'In traditional terms, they'd say I'm in clinical remission, but I would say I'm in utter wellness.

' The Cancer Society stresses that advice about cancer and its treatment should only be provided by a patient's cancer treatment team, GP, or whānau doctor.

The last thing we need when faced with the possibility of cancer is to have to push for diagnosis and care.

Yet it's a common experience.

World-first clinical trials of a groundbreaking treatment for aggressive brain tumors are likely to begin soon following 'fantastic' results in the high-profile case of Professor Richard Scolyer.

Pathologist Professor Richard Scolyer's melanoma research is credited with saving tens of thousands of lives, but now he's in a race to save his own.