Katherine O’Brien

The radiologist could not have known exactly what was in store for me, but it obviously wasn’t good. Couldn’t he have dredged up even a nanoparticle of empathy

Meetings like SABCS that bring together scientists, medical professionals, and patients are essential to achieving improved outcomes in the clinic. I am grateful to all who organize and attend this event and humbled to participate.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a magical time that brings out the child in each of us. You can keep your Santa Claus and your Tooth Fairy, I believe in the warm and fuzzy feeling of breast cancer awareness.

Through its direct mail pieces, print ads, and commercials, my treatment center positions itself as a Shangri-La where all patients bask in the sensitive and professional care of their multidisciplinary team. How very different this picture is from my regular sojourns to the nuclear medicine department in the bowels of the hospital.

Recently, my treatment center changed the contrast agent patients are asked to drink prior to having a CT. They look and taste the same. So why has the switch bothered me so much?