Although this column is running in The Cancer Letter, where we turn for timely insights and information relevant to the cancer community, I suspect that a lot of our readers are watching college basketball this week.
Technological innovations are often hailed as transformative tools capable of revolutionizing healthcare. From gene editing for conditions like sickle cell disease to AI predicting hospital readmissions, to telemedicine expanding healthcare access, these advancements have the potential to change the way we treat diseases.
When Helene Brown, a cancer control pioneer who jokingly described herself as “the first in a long line of political oncologists,” delivered the keynote address at the Oncology Nursing Society annual meeting in 1990, she set forth bold predictions for the ensuing 20 years of the field: appointments conducted over “computerphone,” major genetic breakthroughs, and universal healthcare.
The definition of “therapeutic imperative” is this: A treatment necessity that must be met in order to prevent death. Once the imperative is clearly defined, addressing it properly links correct diagnosis with therapy and favorable prognosis. On the other hand, misdiagnosis or inadequate diagnosis fails to provide a framework for highly effective or curative therapy.