Brenda Denzler

Brenda Denzler is a writer and editor living in North Carolina. She received her doctorate from Duke University and worked as an editor at UNC-Chapel Hill before she was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer in 2009. Since then, she has devoted a great deal of her time and energy to understanding and writing about cancer, cancer treatment and the impact of pre-existing PTSD on the ability of doctors to give and patients to receive medical treatment.

As We Enter a New Era of Cancer Treatment, I’m Taking Caution in Headlines Highlighting a Cure

June 14, 2022

Article

Recent headlines have been highlighting a monoclonal antibody that eliminated evidence of disease in patients with rectal cancer, but I believe that findings from the research need to be taken with a few grains of caution.

12 Years in Remission From Cancer

September 09, 2021

Article

A cancer survivor dedicates two spirited poems to living 12 years post-cancer.

Cancer Treatment Can Be Like an Arranged ‘Medical Marriage’

September 07, 2020

Article

The relationship that develops between a cancer patient and their oncology team is a most intimate thing.

Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop is Haunting

August 03, 2020

Article

An 11-year survivor of inflammatory breast cancer details how even though she considers herself one of the lucky ones, the awareness that “as far as we know” could change in one blinding moment still haunts her.

Calling Cancer a 'Chronic Condition' is Damaging to Patient Care

July 27, 2020

Article

One cancer survivor emphatically disagrees with the notion that cancer is now a “chronic” condition.

What Doesn't Kill You Makes You

March 31, 2020

Article

One survivor on "New Normals" and living through "apocalyptic" times that reveal who we really are.

Becoming a Patient with Cancer

July 22, 2019

Article

There's a difference between being treated for cancer and being a cancer survivor.

The Day the Doctor Cried

April 17, 2019

Article

Sometimes even a brief encounter with an empathetic medical student can have a powerful effect on a patient.

Clinical Trials: What's Good for the Goslings

March 22, 2019

Article

Many children with cancer participate in clinical trials. Perhaps little children should be leading us more often in health care?

The Ritual of the Kleenex

September 25, 2018

Article

"Hugs" come in all kinds of forms.

Inflammatory Breast Cancer and Alternative Cancer Treatments

June 25, 2018

Article

An IBC patient reflects on her search for an alternative to conventional treatment.

Things Everyone Should Know About Cancer

June 06, 2018

Article

A cancer veteran lists ten things that ought to be a part of this nation's public health education.

Facing Cancer Again

May 24, 2018

Article

Cancer survivors worry about recurrence, but seldom think about their risk for new primaries.

Yikes! Can Surgery Spread Cancer?

April 23, 2018

Article

One breast cancer survivor's thoughts on news from a recent study about the potential risks of surgery.

Our First-Class Fear of the Second Leading Cause of Death

April 17, 2018

Article

We can say the word "cancer" out loud nowadays. But how much does the general public understand about it? And why?

Getting Used to the Not-Knowing

April 06, 2018

Article

How do you cope with the fear of recurrence?

Medical PTSD

January 03, 2018

Article

Life-saving medical care can leave scars that don't show on the outside, but last a lifetime.

Bright Lines and the Cost of Health Care

December 20, 2017

Article

Our cultural tendency to try to draw bright lines when it comes to the cost of health care relies on hindsight to criticize doctors for their lack of foresight. But it is only hindsight, as we all know, that is 20/20.