Act One

Act Two

And we’re back – for another year – with more stories, more expert guests, more topics to discuss. Episodes released fortnightly.

And we’ve also released an ebook with audio narrated by the masterful voice of Steve Davis for a general audience sharing some of the amazing stories of medicine.

Chapter J provided in this episode.

Our special guest:

In this episode, our special guest is the audiobook itself: Diseased: The A to Z of illnesses, medicine, and important people through history.

Link to kindle version: Diseased: The A to Z of illnesses, medicine, and important people through history

Link to audiobook: Coming soon.

Listen:

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. Help support us on our donation page.

And we&rsquo;re back &ndash; for another year &ndash; with more stories, more expert guests, more topics to discuss.&nbsp;Episodes&nbsp;released fortnightly.
And we&rsquo;ve also released an ebook with audio narrated by the masterful voice of Steve Davis for a general audience sharing some of the amazing stories of medicine.
Chapter J provided in this&nbsp;episode.
Our special guest:
In this episode, our special guest is the audiobook itself:&nbsp;Diseased: The A to Z of illnesses, medicine, and important people through history.
Link to kindle version: Diseased:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0GLXW1X7R">The A to Z of illnesses, medicine, and important people through history</a>
Link to audiobook: Coming soon.
Listen:
This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify.&nbsp;<a href="https://thismedicallife.com.au/buy/donation">Help support us on our donation page</a>.

Welcome to the This Medical Life podcast. Our mission is to share stories about the triumphs and tragedies of diseases and illnesses from ancient times up until what we know today. It is about those scientific and medical minds who came before us and how, every single day, we stand on the shoulders of giants. This is a podcast about the stories of medicine. Hosted by Dr. Travis Brown and Steve Davis, our target audience is General Practitioners, medical students, and other health professionals. We hope to educate, inspire and celebrate those who choose to care for others in their profession. From experience, we know that our audience extends beyond these fields and would like to welcome anyone to listen. The stories of those who came before us are nothing short of remarkable and we hope you enjoy them as much as we do. Production by Steve Davis

Welcome to the This Medical Life podcast. Our mission is to share stories about the triumphs and tragedies of diseases and illnesses from ancient times up until what we know today. It is about those scientific and medical minds who came before us and how, every single day, we stand on the shoulders of giants. This is a podcast about the stories of medicine. Hosted by Dr. Travis Brown and Steve Davis, our target audience is General Practitioners, medical students, and other health professionals. We hope to educate, inspire and celebrate those who choose to care for others in their profession. From experience, we know that our audience extends beyond these fields and would like to welcome anyone to listen. The stories of those who came before us are nothing short of remarkable and we hope you enjoy them as much as we do. Production by Steve Davis

This Medical Life

Auscast Medical Channel is a podcast channel that provides a wide range of medical-related content. The podcasts feature interviews with experts in various medical fields, including doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals, as well as discussions on the latest medical research and treatment options. The channel covers a wide range of topics, including general health, mental health, and specific medical conditions. The podcasts are aimed at both healthcare professionals and the general public, and provide listeners with the latest information and insights on healthcare topics. Auscast Medical Channel is a great resource for staying informed about medical issues and trends, and for learning more about how to care for yourself and your loved ones.

Auscast Medical Channel is a podcast channel that provides a wide range of medical-related content. The podcasts feature interviews with experts in various medical fields, including doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals, as well as discussions on the latest medical research and treatment options. The channel covers a wide range of topics, including general health, mental health, and specific medical conditions. The podcasts are aimed at both healthcare professionals and the general public, and provide listeners with the latest information and insights on healthcare topics. Auscast Medical Channel is a great resource for staying informed about medical issues and trends, and for learning more about how to care for yourself and your loved ones.

Auscast Medical

Welcome to the This Medical Life podcast. Our mission is to share stories about the triumphs and tragedies of diseases and illnesses from ancient times up until what we know today. It is about those scientific and medical minds who came before us and how, every single day, we stand on the shoulders of giants. This is a podcast about the stories of medicine.


Hosted by Dr. Travis Brown and Steve Davis, our target audience is General Practitioners, medical students, and other health professionals. We hope to educate, inspire and celebrate those who choose to care for others in their profession. From experience, we know that our audience extends beyond these fields and would like to welcome anyone to listen. The stories of those who came before us are nothing short of remarkable and we hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Production by Tim Whiffen

Design by Tom Buzz

Episode 93: Return of TML | Diseased

Act Three

Two teenage patients, thirty years apart, changed how bone sarcomas are treated. In 1890, seventeen-year-old Bessie Dashiell saw New York surgeon William Coley with a painful hand. Despite an amputation, she died of metastatic cancer ten weeks later. Coley’s search for a better answer led him to Coley’s toxin, a bacterial treatment now recognised as an early form of immunotherapy.

In 1921, pathologist James Ewing treated a fourteen-year-old girl with a wrist tumour he believed was osteosarcoma. Coley’s toxin failed. Radiotherapy, tried next, worked, even though osteosarcoma is classically radiotherapy-resistant. The tumour turned out to be a different disease entirely, now known as Ewing sarcoma, accounting for around 15 percent of bone sarcomas.

Dr Travis Brown traces both stories in detail, then turns to two guests for the clinical picture in 2026.

Dr Liz Connolly, medical oncologist at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and oncology research fellow at ProCan Children’s Medical Research Institute, covers staging (localised versus advanced), chemotherapy regimens for osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma, targeted therapies, and why immunotherapy has so far shown limited benefit in these cancers. She also discusses five-year survival, which sits around 70 percent for localised osteosarcoma or Ewing sarcoma, and why chondrosarcoma remains difficult to treat with drugs.

Professor Angela Hong, clinical professor at the University of Sydney and radiation oncologist at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, explains why Ewing sarcoma responds so well to radiotherapy while osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma do not, how multidisciplinary teams decide between surgery and radiotherapy, current dosing and an active Australian phase III trial, and why early referral to a sarcoma centre matters regardless of where a patient lives.

What to listen for: the diagnostic overlap between early bone sarcoma symptoms and everyday musculoskeletal complaints, and what that means for when to consider imaging and referral.

This is the story of Bone Sarcoma Part 2. Find Part 1 here.

Useful links:

Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association: https://sarcoma.org.au/

Find a sarcoma specialist: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/find-a-sarcoma-specialist

Sarcoma guidelines: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/sarcoma-guidelines

Seeking a second opinion: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/seeking-second-opinion

Useful patient information: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/patient-and-carer-sarcoma-information

Our Special Guests:

Dr Liz Connolly is a medical oncologist who specialises in treating and researching sarcomas

Professor Angela Hong is a radiation oncologist and clinical professor at the University of Sydney

Listen:

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Spotify. Members of the RACGP are able to log the hours as CPD (Education) that they listen to the episodes under self record via Quick log. We invite you to help support us on our donation page.

Two teenage patients, thirty years apart, changed how bone sarcomas are treated. In 1890, seventeen-year-old Bessie Dashiell saw New York surgeon William Coley with a painful hand. Despite an amputation, she died of metastatic cancer ten weeks later. Coley&rsquo;s search for a better answer led him to Coley&rsquo;s toxin, a bacterial treatment now recognised as an early form of immunotherapy.
In 1921, pathologist James Ewing treated a fourteen-year-old girl with a wrist tumour he believed was osteosarcoma. Coley&rsquo;s toxin failed. Radiotherapy, tried next, worked, even though osteosarcoma is classically radiotherapy-resistant. The tumour turned out to be a different disease entirely, now known as Ewing sarcoma, accounting for around 15 percent of bone sarcomas.
Dr Travis Brown traces both stories in detail, then turns to two guests for the clinical picture in 2026.
Dr Liz Connolly, medical oncologist at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and oncology research fellow at ProCan Children&rsquo;s Medical Research Institute, covers staging (localised versus advanced), chemotherapy regimens for osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma, targeted therapies, and why immunotherapy has so far shown limited benefit in these cancers. She also discusses five-year survival, which sits around 70 percent for localised osteosarcoma or Ewing sarcoma, and why chondrosarcoma remains difficult to treat with drugs.
Professor Angela Hong, clinical professor at the University of Sydney and radiation oncologist at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, explains why Ewing sarcoma responds so well to radiotherapy while osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma do not, how multidisciplinary teams decide between surgery and radiotherapy, current dosing and an active Australian phase III trial, and why early referral to a sarcoma centre matters regardless of where a patient lives.
What to listen for:&nbsp;the diagnostic overlap between early bone sarcoma symptoms and everyday musculoskeletal complaints, and what that means for when to consider imaging and referral.
This is the story of Bone Sarcoma Part 2.&nbsp;<a href="https://thismedicallife.com.au/episode-106-bone-sarcoma-part-1-osteosarcoma-chondrosaroma-ewing-sarcoma/" data-type="post" data-id="1875">Find Part 1 here</a>.
Useful links:
Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association:&nbsp;<a href="https://sarcoma.org.au/">https://sarcoma.org.au/</a>
Find a sarcoma specialist:&nbsp;<a href="https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/find-a-sarcoma-specialist">https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/find-a-sarcoma-specialist</a>
Sarcoma guidelines:&nbsp;<a href="https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/sarcoma-guidelines">https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/sarcoma-guidelines</a>
Seeking a second opinion:&nbsp;<a href="https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/seeking-second-opinion">https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/seeking-second-opinion</a>
Useful patient information:&nbsp;<a href="https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/patient-and-carer-sarcoma-information">https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/patient-and-carer-sarcoma-information</a>
Our Special Guests:
Dr Liz Connolly is a medical oncologist who specialises in treating and researching sarcomas
Professor Angela Hong is a radiation oncologist and clinical professor at the University of Sydney
Listen:
This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services,&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-medical-life/id1601195297">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOxm-I73JjiBowEMp6JWxSA">YouTube</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6K8MFiahgDLbYg5uelXS2w">Spotify</a>. Members of the RACGP are able to log the hours as&nbsp;<a href="https://thismedicallife.com.au/cpd-hours/" data-type="page" data-id="437">CPD (Education)</a>&nbsp;that they listen to the episodes under self record via Quick log.&nbsp;<a href="https://thismedicallife.com.au/buy/donation">We invite you to help support us on our donation page</a>.

This is the story of Bone Sarcoma Part 2. Find Part 1 here.

Episode 107: Bone Sarcomas Part 2 | Ewing And Coley’s Legacy

Bone sarcomas are rare, accounting for 0.2% of all cancer diagnoses, with around 200 cases diagnosed in Australia each year. The three main types differ by age and site: osteosarcoma (around 30 to 35% of cases, often in the arms, legs and pelvis, with peaks in adolescence and again in the seventies and eighties), chondrosarcoma (around 30% of cases, typically in adults over 40), and Ewing sarcoma (around 15% of cases, most common in children).

Professor Fiona Maclean, an anatomical pathologist, describes bone sarcoma diagnosis as a pattern-recognition challenge made harder by rarity, noting that tumour type and stage are the two most useful pieces of information for a GP reading a pathology report.

A/Professor Richard Boyle, an orthopaedic oncological surgeon, outlines the red flags, including unexplained deep bone pain and night pain, and the diagnostic pathway from X-ray through biopsy to multidisciplinary review.

This is the story of Bone Sarcoma Part 1.

Useful links:

Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association: https://sarcoma.org.au/

Find a sarcoma specialist: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/find-a-sarcoma-specialist

Sarcoma guidelines: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/sarcoma-guidelines

Seeking a second opinion: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/seeking-second-opinion

Useful patient information: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/patient-and-carer-sarcoma-information

Our Special Guests:

A/Professor Richard Boyle who is a Sydney-based orthopaedic oncological surgeon and head of the NSW Sarcoma unit.

Professor Fiona Maclean who is an anatomical pathologist and professor from Macquarie University.

Listen:

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. Members of the RACGP are able to log the hours as CPD (Education) that they listen to the episodes under self record via Quick log. We invite you to help support us on our donation page.

Bone sarcomas are rare, accounting for 0.2% of all cancer diagnoses, with around 200 cases diagnosed in Australia each year. The three main types differ by age and site: osteosarcoma (around 30 to 35% of cases, often in the arms, legs and pelvis, with peaks in adolescence and again in the seventies and eighties), chondrosarcoma (around 30% of cases, typically in adults over 40), and Ewing sarcoma (around 15% of cases, most common in children).
Professor Fiona Maclean, an anatomical pathologist, describes bone sarcoma diagnosis as a pattern-recognition challenge made harder by rarity, noting that tumour type and stage are the two most useful pieces of information for a GP reading a pathology report.
A/Professor Richard Boyle, an orthopaedic oncological surgeon, outlines the red flags, including unexplained deep bone pain and night pain, and the diagnostic pathway from X-ray through biopsy to multidisciplinary review.
This is the story of Bone Sarcoma Part 1.
Useful links:
Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association:&nbsp;<a href="https://sarcoma.org.au/">https://sarcoma.org.au/</a>
Find a sarcoma specialist:&nbsp;<a href="https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/find-a-sarcoma-specialist">https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/find-a-sarcoma-specialist</a>
Sarcoma guidelines:&nbsp;<a href="https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/sarcoma-guidelines">https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/sarcoma-guidelines</a>
Seeking a second opinion:&nbsp;<a href="https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/seeking-second-opinion">https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/seeking-second-opinion</a>
Useful patient information:&nbsp;<a href="https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/patient-and-carer-sarcoma-information">https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/patient-and-carer-sarcoma-information</a>
Our Special Guests:
A/Professor Richard Boyle who is a Sydney-based orthopaedic oncological surgeon and head of the NSW Sarcoma unit.
Professor Fiona Maclean who is an anatomical pathologist and professor from Macquarie University.
Listen:
This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. Members of the RACGP are able to log the hours as&nbsp;<a href="https://thismedicallife.com.au/cpd-hours/" data-type="page" data-id="437">CPD (Education)</a>&nbsp;that they listen to the episodes under self record via Quick log.&nbsp;<a href="https://thismedicallife.com.au/buy/donation">We invite you to help support us on our donation page</a>.

Episode 106: Bone Sarcoma Part 1 | Osteosarcoma, Chondrosaroma & Ewing Sarcoma

The treatment of soft tissue sarcomas is a highly specialised area. The first effective chemotherapy agent against sarcomas was only identified in the 1960s and benefits of adjuvant radiotherapy treatment began in the 1970s. We continue to learn as new agents become available and tailor treatments to each patient.

This is the story of Soft Tissue Sarcoma (Part 2). Here is the link to Part 1.

Useful links:

Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association: https://sarcoma.org.au/

Find a sarcoma specialist: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/find-a-sarcoma-specialist

Sarcoma guidelines: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/sarcoma-guidelines

Seeking a second opinion: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/seeking-second-opinion

Useful patient information: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/patient-and-carer-sarcoma-information

Article from the RCPA about reviewing soft tissue tumours and obtaining second opinions: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41390329/

Our Special Guests:

Professor Peter Grimison who is a medical oncologist at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse and clinical professor at University of Sydney

Associate Professor Stephen Thompson is a radiation oncologist at Prince of Wales hospital and conjoint associate professor at the University of New South Wales

The treatment of soft tissue sarcomas is a highly specialised area. The first effective chemotherapy agent against sarcomas was only identified in the 1960s and benefits of adjuvant radiotherapy treatment began in the 1970s. We continue to learn as new agents become available and tailor treatments to each patient.

This is the story of Soft Tissue Sarcoma (Part 2). Here is the link to Part 1.

Useful links:

Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association: https://sarcoma.org.au/

Find a sarcoma specialist: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/find-a-sarcoma-specialist

Sarcoma guidelines: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/sarcoma-guidelines

Seeking a second opinion: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/seeking-second-opinion

Useful patient information: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/patient-and-carer-sarcoma-information

Article from the RCPA about reviewing soft tissue tumours and obtaining second opinions: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41390329/

Our Special Guests:

Professor Peter Grimison who is a medical oncologist at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse and clinical professor at University of Sydney

Associate Professor Stephen Thompson is a radiation oncologist at Prince of Wales hospital and conjoint associate professor at the University of New South Wales

Listen:

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. Members of the RACGP are able to log the hours as CPD (Education) that they listen to the episodes under self record via Quick log. We invite you to help support us on our donation page.

The treatment of soft tissue sarcomas is a highly specialised area. The first effective chemotherapy agent against sarcomas was only identified in the 1960s and benefits of adjuvant radiotherapy treatment began in the 1970s. We continue to learn as new agents become available and tailor treatments to each patient.
This is the story of Soft Tissue Sarcoma (Part 2). Here is the&nbsp;<a href="https://thismedicallife.com.au/episode-104-soft-tissue-sarcoma-part-1-avoiding-the-whoops-lesion/" data-type="post" data-id="1843">link to Part 1</a>.
Useful links:
Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association:&nbsp;<a href="https://sarcoma.org.au/">https://sarcoma.org.au/</a>
Find a sarcoma specialist:&nbsp;<a href="https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/find-a-sarcoma-specialist">https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/find-a-sarcoma-specialist</a>
Sarcoma guidelines:&nbsp;<a href="https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/sarcoma-guidelines">https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/sarcoma-guidelines</a>
Seeking a second opinion:&nbsp;<a href="https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/seeking-second-opinion">https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/seeking-second-opinion</a>
Useful patient information:&nbsp;<a href="https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/patient-and-carer-sarcoma-information">https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/patient-and-carer-sarcoma-information</a>
Article from the RCPA about reviewing soft tissue tumours and obtaining second opinions:&nbsp;<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41390329/">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41390329/</a>
Our Special Guests:
Professor Peter Grimison who is a medical oncologist at Chris O&rsquo;Brien Lifehouse and clinical professor at University of Sydney
Associate Professor Stephen Thompson is a radiation oncologist at Prince of Wales hospital and conjoint associate professor at the University of New South Wales
The treatment of soft tissue sarcomas is a highly specialised area. The first effective chemotherapy agent against sarcomas was only identified in the 1960s and benefits of adjuvant radiotherapy treatment began in the 1970s. We continue to learn as new agents become available and tailor treatments to each patient.
This is the story of Soft Tissue Sarcoma (Part 2). Here is the&nbsp;<a href="https://thismedicallife.com.au/episode-104-soft-tissue-sarcoma-part-1-avoiding-the-whoops-lesion/" data-type="post" data-id="1843">link to Part 1</a>.
Useful links:
Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association:&nbsp;<a href="https://sarcoma.org.au/">https://sarcoma.org.au/</a>
Find a sarcoma specialist:&nbsp;<a href="https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/find-a-sarcoma-specialist">https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/find-a-sarcoma-specialist</a>
Sarcoma guidelines:&nbsp;<a href="https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/sarcoma-guidelines">https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/sarcoma-guidelines</a>
Seeking a second opinion:&nbsp;<a href="https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/seeking-second-opinion">https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/seeking-second-opinion</a>
Useful patient information:&nbsp;<a href="https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/patient-and-carer-sarcoma-information">https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/about-sarcoma/patient-and-carer-sarcoma-information</a>
Article from the RCPA about reviewing soft tissue tumours and obtaining second opinions:&nbsp;<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41390329/">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41390329/</a>
Our Special Guests:
Professor Peter Grimison who is a medical oncologist at Chris O&rsquo;Brien Lifehouse and clinical professor at University of Sydney
Associate Professor Stephen Thompson is a radiation oncologist at Prince of Wales hospital and conjoint associate professor at the University of New South Wales
Listen:
This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. Members of the RACGP are able to log the hours as <a href="https://thismedicallife.com.au/cpd-hours/" data-type="page" data-id="437">CPD (Education)</a>&nbsp;that they listen to the episodes under self record via Quick log.&nbsp;<a href="https://thismedicallife.com.au/buy/donation">We invite you to help support us on our donation page</a>.

Episode 93: Return of TML | Diseased

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