Sweaty and flustered, my breast cancer patient was experiencing hot flushes. The lack of good treatment is frustrating

Hot flushes affect up to 90% of women taking anti-oestrogen medication for breast cancer, and are often severe, writes oncologist Ranjana Srivastava. Photograph: Jose Miguel Sanchez/Getty Images

“Doctor, stop!” she abruptly commands me. “I can’t process a thing.”

I halt mid-sentence, and in the pause that follows, watch the evolution of a hot flush (also called a hot flash) in real time.