Many people dread the 'C' word because cancer is often associated with suffering and death. How can health care professionals work effectively while achieving job satisfaction and supporting patients and their families? Similarly, caregivers are also at risk of burnout, much like health care providers, as many cancer patients now experience extended survival times, thanks to significant medical advances. The guest editor, Professor Patricia Tai, extends a helpful hand to those burdened with great challenges by offering practical tips, drawn from her nearly 40 years of experience, that are easy to understand and follow. She has carefully observed the healthcare systems in Canada and Hong Kong, China. She graciously brought together international experts from various medical fields to contribute to this special issue—a labor of love dedicated to our courageous patients and caregivers who fight their battles every day. The tentative chapters/topics are as follows. Contributors may choose to modify their topics, even though Prof. Tai has initially invited them to write on these intriguing aspects of patient care:

(1) Making healthcare accessible globally, with the launching of the first-in-Canada hormonal therapy off-site injection program as an example from Saskatchewan

(2) How to evaluate the performance of cancer programs: Evaluation of off-site program after five years. Concepts of lean management will be discussed, apart from lessons learned while running the program

(3) Systemic therapy for prostate cancer: classes of drugs and management of their complications

(4) Cautionary tales or near-misses of patient care

(5) Palliative care

(6) Oncologic emergencies

(7) Prostate cancer: management for difficult scenarios

(8) Skin cancers: An illustration of mutual medical decision-making by patients and healthcare professionals

(9) Skin cancers: prevention

(10) CNS lymphoma: An example of advances in oncology over the past few decades

(11) Survivorship issues: Pelvic fractures and other often-overlooked complications following medical treatment.

(12) Updates on lung cancer

(13) CNS lymphoma

(14) Medical marijuana

(15) Challenges of medical care in war-torn countries