I managed to spend some time recently at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, United Kingdom.

After many years of great service to the region, and beyond, the museum is undergoing extensive renovation and with that has new exhibits that are well-worth a look.

One FREE exhibit that took my eye was the one on Cancer Biology and related management. This is of particular interest to me because I have been teaching a client in this field recently and posted 5 blog entries here at www.pharmascholar.co.uk

I thought it would be a great idea to showcase 5 exhibits over the next few weeks in an attempt to stimulate interest for others who may wish to make a visit to the museum.

The first exhibit that caught my attention was the one describing the real-life impact cancer has had on patient’s lives. Often during teaching and learning about cancer we forget the devastating impact the disease has on the individual and others. I have selected one example from the exhibit to flag the importance of not forgetting about the patient when considering cancer diagnosis and management.

The individual featured is Errol who is a car mechanic by trade. Errol was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2010 at the age of 53. A formal diagnosis was made on testing for the prostate specific antigen (i.e. PSA). This highlights the power in having a detailed understanding of Cancer Biology as per the examples in my previous blog posts. Thankfully, Errol managed to receive prompt treatment and was given the all clear by the medical team looking after him. In order to give something back, Errol wanted to raise awareness and offered a discount on car MOTs if his male customers booked to see their GP regarding prostate cancer. In total, approximately 50 men were diagnosed early and treated effectively.

There were a number of good examples of how people had been diagnosed with cancer and stood up to the fight. I would really recommend this museum to others, especially students as the material on display really does help clarify the material delivered in lectures at university.

Keep up the good work at the museum!!