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...
Oct 28, 2024•1 hr 30 min•Season 5Ep. 71
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 i...
Oct 14, 2024•48 min•Season 5Ep. 70
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 ...
Sep 30, 2024•52 min•Season 5Ep. 69
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 hist...
Sep 16, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 6Ep. 68
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 mig...
Sep 02, 2024•36 min•Season 5Ep. 67
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...
Aug 19, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Season 5Ep. 66
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 Syme...
Aug 12, 2024•46 min•Season 5Ep. 65
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 incl...
Jul 29, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Season 5Ep. 64
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 ...
Jul 15, 2024•50 min•Season 5Ep. 63
Over two-thirds of the world’s population lose the ability to metabolise during their lifetime (the majority during childhood). We know today that lactose intolerance, or lactase persistence, has a strong genetic predisposition. Almost 100% of Asians, 70% of African-Americans, East Indians, US Hispanics and approximately 50% of Spanish and French have very low levels of lactase in adulthood (what we would call lactose intolerant). Alternatively, the majority of Caucasians can tolerate lactose in...
Jul 01, 2024•33 min•Season 5Ep. 62
Pelvic pain is a difficult and challenging medical condition for both patients and doctors. It can be debilitating for women that can begin as a teenager or a young adult and progress for years impacting every facet of their lives. Similiarly, pelvic pain can be challenging for symptom to assess and manage for doctors as there are a multitude of causes that range from simple and straight forward to complex and chronic diseases such as endometriosis. In this episode we discuss pelvic pain and end...
Jun 17, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Season 5Ep. 61
Vitamin B6 is a common additive in supplements, energy drinks and breakfast cereals. In rare circumstances though, it can reach levels toxic levels and cause neurological symptoms the mimic neurodegenerative disease. This year newsGP reported a case where a GP took magnesium supplements for muscle cramps and over the course of a few years resulted in vitamin B6 toxicity that caused peripheral neuropathy and difficulty walking. Fortunately, vitamin B6 toxicity is rare but it is an important condi...
Jun 03, 2024•31 min•Season 5Ep. 60
Scleroderma is a disease characterised by the hardening and tightening of the skin and connective tissues. The first medical description can be traced back to the 1750s. Our understanding has evolved over the centuries but the pathogenesis remains largely unknown. The disease as several forms including diffuse and localised. Symptoms include skin discoloration and tightness to more severe complications like organ dysfunction. Fortunately we have several different treatment options available for ...
May 20, 2024•46 min•Season 5Ep. 59
In 1901, the state of Montana organised for scientists and doctors to investigate a mysterious illness from the Bitterroot Valley called ‘Black measles’ and ‘Black typhus’. People of all ages were affected but predominantly those who worked in the brush and were exposed to tick bites. The investigators called it ‘tick fever’ and this particular strain had a mortality rate over eighty percent. Today this disease is known as Rocky Mountain spotted fever. In Australia, it is sometimes called ‘spott...
May 06, 2024•41 min•Season 5Ep. 58
Our understanding of infectious disease and pathology stems from the 19th century with Robert Koch pioneering research. Dr Koch help to shaped modern microbiology and medicine when he identified the causative agents for anthrax and tuberculosis. Since that time, the number of infectious microorganisms that we know of that cause illness and diseases has increased exponentially. Thanks to modern day techniques, laboratories can test for these agents directly or indirectly and get an answer often w...
Apr 22, 2024•44 min
In episode 56 of This Medical Life, Dr Travis Brown and Steve Davis delve into the critical topic of iron studies, with a special focus on iron deficiency, under the expert guidance of returning guest, Professor Ken Sikaris. Iron deficiency’s prevalence is influenced by factors such as age, sex, and ethnicity, noting that women, especially those of childbearing age and pregnant women, are at higher risk. Prof Sikaris addresses the challenges and misconceptions surrounding iron studies, particula...
Apr 08, 2024•55 min•Season 5Ep. 56
In this episode we delve into the nuanced world of the Pomegranate Health podcast with our guest, Mic Cavazzini. Pomegranate Health, a creation of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, serves as a platform to explore the multifaceted culture of medicine. It weaves through the clinical intricacies of medicine with episodes that span from the deeply technical aspects of healthcare to broader discussions on skills essential for effective practice and systemic issues within global health. Th...
Mar 25, 2024•43 min•Season 5Ep. 55
In Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) Part 1 , we learned that CTE is a neurodegenerative disease caused by repetitive cumulative brain injury. Patients suffer from debilitating mental health symptoms and may even have suicidal thoughts or actions. Unfortunately, there is no treatment for this disease and it can only be official diagnosed at autopsy (after death). The only successful strategy to combat this illness is prevention. Unfortunately, this is an ongoing challenge as there is a lot ...
Mar 11, 2024•54 min•Season 5Ep. 54
In 2005, Dr Bennet Omalu would publish a report in the United States on the autopsy brain findings of a former professional footballer from the NFL. His conclusion was the former athlete suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE); a disease caused by repeated brain injuries most likely due to sport. The response was swift and severe claiming that the findings were incorrect, the conclusions erroneous, and a retraction of this report was demanded. Surprisingly, this was not the first ti...
Feb 26, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Season 5Ep. 53
And that’s another year done. A huge thank you to all of our guest speakers who have been generous with their time and expertise. We would also like to thank our listeners and hope you enjoyed the episodes. This episode is a mini reflection on this year’s episodes, a link to one of Steve’s favourite podcasts, some TML clips, and an embarrassing memory lapse on my behalf…thanks for keeping that part in Steve & Tim. Random acts of Medicine on EconTalk podcast: https://www.econtalk.org/anupam-b...
Nov 28, 2023•25 min•Season 4Ep. 51
During the mid-twentieth century, menopause was touted as a severe disease that destroyed women’s femininity and was a burden to their husbands. Thankfully, today we recognise menopause as a natural part of ageing and conversations about it are happening more and more. In this episode, we have four special guests: Niki Bezzant: award-winning writer, author, journalist and media personality from New Zealand who has written the book ‘ This Changes Everything: the Honest Guide to Menopause and Peri...
Nov 13, 2023•1 hr 28 min•Season 4Ep. 50
In July 2020 in the midst of a global pandemic, we released our first episode called ‘What is pathology?’ with This Pathological Life podcast. We hoped to create something that would entertain and education the audiencem and shed light on to some of the amazing stories and characters in medicine. In creating these podcasts, I am always thankful and appreciative to our guests who willingly give their time and expertise. If there is anyone who has excited our audience, been an inspiring teacher an...
Oct 30, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 4Ep. 49
On the 1st of November 2023, the Australian Government will release new guidelines for screening prostate cancer with the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test. These guidelines are based upon the Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) published in 2016 with new items to be included in the Medicare schedule. These items are based upon the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Cancer Council of Australia guidelines that have been endorsed by the NHMRC, RACGP, and USANZ. We speak to Professor Ken Si...
Oct 15, 2023•51 min•Season 4Ep. 48
We continue the second episode of this two part series on breast screening and mammograms focusing on the future. In this episode, we talk about the importance of breast density as a new risk factor, personalised breast cancer risk assessment (iPrevent developed by Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre https://www.petermac.org/iprevent ), and discuss a personal account with Dr Sandy Minck. Special guests: Associate Professor Michelle Reintals is the Director of BreastScreen South Australia and an Austra...
Oct 02, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 4Ep. 47
A critical tool in the fight against breast cancer is population screening. Early detection, surgical intervention +/- further treatment has dramatically reduced advanced disease and mortality rates but it still remains the most common cancer worldwide. In this episode, we focus on the history of breast cancer, the development of mammograms and early detection with our understanding of the underlying pathology. Our special guests include: Associate Professor Michelle Reintals is the Director of ...
Sep 18, 2023•56 min•Season 4Ep. 46
Our understanding of the world today is constantly changing. What was once considered truths and facts can, in hindsight, be seen as misguided or wrong. It may be challenging to accept but becomes evident over time that the things we learn today may become irrelevant or superseded in the future and this is particularly relevant to medicine. Scientometrics is the quantitative study of science and the rate at which change occurs. Today, we discuss this topic with scientist and author Sam Arbesman,...
Sep 04, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 4Ep. 45
Vitamin D has been a controversial topic in recent times with the debate continuing over appropriate testing, adequate levels, and the evidence for treatment. We discussed the appropriateness of testing and chemical pathology component with Professor Ken Sikaris (Episode 25), but what does the research tell us about diseases associated with Vitamin D and the utility of replacement? We discuss this with Professor Scott Byrne from The University of Sydney. Our special guest is Professor Scott Byrn...
Aug 21, 2023•42 min•Season 4Ep. 44
Professor Peter Doherty trained as a veterinarian before venturing into immunology research. Professor Doherty travelled extensively throughout his career and has undertaken numerous research posts around the world. The achievement that he is most noted for is he was able to demonstrate how the body distinguished between virus-infected cells from non-infected cells and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1996. However, there is far more that he has achieved throughout his c...
Aug 07, 2023•56 min•Season 4Ep. 43
The double helix structure of DNA was the discovery of the century. However, the story about the discovery is mired in controversy as one of the major contributors, Rosalind Franklin, was conspicuously absent from acknowledgements and died (and subsequently not named) before the Nobel Prize was awarded. In 1968, James Watson wrote the book ‘The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA’ and reads more like a fictional detective novel than an autobiographical accou...
Jul 23, 2023•49 min•Season 4Ep. 42
Essentially every culture, modern or ancient, understood that health and faeces are inherently linked. The Ancient Chinese practiced ‘copromancy’ which was the assessment of health based upon the shape, size and texture of faeces. Today we have the Bristol Stool Chart that helps us to classify faeces/poo into seven different groups. As disconcerting as it may be, the state of our poo can tell us a lot about our own health and this is only going to increase as our knowledge about our faecal micro...
Jul 10, 2023•50 min•Season 4Ep. 41
