There is no screening for Ovarian Cancer and symptoms can be vague.
Some common symptoms are reflected in the #BEAT acronym. Know what is normal for you and if it changes get it checked out with your GP.
Author: Lynch Syndrome Ireland
Spetacularisation, ephemerality and narcissism – Is social media antithetical to academic life?
Following on from yesterday’s post….
Social media has become an accepted part of academic life. However, as Fernando Vianna, Rafael Alcadipani and Isleide Fontenelle argue many of its underlying dynamics run counter to core academic values. Given these tensions should academics opt out or find ways to use social media more critically?
In our recent work, we argue that social media is not a neutral tool. It actively reorganizes academic life through three dynamics: spectacularisation, ephemerality, and academic narcissism.
William Gallagher Cancer Biologist and Research-Oriented Entrepreneur
‘To Retweet or Not Retweet this article’….one aspect that this interesting piece seems to overlook is the usefulness of social media in facilitating non-academics to engage with academic work beyond the stuffy confines of what has become a somewhat flawed, often pay-as-you-play, publishing racket…please note my intentional sensational comments…may get more likes???
Being honest and accurate on social media matters…..
Key Takeaways
- Platform cultures differ markedly across Instagram, TikTok, and X, producing divergent informational ecosystems that can skew perceived norms, risks, and expectations for people with hereditary cancer syndromes.
- Visibility remains inequitable, with dominant imagery favoring reconstructed, normative survivorship and marginalising flat closure, stoma, male, LGBTQ+, and non-White experiences, amplifying isolation.
- Content creation functions as uncompensated caregiving labor, including crisis messaging, education, and emotional support, often performed during illness and recovery with minimal structural support.
- Moderation and algorithms can penalise medically relevant recovery images and suppress high-effort posts, contributing to burnout, self-censorship, and reduced dissemination of credible patient narratives.
- Community-generated support can be clinically consequential by normalising preventive interventions, countering misinformation that spreads faster than facts, and fostering timely care-seeking and shared decision-making.
“Being honest and accurate on social media matters, even when it is tough and the algorithm works against you.
This research is a reminder: our stories matter, and our voices bring hope and connection to those searching for support. Moving forward, it’s crucial for all of us to keep working together, be mindful of the content we create, and build a space where everyone feels seen and heard.”
Should GP’s be more involved?
On 1st April BowelScreen increased the eligible age range to 57-71.
A simple easy free test carried out in your own home.
If you are in this age range…Is your GP aware that you have/have not taken this test? Should they be aware?
Less than 50% offered this test avail of it….WHY?
- BowelScreen invite people for screening every two years
- 57-year-olds can expect their first invitation for bowel screening between their 57th and 59th birthday
- People aged 71 who have previously taken part will be offered their next test when they are due
- If you have never taken part in bowel screening and are in the age range, you can request a free test kit using the online register at hse.ie/bowelscreen
- Most eligible people are on their register. If you haven’t received a test when expected, you can visit hse.ie/bowelscreen to check you are on our register, provide your contact details, and find out when your test is due.
Benefits of Screening
- Prevention: The test can identify precancerous polyps before they develop into cancer.
- Early Detection: Finds cancer early, when it is easier to treat, increasing the chance of recovery.
BREAKING: Bloke Requests Blood Test, GP Concerned It Might Contain Information……
Recently my friend went to his GP for a PSA test. Here’s his story:
The room temperature dropped. Somewhere, a leaflet rustled in anticipation. “Ah,” said the GP, steepling fingers like a Bond villain. “The thing is—”
Newcastle MSI Plus assay test rolled out across UK for patients
The MSI Plus assay test( a laboratory procedure used to measure, analise, or test a substance) allows improved and faster testing for Lynch syndrome, a hereditary condition which brings increased risk of certain types of cancer, including colorectal.
New access system for drugs for public patients
Approved new medicines should be available to public patients within 180 days of a HSE cost assessment decision, a conference on access to new drugs has heard today.
The new access system is to be phased in over the next three years as part of an agreement between the State and the pharmaceutical industry.
Pamela Deasy(Patient Advocate) “Upon hearing that access to new medicines could drop from around 600 days to 180 for public patients sounds promising ………. When you’re facing an aggressive illness, months matter, and what fundamentally will actually change in the system to make sure these timelines are real, consistent, and centred around patient urgency rather than targets on paper?
Because for many of us, faster access isn’t just a policy goal, it’s time we simply don’t have 😔 especially relation to poor prognosis cancers.“
https://www.rte.ie/news/2026/0430/1571070-public-access-drugs/
Bowel Cancer Ireland
Bowel and colorectal cancers are one of the most preventable cancers if caught early, yet thousands of people across Ireland are diagnosed every year.
Early detection saves lives….
- Over 2,500 people in Ireland develop bowel cancer each year.
- It is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the country.
- 60% of cases are diagnosed at late stages, significantly reducing survival chances.
- Early-stage diagnosis leads to a 97% five-year survival rate, compared to just 14% at Stage IV.
- The overall five-year survival rate for bowel cancer in Ireland
When a diagnosis like cancer arrives…
Just know that even in uncertain waters, you are not alone—there are guiding lights, and moments of calm that will help you find your way.
What if….
Improving your Health did not require more time?
https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/sustainable-performance-7423965486368903171
Lynch Syndrome Ireland 