The Conversation After the Consultation A 48-year-old software executive has just finished his consultation for hypertension management. As he’s about to leave, he pauses at the door. “Doctor,” he says, “my uncle was just diagnosed with cancer. Is there anything I should be doing to prevent it?” This question, often asked as an afterthought, is…
Picture a typical Tuesday afternoon in your clinic. The waiting room is overflowing, and you’re trying to catch up. Your next patient is Mr. Patil, a 62-year-old you know well, who came in last week with a persistent cough. You ordered a chest X-ray, expecting to find evidence of bronchitis or pneumonia. But the radiologist’s…
By Dr. Avinash Deo, Medical Oncologist September 13, 2025 A Story That Changed My Perspective Many years ago, I met a worried friend in the ICU of a prominent Mumbai hospital where I was seeing a patient. On asking why she was there, she told me her father was admitted with septic shock following a…
By Dr. Avinash Deo, Medical Oncologist September 13, 2025 The Conversation in Your Clinic Has Changed For decades, the magic number for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening was 50. But that has changed. A 45-year-old now sitting in your office is a candidate for screening. A 38-year-old who mentions her father had colon cancer at 48…
By Dr. Avinash Deo, Medical Oncologist September 12, 2025 The Difficult Conversation in Your Clinic A 45-year-old woman, prompted by a health article she read online, asks you to order a CA-125 blood test and a pelvic ultrasound “just to be safe.” It’s a reasonable request from a concerned patient. Ovarian cancer is often dubbed…
By Dr. Avinash Deo, Medical Oncologist September 12, 2025 The Questions We Hear Every Day A 40-year-old woman sits in your clinic and asks, “Doctor, is it time for my first mammogram?” The next patient, a 35-year-old, says, “My mother had breast cancer at 48. What should I be doing?” These are not simple questions….