MedStar Health Blog

Whenever we eat or drink, we’re putting the pancreas to work. The pancreas is a large gland that’s tucked behind the stomach and the intestines. It has two jobs: to produce chemicals call...

The holidays offer us time with friends and family, and sometimes even vacations from work. But one thing we have noticed over the years is that the holidays and winter months also correspond with in...

Surgery is the gold-standard breast cancer treatment, but some techniques leave women flat-chested or with lopsided breasts. Today, many women can benefit from oncoplastic surgery, or oncoplasty, whic...

"Measure twice, cut once.” It’s a simple expression that reminds us to be precise, and it applies in many situations—even complicated neurosurgical procedures.Traditional imaging systems made adhering...

Each year, up to 20 percent of Americans get the flu, resulting in over 130,000 hospitalizations—in fact, about 200,000 in 2012. While the typical symptoms of the flu can take a toll on on...

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is the earliest form of breast cancer. DCIS is confined to the milk ducts of the breast, and it’s often considered “stage zero.” Each year, 51,000 women are diagnosed w...