is 1 in 23 men and 1 in 25 women. Detecting and diagnosing cancer is a critical step in managing a patient’s health as well as the multidisciplinary team where their care is discussed.

This is the second episode of a three part series on colorectal cancer.

This episode focuses on diagnosis.

Many thanks to Dr Tristan Rutland who helped organise this series.

This is the story of colorectal cancer (part 2).

Our special guests:

Dr Milan Bassan: gastroenterologist and Director of Endoscopy at Liverpool Hospital and returning guest

Dr Scott Mackenzie: surgeon and senior lecturer at the Liverpool Hospital and returning guest

Dr Tristan Rutland: lecturer, award winning anatomical pathologist for teaching and regular guest

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify.

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Colorectal cancer accounts for ~10% of all new cancer diagnoses. Fortunately, over the last three decades, the 5 year patient survival has increased from 56% to 71%. As with most cancers, the key to good outcomes is early detection. This is the first episode of a three part series on colorectal cancer. This episode focuses on screening.

Many thanks to Dr Tristan Rutland who helped organise this series.

This is the story of colorectal cancer (part 1).

Our special guests are:

Professor Ken Sikaris: chemical pathologists, Director of Chemical Pathology at Dorevitch Pathology and regular guest

Dr Milan Bassan: gastroenterologist and Director of Endoscopy at Liverpool Hospital and returning guest

Dr Tristan Rutland: lecturer, award winning anatomical pathologist for teaching and regular guest

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify.

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Troponin is a protein found in heart muscle that was a game changer when it came to diagnosing heart attacks and myocardial injury in the late 1990s. Three decades later, it is an invaluable test with widespread use throughout medicine.

Troponin assays are venturing into their 5th generation with high-sensitivity and Point-Of-Care (POC) devices. However, there are important exceptions, caveats and pitfalls for doctors to know.

This is the story of troponin.

Our special guest:

Our special guest is Dr Christina Trambas who is a chemical pathologist, Medical Director at St Vincent’s Pathology and chair of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australiasia (RCPA) Troponin Working Party.

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify.

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Our eagle-eyed This Medical Life podcast listeners will wonder why we have called this episode 100 … is that right?

Well, it kinda is.

If you add up both This Pathological Life and This Medical Life podcasts episodes, it’s well over 100 episodes.

This is a small milestone for this ‘Trav and Steve’ dynamic duo who have never resolved the question: which one is Robin?

In honour of this achievement, we reflect upon the life and death of an amazing poet and author Oscar Wilde. We dive back into the 1850s to 1900s when modern medicine was at its infancy and the ‘love that dare not speak its name’ was a crime.

This is the story of Oscar Wilde

Our appreciation goes out to our listeners who we hope will enjoy this flight of fancy episode and reflect on where we have come from, where we are, and where we are heading.

Our special guest:

We have no special guests this episode, other than some choice quotes from the man of the hour, Oscar Wilde.

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify.

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Throughout history, humanity has been captivated by heroes overcoming immense challenges—from ancient legends to modern Marvel icons.

In this episode, Dr Travis Brown and Steve Davis are honoured to have Janine Watson, a Paralympian athlete who reached out to us after our episodes on Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) (Episode 53 and Episode 54) opened her eyes to the unrecognised trauma her brain and body have endured.

This is the story of Janine Watson’s journey from MS diagnosis to history making Paralympian. And how listening to a particular episode of This Medical Life changed her future.

Our special guest:

Paralympian, Janine Watson.

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify.

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In this episode, Steve Davis and Dr. Travis Brown reflect on the journey through Series 5 of This Medical Life.

From discussing the impact of episodes on medical professionals to revisiting significant stories and breakthroughs, this episode provides a retrospective on the memorable moments and invaluable lessons learned.

Whether it's the exploration of vitamin B6's role in patient care or the unexpected feedback from a Paralympian, this recap offers you a chance to catch up on episodes you might have missed and gain deeper insights into the world of medicine.

Our special guest:

We do include an excerpt of Dr Adam Cifu from the podcast, Econtalk, What's Happening Inside Your Doctor's Head And Heart.

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify.

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Thyroid lumps have always been with us. Often referred to as goitres (interpreted from Latin to mean neck swelling), numerous ancient medical sources mention these and how to manage them.

However, it has only been with modern medicine and investigations that we can distinguish between benign and malignant lesions. In this episode, we examine the investigations, diagnosis, management and prognosis of thyroid lumps.

This is the story of Thyroid lumps (Part 2)

Part 1 focuses on cytology and surgery for thyroid.
Part 2 focuses on anatomical pathology and molecular/genetics.

Our special guests:

Professor Yuri Nikiforov is the Director of the Division of Molecular Anatomic Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Co-developer of the test we discuss in this episode, ThyroSeq.

Dr Tiffany Symes is a histopathologist and deputy director of Anatomical Pathology at Melbourne Pathology. She is also featured in part one.

Dr Rachael Chambers is a histopathologist at Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology, Brisbane.

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thyroid lumps have always been with us. Often referred to as goitres (interpreted from Latin to mean neck swelling), numerous ancient medical sources mention these and how to manage them.

However, it has only been with modern medicine and investigations that we can distinguish between benign and malignant lesions. In this episode, we examine the investigations, diagnosis, management and prognosis of thyroid lumps.

This is part one of the story of Thyroid lumps.

Our special guest:

Dr Tiffany Symes is a histopathologist and deputy director of Anatomical Pathology at Melbourne Pathology.

Associate Professor James Lee is a leading endocrine surgeon in Australia, co-editor of the Endocrine Surgery section of the ANZ Journal of Surgery and deputy co-chair of the Endocrine Surgery Section of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A common myth about epilepsy is that women who suffer from this condition should avoid getting pregnant. This is simply not true. It can be safely managed for both the mother-to-be and future child. Epilepsy is not a contraindication for pregnancy.

Certainly there are additional precautions and steps that should be taken when a woman who has epilepsy is considering starting a family and it requires a multidisciplinary approach.

This is the story of pregnancy and epilepsy.

Our special guests include:

Daisy Beyer who lives in Melbourne with her husband and son expecting their second child in August of this year. Daisy is a registered psychiatric nurse and lives with generalised epilepsy.

Dr Amber Moore is an obstetrician and gynaecologist working in Melbourne, Federal Councillor for the Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists, and deputy chair of the Continuing Professional Education Committee.

Professor Mark Cook is a consultant neurologist, Director of Neurology and Chair of Medicine at St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne. He was awarded an Officer in the Order of Australia for distinguished service to neurological medicine and treatment research for epilepsy.

Anna Heldorf lives in Melbourne with her partner and is a public servant. Anna was diagnosed with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy and had her first baby in April this year.

Our gratitude goes to Dr Amber Moore for her assistance in helping get this episode together.

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify

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Tonsillectomies are one of the most common operations both today and historically, however, it has always been mired in controversy. In ancient times, this was touted as being either life-saving or completely unnecessary and continued to be a polarising topic into the twentieth century.

An evidence based approach has helped to provide guidelines such as the Paradise criteria. However, there is always nuance and particular patient circumstances that play a role in deciding if surgical management is appropriate. We talk to one of Australia’s foremost experts to help us navigate this topic.

This is the story of Tonsillectomies.

Our special guest:

Dr Eric Levi is a triple-Fellowship trained Specialist Otolaryngologist (Ear Nose & Throat), Head & Neck Surgeon based in Melbourne, Australia. He has completed Fellowships in Head & Neck Surgery, Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery and Paediatric Otolaryngology.

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