Oncology for the Inquisitive Mind

*SPECIAL EPISODE ALERT* Every year, Josh and Mike cross their fingers and pray to Father Conference-Leave that they can make the pilgrimage to one of the two central sites of Oncology: Madrid for ESMO or Chicago for ASCO. Unfortunately, to this point, Father Conference-Leave has not delivered, and 2023 is no different. However, the cold and wind will not stop our intrepid hosts from parsing the av...

Peripheral neuropathy is a common toxicity of multiple anticancer agents used to treat and cure cancer, including platinum, taxanes and vinca alkaloids chemotherapy. These chemotherapy classes are as ubiquitous for cancer treatment as the sun is to plant photosynthesis. This week on OncoSnacks, Michael and Josh investigate what to do when a patient has peripheral neuropathy and examine existing ev...

It is always nice to be able to say the phrase: "This cancer has an excellent prognosis." That is the case with endometrial cancer, which for the majority of sufferers, can be cured and carries an excellent survival. However, there are cases that unfortunately present late, and for these patients, the outlook is significantly more grim. Some oncologists have little experience treating advanced end...

COSA President-elect (Clinical Oncology Society Australia), Professor Sabe Sabesan, is the oncologist and doctor we all dreamed of being when starting our medical training. This is a story of adversity, compassion and drive without compromise. Sabe's global journey has taken him to some of the remotest places on earth, with each inflection point creating new challenges and opportunities. We discus...

On Oncology for the Inquisitive Mind, we like to focus on cancer and available treatment options. However, every oncologist is at his or her best when working hand-in-hand with other specialities. In this, our seventh episode of OncoSnacks, Michael and Josh interview Dr Mark Nolan, a non-invasive cardiologist with a special interest in anti-cancer treatment-induced cardiotoxicity. Mark provides an...

Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (ACC) is a rare cancer commonly found in the head and neck region, arising from glandular salivary tissue. Like many orphan cancers, effective treatments in the metastatic setting are needed desperately. The 5-year survival rate is 80% and declines over time. In this special subseries: Rare Cancer Snapshots, Michael and Josh pour over the evidence for ACC, pathophysiology...

Lutetium PSMA (Lutetium - 177), theranostic medicine and future advances in prostate cancer are coming to an oncology centre near you faster than you can say "novel drug development" and "progression-free survival". This week Michael and Josh conclude their epic prostate cancer trilogy by exploring theranostic medicine and radioactive drug development while looking at the past of the cytotoxi...

Every feast needs a palate cleanser. Every great work of theatre needs an intermission. Every sports event needs a half-time show. In this way, Oncology for the Inquisitive Mind is no different to Hamilton or the Super Bowl. Here, we provide a little deviation from our ongoing Prostate Cancer Saga to interview Dr Jenny Liu, Oncologist and early drug development (EDD) researcher extraordinaire. Our...

In the second episode of our prostate-cancer series, we investigate the inevitability of castration resistance: the biochemical, radiological and clinical progression of prostate cancer despite the best efforts of the heroic MDT. While this space will likely change in the coming years, with many novel anti-androgen agents displaying efficacy in the HSPC space, the current standards of care for pat...

Endocrinopathies in immunotherapy-related cancer treatment are common! Most of us will experience patients with hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism regularly and recurrently in everyday practice. The incidence is variable, with some sources stating as high as 40% and others as low as 10%; either way, oncologists and trainees are likely to be close allies with their friendly neighbourhood endocrinol...

J.R.R. Tolkien. George Lucas. Steven Spielberg. With such seminal trilogies as Star Wars, the Lord of the Rings and Indiana Jones achieving a permanent place in the psyche of everyday life, who would have thought there would be room for more? But fear not, because Michael and Josh are here with their take on the age-old formula, with the first in a trilogy of episodes on prostate cancer. Just as L...

Ageism is an inherent bias seen throughout medicine, with cancer adding complexity to an already difficult set of circumstances. Despite our best efforts, we all must face growing older, with time itself being that unstoppable force. Over 50% of all new cancer diagnoses are in the over-65 age bracket, which will climb as ageing populations become a reality across the globe. This week, Michael and...

This episode of OncoSnacks pays homage to the lack of eyebrows, eyelashes and hair many patients face when undergoing cancer treatment and the resultant alopecia. While chemotherapy is the most wanted agent, it alone is not to blame. Michael and Josh explore the hairy situation of hair loss that faces many of our patients as they navigate a new world of outpatient clinic appointments, infusion cen...

Today, our intrepid trio once more plunge down 20,000 leagues, exploring the confusing depths, hoping to answer one question: is there any evidence to support using systemic therapy in patients with potentially resectable oligometastatic colorectal cancer? The answer will take them to many dark, barely-explored corners of their profession and will raise more questions than answers. Following in th...

Michael and Josh welcome back Dr Andrew Jensen to help explore part two of OftiM's Head and Neck Cancer exploration party. With localised treatments done and dusted, the metastatic space is a daunting heterogeneous disease group. Twenty years ago, head and neck treatment relied on tried and true chemotherapy, but the last fifteen years have shown great strides regarding treatment options and outco...

30 episodes ago, two young doctors took their first steps into the podcasting sphere, stumbling like two newborn foals birthed into a paddock full of fully functioning stallions, presenting a niche. Since then, they have blossomed before your ears into two vaguely competent podcasters, still finding their feet but growing in confidence, if not skill. Our continued existence, we owe entirely to you...

This episode of OncoSnacks kicks off Michael and Josh's sojourn into the wide world of immune-mediated adverse effects. Inevitably, as most blowhards do, they begin with the lungs. Immune-mediated pneumonitis is not as common as endocrine-axis abnormalities, dermatitis or colitis, but it can be insidious and devastating in equal measure. Such is the potential impact that must be considered in any...

Five hundred years ago, Christopher Columbus set forth to explore unknown lands. You might be asking, what do Chris and metastatic hormone receptor-positive breast cancer have in common? The answer lies in his diaries, a tale of two men, with one aptly providing anatomical details of our subject today. While we spend little time exploring Christopher, Michael and Josh meet and greet three famed Cy...

For the second time in 2023, Josh and Michael discuss some of the hardest-hitting highlights from a conference; in this case, they dive into five studies that caught their eye at the recent ASCO GU Conference in, in Michael's words, "sunny California." We think he is simply jealous of the fact that Melbourne barely has sunshine for most of the year. Never fear: the amount of grousing about the wea...

In this episode of OncoSnacks, Josh and Michael address the classic chemotherapy side effect: nausea. From Terms of Endearment (1983) to ER (2002), from Breaking Bad (2008) to Archer (2011), nausea and vomiting are the most frequently imagined side effects when it comes to chemotherapy. However, we are much better at managing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) than we once were; a com...

Concluding their Journey to the Centre of the Brain, Michael and Josh tackle one of the most challenging and difficult cancers in modern oncology: high-grade gliomas. All of the usual suspects are here: irrevocable, progressive disease, limited treatment options and a gulf in evidence so large it makes the Grand Canyon look like a muddy footprint. All in all, not the most optimistic of OftiM episo...

Oncology for the Inquisitive Mind finally embarks on the treacherous journey of neuro-oncology. While researching for this episode, Michael and Josh realised that effective treatments are limited but do not reduce neuro-oncology's complexity. This is a hefty episode covering low-grade gliomas, oligodendroglioma, astrocytomas and the important molecular markers and how these influence survival and...

In our second bite-sized episode, Michael and Josh explore the challenge of chemotherapy-induced diarrhoea, a common problem for patients leading to morbidity, hospital admissions, and potentially stopping curative treatments early. While immunotherapy and targeted therapy are not innocent bystanders regarding colitis and bowel problems, chemotherapy has long been the most prominent protagonist of...

In the grand, six-month-long tradition of Oncology for the Inquisitive Mind, Josh and Michael provide an update from an international meeting to keep you right up to date with the latest and greatest developments in their field. This week's special is the ASCO GI Symposium, held in Moscone, California, and brought to your ears from Melbourne. From two guys in their pyjamas. Who would much rather b...

Oncology for the Inquisitive Mind returns to its regular broadcasting schedule and discusses metastatic renal cell cancer (ccRCC). As not to be outdone, Josh takes a cultural tangent exploring the world of opera after seeing "The Hours" broadcast through Met: Live in HD. While Josh doesn't sing this episode, he highlights this opera's parallels with cancer patients undergoing treatment. To avoid l...