One of the most common questions I hear is: "Can I have a blood test to check for cancer?" It seems like a simple question. After all, modern medicine can sequence our DNA, perform whole-body MRI scans, and analyse hundreds of biomarkers from a single blood sample. Surely we should be able to detect cancer before it causes symptoms. The reality is more complicated. Despite remarkable advances in medicine, we still have very few tests that reliably detect cancer early in healt

Why healthcare often starts with a pathway, not a question The reality is that incentives matter — even in healthcare. We accept this principle almost everywhere else. Real estate agents are paid to sell houses. Universities benefit from attracting students. Businesses become very good at delivering the things they are designed to deliver. This is not necessarily a criticism. It is simply how systems work. Healthcare is no exception. Yet many people assume that medical recomm