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MEDICAL ENGLISH · BREAKING NEWS · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

CANCER
TREATMENT
BREAKTHROUGH

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1H72-E1L8-098

1 Warm up
Discuss the questions in pairs or small groups.

1. Should we, as a species, spend more money on attempting to cure cancer and other serious
illnesses?
2. Should medicine and medical care always be provided by the government for free? Why/why not?

2 Pre-listening task: vocabulary focus

Match words with the correct definitions.
cholesterol (n) disorder (n) hereditary (adj.) leukaemia (n)
remission (n) donor (n) palliative care (n) sickle-cell anaemia (n)

1. a type of cancer in which too many white blood cells are produced, causing
weakness and sometimes death
2. a condition or illness that causes problems with the way part of the body or
brain works
3. a period during which a serious illness improves for a time and the patient
seems to get better
4. medical treatment that reduces pain without curing its cause

5. a person who gives blood or a part of his or her body to be used by doctors
in medical treatment
6. a serious blood disease that is found mostly in people of African family
origins, and which is passed down from parents to children
7. given to a child by its parents before it is born

8. a fatty substance found in most tissues of the body, which is linked to higher
risk of heart disease if found in large amounts in the blood

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CANCER TREATMENT BREAKTHROUGH

3 Listening for specific information

Listen to the report. Match the items mentioned with the things they relate to.

10 13 4 6 Great Ormond Street Leicester

a. The age of the girl who has been successfully treated.

b. Where the girl is from.

c. The name of the hospital at which the girl was treated.

d. The number of months that Alyssa has been in remission for.

e. The number of ‘bases’ that are the building blocks of our genetic code.

f. The number of leukaemia patients that the team hope to treat with the new
therapy.

4 Listening for comprehension

Listen to the report again. Decide if the statements are true (T), false (F) or not given (NG).

1. Before receiving the new therapy, previous attempts to treat Alyssa’s leukaemia had failed.

2. If the therapy hadn’t worked, doctors were considering alternative therapies.

3. Alyssa’s therapy took place in a hospital in Leicester.

4. The treatment Alyssa received had been used several times before, on other patients.

5. Existing therapies are less precise than the new therapy, and have more side effects.

6. Alyssa received donated T-cells as part of the therapy.

7. The new therapy is already being used in trials to treat sickle-cell anaemia.

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5 Reading: general vocabulary

Match the words in bold with the correct definitions.

1. Some vaccines target specific proteins within our cells. (n)

2. In marketing, television commercials are often intended to trigger an emotional response in viewers.
(v)

3. When you have an allergy, your body’s immune response to a substance can be too severe, causing
various problems. (n)

4. The surgery is quite invasive, so they’ll put me to sleep for the whole thing. (adj.)

5. Biff is receiving cognitive therapy to help with his anger problems. (adj.)

6. Coupled with the cold weather, the energy crisis could become a serious problem this winter. (phr.
v)

7. The electricity company said that the spike in my bill was probably caused by a faulty heater. (n)

8. Farmers often use animal waste to help crops to grow. (n)

a. connected with mental processes of understanding

b. the reaction of the body to the presence of something that can cause disease, etc.

c. consider one thing along with or in addition to something else

d. solid or liquid material that the body gets rid of

e. (of medical treatment) involving cutting into the body

f. make something happen suddenly

g. a substance, found within all living things, that forms the structure of muscles, organs, etc.

h. (usually singular) a sudden large increase in something

Discuss these questions in pairs.

1. Do you think that invasive procedures should be avoided if possible?

2. Why do you think that we often experience cognitive decline as we age?
3. Should adverts that are designed to trigger emotional responses, be banned?

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6 Pre-reading task: reading for general understanding

You are going to read a text about five new medical breakthroughs. Scan the text quickly and match
the statement with the correct medical breakthrough. One statement cannot be matched to any of
the five examples and should be marked ‘Not given’.

1. A more precise treatment a. The Covid Vaccine

2. Younger patients b. Not given

3. Helping patients with heart problems c. Alzheimer’s breakthroughs

4. Tackling two health problems in one go d. Repairing damaged livers with lab-grown
cells
5. Battling an infectious disease e. Type 2 diabetesinjection

6. An easier testing method f. Prostate cancer hope

Now, look at the following sentences. In pairs, discuss the meaning of the underlined phrase in each
sentence. In which context do you think each sentence may be used?

1. Regarded as one of the holy grails of medical research, a cure for the common cold would be a
major breakthrough.
2. Our football team went under the radar for most of the season, so everyone was shocked when
we won the league.

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Medical breakthroughs
2022 has been a difficult year for many of us, but it isn’t all doom and gloom. We look at five medical
advances from recent times that may well save lives and improve our way of living forever.

1. The Covid Vaccine drug is far from a cure, there combination treatment below
are hopes that scientists are the skin, which limits spikes
When Covid-19 hit in early
finally on the right path after in blood sugar levels following
2020, it caused widespread
decades of research. Alzheimer’s meals. The drug also slows
chaos, panic and suffering.
is the leading cause of death in digestion, potentially allowing
Fortunately, scientists from
countries such as the UK. A cure it to effectively treat both
around the world came together
for the disease is seen as one diabetes and obesity in one go.
to create a series of vaccines in
of several holy grails of medical Many diabetics need to inject
record time, taking advantage of
research. themselves with medication
recent scientific advances. From
once per day, so a weekly
the mRNA vaccines, which teach 3. Prostate cancer hope
injection would be a significant
our cells to make a protein that
Although no cure has yet improvement. Clinical trials are
triggers an immune response
been found for cancer as a ongoing, but results are highly
to more traditional variants,
whole, advances in science are promising so far.
such as the Oxford/AstraZeneca
helping doctors to successfully
vaccine which could be mass- 5. Repairing damaged livers with
tackle individual variants of
produced very cheaply, the lab-grown cells
the disease. A new approach
Covid vaccination programme
to treating prostate cancer Many medical firsts went under
is one of the greatest medical
involves targeting proteins the radar during the early days
success stories of our times.
found in cancerous cells directly, of the pandemic. In 2021,
Some studies estimate that,
sparing surrounding tissue and researchers demonstrated a
between 2020 to 2021, Covid
increasing both life quality new technique: repairing human
vaccines prevented almost 20
and expectancy. The method livers with cells grown in a lab.
million deaths worldwide.
has even been successful at The cells in question were mini
2. Alzheimer’s breakthroughs treating patients with advanced bile-ducts. Problems with bile
First, there was a blood test that forms of the disease. Coupled ducts, which help the liver to
could detect Alzheimer’s disease with improved early detection dispose of waste, are the leading
– developed in the US, the test techniques, the outlook for cause of liver transplants in
is just as effective as previous, those suffering from this type of children. Scientists converted
more invasive methods, relying cancer may be set to drastically cells from human gallbladders
on identifying amyloid plaques improve. into bile duct cells in order to
that are seen as a common replace and repair damaged
4. Type 2 diabetes injection
sign of Alzheimer’s. Then, in livers. The approach could also
November, a new drug was Diabetes is a huge problem be used with other organs,
announced that appears to slow around the world. In the US, one making it a potentially vital
cognitive decline in patients with in ten individuals suffers from advance in the field of organ
the disease. Both test and drug the disorder. A new therapy transplants.
are promising, and, although the involves weekly injections of a

Sources: theguardian.com, bbc.com, bepartofresearch.uk

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7 Reading comprehension

Read the article again. Complete the sentences with between ONE to THREE words from the article.

1. The worldwide response to Covid-19 was impressive, with scientists coming together to create a
in record time.

2. According to some studies, Covid vaccines almost 20 million deaths

around the world between 2020 to 2021.

3. The new test works by a common marker of Alzheimer’s.

4. After , recent successes have led to hopes that scientists are finally
on the right path.

5. Doctors have been aided in the battle against specific types of cancer by scientific
.

6. As well as the new approach to treating prostate cancer, improvements to early

have brightened the outlook for patients.

7. Diabetes is common in the US in particular, with ten percent of

suffering from the disorder.

8. The new treatment would take the form of a .

9. Researchers were able to show, in 2021, that they could repair

with lab-grown cells.

10. The new approach could be used with other as well.

8 Reading: medical vocabulary

Using the text above for reference, complete the definitions of the biology vocabulary below by filling
in the gaps with the correct words from the list.

attached cleans protein tube

1. liver: a large organ in the body that the blood

2. bile-duct: the that carries bile from the liver and gallbladder

3. gall bladder: an organ to the liver

4. amyloid plaque: a collection of that forms in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s
disease

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9 Talking point

In pairs or small groups, discuss the following questions.

1. Why do you think that some diseases and disorders receive more attention and funding than
others?
2. How should we test new medicines? Is it ethical to test them on animals or people?
3. Do you think that there will be significant medical advances in the near future?
4. Are you surprised that we haven’t found cures for all types of cancers and common colds yet?
5. Do you think your country spends enough money on healthcare?
6. In the report, Alyssa was treated by a type of gene therapy. Can you think of any ethical concerns
regarding gene therapy?
7. In medicine, should doctors prioritise younger patients over older ones?

10 Extended activity/writing homework

Write an opinion essay on the topic below. Your essay should agree with or disagree with the
statement and should be between 260 – 320 words.

There are more potential benefits of gene therapy than disadvantages. If we can modify human
genes in order to save lives, we should do so.

Alternative extended activity:

Write an essay about the most important medical breakthrough – in your opinion – of the 21st
century so far, using your own research. Your essay should be between 260 – 320 words.

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