What are the motifs in Blood Test by Jonathan Kellerman?

A recurring idea is the fight against cancer. While the victims and their families are often devastated with the news of a diagnosis, the doctors are also fighting battles that seem to be often lost. Raoul puts the trials facing the doctors into perspective when he talks to Alex about his anger over having Woody taken from the hospital. In Raoul's line of work as an oncology professional, he is often faced with the knowledge that the victim will die of the disease. However, in Woody's case, the prognosis is not etched in stone. Woody has a highly-treatable form of cancer and will likely live, given the right treatment in a timely manner. Raoul says that there are always going to be losses, simply as a nature of the business. He says that the victories, seldom as they occur, become "uncommonly sweet" because of the sheer number of losses weighed against those victories.