An oncologist reflects on purpose, gratitude, and resilience during this time of uncertainty, considering changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cancer is a common disease with an estimated 1 in 3 persons in the UK likely to be diagnosed with a malignancy in their life-time1. Nearly all of us will have had the experience of a close friend or family member who has been diagnosed with cancer. Such a diagnosis is associated with anxiety and concern for the future. It is this uniqueness about patients with cancer that is powerfully motivati...

It is 18h30 on a Friday; clinic ran late again. I promised the kids I would pick them up an hour ago. We are supposed to be going out for a celebratory dinner tonight with friends. I will be late, again. My pager keeps buzzing. A colleague wants me to “squeeze” a new patient into my already overbooked next clinic. I still have to go to the inpatient unit to talk to a dying patient and her young...

Until the late 1980s, gastroenterology (GE) was considered a subspecialty of Internal Medicine. Today, GE also incorporates Hepatology. However, Digestive Oncology training is poorly defined in the Hepatogastroenterology (HGE)-curriculum. Therefore, a Digestive Oncology curriculum should be developed and this document might be a starting point for such a curriculum. HGE-specialists are increasi...

Background More minimally invasive techniques are currently available for the surgical oncologist in the optimal staging of biliopancreatic cancer. With the increased age of population we can see an increase of age-related diseases, such a cardiovascular disease, hypertension, arthritis and other malignancies. With the development of endoscopy, laparoscopy, ultrasonography and biopsy equipment,...