The person who got me through 2021: Heather Phillipson’s sculpture brightened my trips to hospital

On my way to have painful medical tests, I felt dejected. Then I saw a giant dollop of whipped cream with a cherry on top in Trafalgar Square

My husband has shut down sexually – and he won’t let me take a lover

He’s my best friend and I would never leave him. But I feel bereft after he withdrew all sexual intimacy from me years ago

‘A letter tells someone they still matter’: the sudden, surprising return of the pen pal

In the pandemic, many have rediscovered the sheer pleasure of writing to strangers, with new schemes spreading hope and connection around the world

Exercise can help prevent cancers, new research finds

Obesity could soon overtake smoking as the main preventable cancer risk

‘Find a part of each day to relish’: coping with cancer and Covid

This year has challenged us all. But for Sarah Hughes it’s been particularly hard. Here, she talks about living with cancer – and letting in the light in the darkest of times

‘You’ve given me new perspective’: readers on Elliot Dallen’s terminal illness articles

Our writer’s pieces on his experience of cancer moved readers to respond in huge numbers. Here’s what some of you said

Scars: how our wounds make us who we are – video

Scars are not just skin deep – emotional and psychological histories lie beneath the healed wounds

Higher step counts could lower risk of early death, study finds

Monitoring of adults aged 40 or over shows any activity is good and doing more is better

How to check yourself for breast cancer

Every woman is different and it’s best to get into the habit of examining yourself regularly so you can spot any changes

My cancer recovery was relatively smooth. Why do I feel in limbo?

There is no reliable ratio between events and how they affect us – all you can do is reflect on how they’ve changed you

Oncologist Azra Raza: ‘Don’t give up hope. Don’t give in to despair’

The Columbia professor on taking healthcare out of the stone age, her ideas for cancer prevention – and why getting too close to patients is an occupational hazard

Have you experienced sexual difficulties after breast cancer treatment?

We want to hear from women who have or have had breast cancer and are suffering from sexual problems.

‘I’d say I had a mastectomy, and my mates would go: “But you’re a man!”’

Breast cancer affects far fewer men than women. But that’s no reason to ignore warning signs that include lumps, sores, discharges and bleeding

HPV vaccine to be given to boys in effort to slash cancer rates

Move by NHS could prevent more than 100,000 cancers across UK by 2058

‘My tutor said it wasn’t a job for a man’: my journey from roofer to midwife

I’ve encountered sexism, but it’s an amazing job and an honour to support women giving birth