To him, in illness, curing the patient mattered infinitely less than beating the disease.

There is a perception that doctors and nurses were the key to beating the disease.

Jeffrey Paterson, 22, has melanoma and said Keytruda would give him a fighting chance at beating the disease.

Doctors say widening the information held in this country on cancer will boost patients' chances of beating the disease.

The actress tearfully revealed in February she is dealing with stage IV breast cancer -five years after beating the disease.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in New Zealand women and early detection through mammograms increases the chance of beating the disease.