It's good news if you live in Alberta, like I do, or even if you don't, it's a step in the right direction on a larger scale: The cost of a very pricey colon cancer treatment will be footed by the government at an expense of $7M per year. The place I live in is notorious for putting healthcare on the backburner and making more money for already-wealthy oil executives on the front burner, so I'm pleasantly surprised to hear that at least some patients in this messed-up system get the treatment they deserve at the expense of the government. Sorry -- rant over.

The drug in question is called Oxaliplatin and it's been shown to be an extremely effective tool in fighting colorectal cancer. In the wake of announcements like this, not to mention eye-opening movies like Sicko, I hope North America is heading in the right direction -- and dying or gravely ill patients won't be denied access to the drugs that could save their lives.

There is someone, or several people -- at the doctor's office, the oncology clinic, the chemotherapy treatment center, the radiation department -- that took the extra moment to comfort you or give you hope or listen to you share your fears or concerns or educate you in how to optimize your chances at cancer survivorship. Perhaps the nutritionist who took a genuine interest and spent time explaining the benefits of a cancer prevention diet.

Healing Baskets features the Miracle Worker Mug and suggests that this might be the perfect gift for a nurse or special caregiver in the health field who took extra time for you during the challenges of cancer treatment. I think it is a delightful idea!

I was in my oncologist office yesterday and noticed a new poster hanging on the wall advertising an on-line system for managing health care -- for scheduling appointments, confirming appointments, locating test results, paying bills, and more. Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Emeryville, California, RelayHealth is the premier provider of secure on-line healthcare communication services that link patients, healthcare professionals, payors, and pharmacies in matters that are medically non-urgent. The website also features news and customer stories and aims to improve the delivery and accessibility of healthcare to patients -- in a seamless manner.

I haven't done much with this service yet -- but I did take a short tour and made a simple search for my physician whose information promptly popped up on my screen. That part was easy. And once I register with a username and password, I will have more access to more information pertaining to me and my healthcare team. And you can too.

We can now see the opening act of yet another sophisticated sensitive topic ask your doctor advertising campaign on the evening news. This one begins with a well-dressed, hip young woman who reflects, while contemplating the middle distance: "There's a common virus that can cause cancer?  I didn't know that!"

According to studies, cervical cancer ranks eighth in cancer incidence among women in the U.S. Increased use of Pap tests, HPV tests and improved treatments and diagnostics have lowered that ranking. But cervical cancer still ranks second among women living in developing countries.

"Increasingly, cervical cancer will become a disease of poor women who have limited or no access to basic health care," states Ben Daitz, a physician and professor at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. If the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules as expected on a new vaccine next month, cancer of the cervix could be the first cancer ever to be prevented by a vaccine.

Last week, an FDA advisory board unanimously endorsed the vaccine, which protects against infection with human papillomavirus or HPV. HPV has been demonstrated to be the most common sexually transmitted disease in the world and the cause of almost all cervical cancers. The present cost of screening-prevention methods like Pap smears and colposcopy approaches $6 billion a year. Those costs will continue in addition to the vaccine expense. Who will pay for cervical cancer prevention for the neediest women and girls and who will educate them about HPV?