This Month in Medicine – February 2026
On February 4th, the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) led World Cancer Day, with the current 2025-2027 theme being “United by Unique”. This theme aims to place emphasis on the fact that no two cancer cases are the same, and so highlights the need for individualised care. By holding this day annually, the UICC’s objective is to reduce the stigma around cancer and promote equitable access to quality healthcare for all cancer patients. They work towards their aims through the media, working with governments and holding events with informative resources. Macmillan Cancer Support tells us that at least every 75 seconds, someone in the UK is diagnosed with cancer, meaning that this day is highly relevant in improving care for those who may need it in future. However, an unexpected consequence of this day was that it indirectly resulted in an influx of misinformation on social media. X was especially flooded by countless posts with headlines proclaiming that scientists all over the world had suddenly begun to find cures for the most infamous diseases. For instance, on February 8th verified account @Kekius_Sage posted, “BREAKING: Blood cancer can now be completely treated, thanks to the Vietnam medical team!” Unfortunately, this is not “breaking” nor entirely true. In fact, the Vinmec Research Institute of Stem Cells and Gene Technology, which is the company who developed the treatment, had in fact trialled it in 2023. The first patient to be successfully treated was a four-year-old diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. The research team treated her with CAR-T cell therapy, an immunotherapy where the patient’s T cells are extracted and genetically modified to produce chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). This enables the T cells to now bind to specific proteins on the cancer cell’s surface, such as CD19. Once they are bound to the cancer cell, these T cells (now called CAR-T cells) are activated to destroy them. The Vinmec website writes, “After a series of detailed tests, the patient was shown to have no cancer cells in the peripheral blood, and the bone marrow biopsy results indicated that the patient had achieved complete remission.” The patient was discharged from hospital on the 31st of August 2023. Moreover, this is not a new treatment - the first CAR-T cell therapy was approved by the FDA in 2017. With these “breaking” stories, some began to connect the dots - the US left the WHO on the 22nd of January this year, and now suddenly all of these new treatments were appearing! The conspiracy theorists had a field day with this.
On the 5th of February, NICE approved a “paperclip sized” sensor that can help patients with chronic heart failure monitor their health accurately. Developed by healthcare company Abbott, the CardioMEMS HF System is implanted into the pulmonary artery by a quick right heart catheterisation procedure. Patients are able to take daily pressure readings by lying on a special pillow and pressing a button. The pillow takes these readings with a built-in antenna and sends them to the patient’s healthcare team, allowing them to spot the early signs of heart failure and adjust the patient’s medication (e.g. dosage of diuretics for congestion) to prevent hospitalisation. In the US Post-Approval Study done on 1,200 patients, the system was shown to reduce heart failure-related hospitalisations by 57%. “The condition [chronic heart failure] costs the NHS around £2 billion annually, with many costs related to hospital admissions.” Says the NICE website. This tiny system could possibly save the NHS millions, allowing them to spend this on other things.
On the 19th of February, the BMJ posted an article declaring a “Global bone cement shortage”. The shortage was caused by a machine failure following an attempt at upgrading its production processes at Heraeus Medical in Germany. The German company is a major supplier in Europe, Australia, and the United States. Unfortunately, it happens to be that they are also the primary bone cement supplier for the NHS. The NHS website reports that, “Stock already in the UK supply chain may be sufficient for ~two weeks’ supply…” And consequently, many patients on the waiting list had procedures cancelled, with the most severe cases being prioritised. This was indeed a challenge for medical ethics, with doctors prioritising those with the most urgent cases and having to turn down other less severe cases in spite of the chronic physical pain they may be currently experiencing. Thankfully, on the 24th of February, the NHS were able to secure a “rescue package” from Dutch manufacturer Zimmer Biomet, which is estimated to be 10–12 weeks’ worth of supply. Another supplier, Johnson and Johnson, has also said it can increase its deliveries too. With the UK’s ageing population, it is estimated that the product is used in more than 1,000 operations a week. The NHS are now working on rescheduling appointments with patients who had been turned down earlier this month. In spite of this stroke of bad luck, this has been an opportunity for the NHS to strengthen its relations with international companies through collaboration and has also been an opportunity for the NHS trust to review how they handled the situation, and how to improve protocol (e.g. rescheduling procedures) in future.
This month we have also seen the core values of medicine being challenged. On the 6th of February, the BMJ reported that in Iran a doctor is facing execution for treating injured protesters, and that at least ten doctors and five other healthcare workers have been arrested. Norway-based rights group Hengaw were the ones to report that Dr. Alireza Golchini, a surgeon from Qazvin, is facing charges for waging war against God and was severely beaten during the arrest. In addition to this, Iranian security forces have also been reported to have forcefully (and often violently) obstructed doctors in hospitals from providing healthcare. Against the Iranian security agencies’ warnings not to treat protesters and instead report them to the authorities, these detainees audaciously stuck to the Hippocratic Oath, which outlines the core principles of medical ethics. The Palantir Saga from last month also continues. Last month, US Palantir company provided their US patients’ data to ICE so that they could find and detain those deemed to be illegal immigrants. This month, doctors have raised safety concerns about plans to release a new AI tool which can write discharge letters for national use in the UK. Although this tool has been developed by doctors in Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, Palantir are the ones operating it. To write the discharge letters, the AI tool will receive patients’ medical records via the NHS FDP. The government is encouraging its use, whilst the NHS’ own FDP Check and Challenge Group question the risks to patients’ safety and the ethics of the tool. Not only is there a risk of data being leaked, fully breaching patient autonomy, but there are risks of information being inaccurate or omitted, which could misinform the patients’ healthcare team in future.
February 2026 has been a relatively quiet month in medicine with no drastic changes. Perhaps this is a good thing. Even so, let us hope that the Iranian healthcare professionals will be released. No matter what your beliefs are, no healthcare worker should be arrested for providing treatment to patients with neutrality. To end this on a brighter note, on World Cancer Day the government published the National Cancer Plan for England outlining a plan for faster diagnosis, treatment and more support for patients living with the disease. A central pledge is that by 2029 the NHS will meet all three cancer waiting standards to shorten waiting times for diagnosis (within 28 days after testing) and prompt treatment for non-urgent and urgent referrals. The government pledged that “three quarters of patients in England will survive by at least five years by 2035”, a figure which I hope will put a smile on your face.
Selina Y12
