• Episode 72: Colorectal Cancer (CRC) | Part 2: Diagnosis
    Nov 11 2024

    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.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    1 hr and 13 mins
  • Episode 71: Colorectal Cancer (CRC) | Part 1: Screening
    Oct 28 2024

    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.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    1 hr and 30 mins
  • Episode 70: Understanding Troponin | As Serious As A Heart Attack
    Oct 14 2024

    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.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    48 mins
  • Episode 100 Well Kinda | Historical autopsy of Oscar Wilde
    Sep 30 2024

    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.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    52 mins
  • Episode 68: Janine Watson | Taking The Challenge Head On
    Sep 16 2024

    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.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Episode 67 - Season 5 Reflection And Highlights
    Sep 2 2024

    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.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    36 mins
  • Episode 66 - Thyroid Lumps | The Good, The Bad, And The Nodules - Part Two
    Aug 19 2024

    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.

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    1 hr and 13 mins
  • Episode 65: Thyroid Lumps | The Good, The Bad, And The Nodules - Part One
    Aug 12 2024

    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.

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    46 mins