STAT

Where a doctor saw a treatable cancer, a patient saw an evil spirit

After a doctor delivered what he thought was good news to a patient with cancer, he was met with a response he never expected.

The woman, who was in her 50s, had thyroid cancer, and scans suggested it had spread to her lungs.

But her doctor, Michael Fratkin, knew there were options.

“It’s like, well, what a bummer you have metastatic cancer, but we have a sort of magic missile for that kind of cancer, and it can be controlled,” he thought to himself. “All you have to do is swallow three iodine capsules.”

The woman, a Hmong immigrant, spoke little, if any, English. Through an experienced interpreter, Fratkin explained the protocol and told her she would need a lung biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. After the

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from STAT

STAT1 min read
STAT+: IVF Doctors Demand Full Details On Fluid That Grows Embryos Amid CooperSurgical Lawsuits
Patients from all over the country are filing lawsuits against medical supply giant CooperSurgical, alleging that fluid the company sent to in vitro fertilization clinics destroyed their embryos. The fluid, called culture media, is filled with nutrie
STAT1 min read
Disparities In Donor Acceptance Rates Point To Need For More Equitable Heart Transplant Care
While access to donor hearts has increased, there are still gender- and race-based disparities in the acceptance rate of a donor heart offer by transplant teams, a new study finds.
STAT1 min read
STAT+: AstraZeneca Sues Arkansas Over The Role Of Pharmacies In A Federal Discount Drug Program
AstraZeneca filed a lawsuit seeking to block an Arkansas law that requires the company to ship its medicines to any pharmacy working with hospitals participating in a federal discount program.

Related Books & Audiobooks