The Onco Life Podcast

Welcome to Onco Life Centre Podcast. This episode looks at kidney cancer symptoms and why they're so often mistaken for something else. We walk through the real warning signs, the risk factors, and how doctors reach a diagnosis. You'll learn: - Why early signs so easily get blamed on a UTI, a strained back, or blood pressure trouble - The full symptom list, including blood in urine, a ba...

Welcome to Onco Life Centre Podcast. This episode looks at blood in urine and what it can mean. We cover why it happens, when it points to bladder cancer, and when it usually does not. You'll learn: - What hematuria is, and the difference between visible and microscopic blood in urine - The common non-cancer causes, including a urinary tract infection, kidney stones, and an enlarged prostate...

Welcome to Onco Life Centre Podcast. This episode looks at how a Bradford skin clinic is using AI to review photos of suspicious skin lesions, and what the early results show. We also cover what independent research says about whether AI can work without a clinician checking its results. You'll learn: - How a healthcare assistant photographs a skin lesion and how the AI tool called DERM revie...

Welcome to Onco Life Centre Podcast. This episode looks at fluid buildup around the lungs, also known as pleural effusion. We cover why it happens, what symptoms to watch for, and how doctors diagnose and treat it. You'll learn: - What fluid buildup around the lungs is and where it collects - The main causes, including heart failure, infection, lung cancer, blood clots, and kidney or liver di...

Welcome to Onco Life Centre Podcast. This episode looks at what it's really like to live with a stoma after colorectal surgery. We walk through the first weeks of recovery, daily pouch care, and how most patients settle into a steady routine. You'll learn: - What a stoma is and why colorectal surgery sometimes requires one - The difference between a temporary and a permanent colostomy -...

Welcome to Onco Life Centre Podcast. This episode looks at male breast cancer, a diagnosis many people don't expect because breast cancer is so often framed as a disease that only affects women. We walk through the warning signs, the main risk factors, and when a chest change is worth a doctor's visit. You'll learn: - Why men have breast tissue that can develop cancer, even though t...

Welcome to Onco Life Centre Podcast. A new NHS England pilot will let surgeons identify a brain tumour's type during an operation, using a nanopore DNA test developed in Nottingham. This episode explains how the test works and how doctors hope to diagnose brain tumours faster. You'll learn: - How nanopore sequencing reads DNA from small tissue samples - What methylation tags reveal about...

Welcome to Onco Life Centre Podcast. This episode explains why chemo brain happens during or after cancer treatment, and the everyday strategies that can genuinely help with the cognitive impairment it causes. You'll learn: - Why chemo brain happens, and the factors that can contribute beyond chemotherapy itself - Common chemo brain symptoms, like forgetfulness, trouble concentrating, and men...

Welcome to Onco Life Centre Podcast. This episode explains when a nagging cough is worth medical attention, and which cough patterns point toward lung cancer rather than a common cold or reflux. You'll learn: - What counts as a persistent cough versus a chronic cough, and when three weeks matters - Cough patterns that raise more concern, including coughing up blood - Other symptoms that often...

Welcome to Onco Life Centre Podcast. This episode walks through what happens during a colonoscopy, from prep to recovery, using a flexible tube to examine the colon and rectum. You'll learn: - What happens at each step of a colonoscopy, from check-in to recovery - How IV sedation works and why most patients remember little of the exam - How to prepare with a liquid diet and prep solution in t...

Welcome to Onco Life Centre Podcast. This episode looks at multi cancer early detection, a blood test that scans for signals from dozens of cancers in a single draw. We explain why a US FDA advisory panel supported it in September 2026 and why oncologists remain divided. You'll learn: - How a multi cancer blood test looks for DNA fragments shed by cancer cells - Why the FDA panel voted 7 to 2...

Welcome to Onco Life Centre Podcast. This episode explains what a DCIS, or ductal carcinoma in situ, diagnosis means when a pathology report reads "stage 0," and what typically happens next. You'll learn: - What "stage 0" and "in situ" actually mean for a DCIS diagnosis - Why DCIS rarely causes symptoms and how it is usually found on a routine mammogram - The thr...

Welcome to Onco Life Centre Podcast. Stomach cancer often causes no symptoms early on, which is why persistent stomach discomfort deserves attention rather than a wait-and-see approach. This episode covers the warning signs to watch for and the risk factors that raise the odds. You'll learn: - Why stomach cancer can grow for months before causing obvious trouble - The warning signs to watch f...

Welcome to Onco Life Centre Podcast. A mouth ulcer usually heals within a week or two, but one that lingers can be an early warning sign of mouth cancer. This episode looks at when a persistent sore needs a doctor's attention and what else to watch for. You'll learn: - Why a mouth ulcer lasting more than three weeks needs a checkup, even without pain - Other warning signs to watch for, i...

Welcome to Onco Life Centre Podcast. New geriatric oncology guidelines released in September 2026 are changing how doctors plan cancer care for people over 65. This episode breaks down what the guidance means for older patients and the families supporting them. You'll learn: - Why fitness, not age, now guides treatment decisions for older patients - How doctors use short screening tools to me...

Welcome to Onco Life Centre Podcast. This episode looks at why cholangiocarcinoma so often stays silent for years, its three main tumor types, and the risk factors and treatment options worth knowing about. You'll learn: - Why cholangiocarcinoma often causes no symptoms until it blocks bile flow - The three main tumor types and why their location matters for treatment - The most common signs,...

Welcome to Onco Life Centre Podcast. This episode looks at how to tell ordinary heartburn apart from warning signs that need a doctor's attention, and what happens between GERD, Barrett's esophagus, and cancer risk. You'll learn: - How GERD develops from long-term acid exposure - How Barrett's esophagus fits into that pathway, and why most people with it never develop cancer -...

Welcome to Onco Life Centre Podcast. This episode looks at why ovarian cancer is so often diagnosed late, the everyday signs that get overlooked, and what the numbers show about catching it early. You'll learn: - Why ovarian cancer earned the nickname "silent killer" - Why there is no reliable screening test for ovarian cancer - The most commonly reported signs, including bloating,...

Welcome to Onco Life Centre Podcast. A major 2026 update to U.S. bladder cancer guidelines reshapes how often patients should be checked after treatment. This episode looks at what changed and why. You'll learn: - A 2026 AUA and SUO guideline update refreshed how often bladder cancer checkups should happen - Checkup frequency depends on original risk group, from low risk to high risk and carc...

Welcome to Onco Life Centre Podcast. This episode covers the most common signs of a brain tumour, from headache patterns to vision changes, and when they warrant a doctor's attention. You'll learn: - Why symptoms depend heavily on the tumour's location and size - What sets a tumour-related headache apart from an ordinary one - The vision changes and eye problems that can signal a tu...

Welcome to Onco Life Centre Podcast. This episode looks at inherited cancer risk, including which family history patterns point toward genetic testing and what to expect from the process. You'll learn: - Roughly how many cancer diagnoses come from an inherited gene mutation - The family history patterns that suggest genetic testing is worth considering - What a genetic test actually looks for...

Welcome to Onco Life Centre Podcast. This episode looks at gastrointestinal stromal tumors, including why they so often cause no symptoms and how doctors find and treat them. You'll learn: - What a gastrointestinal stromal tumor is and where it typically grows - Why roughly one in five of these tumors cause no symptoms at all - What symptoms to watch for when they do appear - How doctors diag...

Welcome to Onco Life Centre Podcast. In this episode, we break down the FDA's new accelerated approval for a breast cancer treatment guided by an early resistance blood test, and what it could mean for patients already in treatment. You'll learn: - Why the FDA called this the first cancer approval guided by a resistance mutation found in blood before a scan shows progression - How a bloo...

Welcome to Onco Life Centre Podcast. This episode explains the symptoms of uterine cancer, especially abnormal bleeding, and when they're worth getting checked. You'll learn: - Why bleeding that is heavier, longer, or oddly timed is the clearest early sign of uterine cancer - Why post menopausal bleeding in particular needs urgent attention, even light spotting - Other symptoms beyond bl...

Welcome to Onco Life Centre Podcast. This episode explains the difference between an HPV test and a Pap smear, who needs which one in Malaysia, and how often screening should happen. You'll learn: - Why cervical cancer is one of the few cancers that regular screening can catch before it ever develops - The real difference between an HPV test and a Pap smear - Why Malaysia's national guid...