Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: malignancies

  • Not-so-natural history

    Anthony PapagiannisThessaloniki, Greece Physicians learn about chronic disease by watching its natural history and attempting to modify it with therapies. Cardiologists record episodes of ischemic disease, oncologists follow the progression of malignancies, and pulmonologists note changes in respiratory function over time. When patients are first seen, the disease is often already established. It is less…