Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Hematology & Oncology for May 2017. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Restarting Anticoagulation in Certain VTE Cases Cost-Effective
WEDNESDAY, May 31, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Restarting anticoagulation therapy may be cost-effective for patients with a predicted one-year venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk of 17.5 percent or higher, according to a study published online May 18 in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
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High Costs for Myeloma Patients Not Getting Low-Income Subsidy
WEDNESDAY, May 31, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- There is a substantial financial burden for Medicare beneficiaries with myeloma who do not receive a low-income subsidy (LIS) for orally-administered anticancer therapy, according to a study published online May 25 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Social Psychology May Help With Physician Error Disclosure
TUESDAY, May 30, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Lessons from social psychology can be used to improve behavioral changes in terms of error disclosure, according to research published online May 18 in Medical Education.
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Daily Texting Effectively Monitors Rx Adherence, Side Effects
TUESDAY, May 30, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with breast cancer receiving endocrine therapy, daily bidirectional text messaging can monitor adherence and adverse events (AEs), according to a study published online May 23 in JCO: Clinical Cancer Informatics.
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High-Risk Pools May Represent Step Back for U.S. Health Care
TUESDAY, May 30, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Proposed legislation as part of the American Health Care Act, which includes the option of high-risk pools, is not likely to reduce costs, according to an Ideas and Opinions piece published online May 23 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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New Bill Intends to Repeal Limits on Physician-Owned Hospitals
FRIDAY, May 26, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- A new bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would repeal the federal law essentially banning construction of physician-owned hospitals and making it difficult for these facilities to grow, according to a report published by the American Medical Association (AMA).
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New Health Care Act Could Result in 23 Million Losing Insurance
FRIDAY, May 26, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- The Republican-led bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that passed the House this month would result in 23 million Americans losing their health insurance coverage, according to a report issued by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
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Progress Made on Genetic Test for Anal Cancer
FRIDAY, May 26, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- DNA methylation testing may be feasible as a molecular triage of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive individuals for high-resolution anoscopy screening, according to a study published online May 18 in Oncotarget.
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Technology Can Help Patients Facing Routine Decisions
FRIDAY, May 26, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Information technology can be harnessed to assist patients facing routine decisions, according to a study published in the May/June issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
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New Interactive Module Aims to Clarify Professional Boundaries
THURSDAY, May 25, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- A new interactive training module in medical ethics can help physicians to understand professional boundaries, according to a report published by the American Medical Association (AMA).
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Location of Body Fat Can Indicate Obesity-Related Cancer Risk
THURSDAY, May 25, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Both body mass index (BMI) and location of excess body fat on the body are good indicators of obesity-related cancer risk, according to a meta-analysis published online April 25 in the British Journal of Cancer.
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Blood Test for Earlier Detection of Pancreatic Cancer Feasible
THURSDAY, May 25, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- A new blood test has been developed for identifying pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) -- a step that might eventually allow earlier diagnosis, according to a study published in the May 24 issue of Science Translational Medicine.
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Calls, SMS Can Increase Adherence to FIT CRC Screening
THURSDAY, May 25, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Telephone calls and short message service (SMS) can improve the likelihood of fecal immunochemical test (FIT) pick-up and return, according to a research letter published online May 18 in JAMA Oncology.
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Path to Empathy Deemed As Vital As Being Empathetic
THURSDAY, May 25, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Different paths to perspective of another's experience are associated with varying effect on helpers' health during helping behavior, according to a study published online April 16 in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.
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FDA Approves Keytruda for All Cancers With Genetic Biomarker
WEDNESDAY, May 24, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Keytruda (pembrolizumab) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat any cancer that has a certain genetic biomarker, regardless of where in the body the cancer originated.
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Doctors Urged to Check Patient Drug History Before Opioid Rx
WEDNESDAY, May 24, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Prescription databases can help combat drug abuse when doctors are required by law to check them before writing opioid prescriptions, according to a study to be published in a future issue of the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy.
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Social Contagion Impacts Imaging Use in Breast Cancer
WEDNESDAY, May 24, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- The likelihood of advanced imaging (magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] and positron emission tomography [PET]) use is increased for women assigned to surgeons whose peers had the highest rate of baseline imaging use, according to a study published recently in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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Even Small Amounts of Alcohol Can Affect Breast Cancer Risk
TUESDAY, May 23, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, and limiting alcohol could all reduce breast cancer risk, according to findings released by the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund.
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Risk for Interval CRC Higher in Blacks Than Whites
TUESDAY, May 23, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Older black Americans are more likely than whites to develop interval colorectal cancer (CRC), according to a study published online May 23 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Enhanced Atypical Lymphocytes in Natalizumab-Treated MS
TUESDAY, May 23, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), natalizumab treatment is associated with enhancement of atypical lymphocytes, especially binucleated and plasmacytoid lymphocytes, according to a study published online May 8 in the International Journal of Laboratory Hematology.
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Filtered Cigarettes May Up Rates of Lung Adenocarcinoma
TUESDAY, May 23, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Filtered cigarettes might be even more unhealthy than unfiltered ones, and a new review published online May 22 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute suggests that they have been raising rates of adenocarcinomas of the lung.
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Combined Urine Test for T2:ERG, PCA3 Ups Prostate CA Detection
MONDAY, May 22, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Testing for combined urinary PCA3 and TMPRSS2:ERG (T2:ERG) RNA can improve detection of prostate cancer, according to a study published online May 18 in JAMA Oncology.
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Patients Often Prescribed Futile Drugs in Last Months of Life
MONDAY, May 22, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with life-limiting illness often receive medications of questionable benefit given their remaining life span, according to a report published online May 15 in The American Journal of Medicine.
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Initial Specimen Diversion Device Cuts Culture Contamination
MONDAY, May 22, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- For patients undergoing blood cultures in an emergency department setting, use of a device that diverts and sequesters the initial 1.5 to 2.0 mL of blood (initial specimen diversion device [ISDD]) is associated with a decrease in blood culture contamination, according to a study published online May 17 in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
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Researchers Say PDE5 Inhibitors Don't Cause Melanoma
FRIDAY, May 19, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Use of phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors does not appear to increase the risk of melanoma, according to the conclusions of a meta-analysis published online May 19 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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One in Five Cancers in the United States Is Considered Rare
FRIDAY, May 19, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Rare cancers account for one in five cancers diagnosed in the United States, presenting special challenges to doctors and patients, according to research published online May 19 in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
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More U.S. Women Living With Metastatic Breast Cancer
THURSDAY, May 18, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- The number of U.S. women living with metastatic breast cancer has been rising since the 1990s, according to a study published online May 18 in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
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Tips Provided to Help Physicians Plan for Retirement
THURSDAY, May 18, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians should consider their retirement and plan ahead at all stages of their career, according to an article published in Medical Economics.
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Most Routine Coagulation Tests Reliable Up to Eight Hours
THURSDAY, May 18, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Most routine coagulation tests can be reliably evaluated after storage at room temperature for up to eight hours after blood collection, according to a study published online May 8 in the International Journal of Laboratory Hematology.
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Treatment in Hospital by Older Doctors Tied to Higher Mortality
WEDNESDAY, May 17, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Hospitalized patients 65 and older may face a slightly higher risk of dying within a month of their admittance when treated by an older versus younger physician, according to research published online May 16 in The BMJ.
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CDC: Slowing of Decline in Number of Uninsured Adults
WEDNESDAY, May 17, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- The decline in the number of Americans without health insurance stalled in 2016 after five years of progress, according to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Tuesday.
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Distinct Outcomes for Luminal-, Basal-Like Prostate Cancers
WEDNESDAY, May 17, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Distinct clinical outcomes are seen for luminal- and basal-like prostate cancers, according to a study published online May 11 in JAMA Oncology.
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Plan Suggested for Reducing Health Care Costs
TUESDAY, May 16, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Health care costs can be reduced, with a nine-step plan suggested as a starting place, according to an article published in Medical Economics.
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Cancer Screen Adherence Low for Solid Organ Transplant Recipients
TUESDAY, May 16, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Most solid organ transplant recipients (SOTR) do not adhere to standard recommendations for cancer screening, according to a study published online May 9 in the American Journal of Transplantation.
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Circulating Th17.1 Cells in Melanoma Tied to Sarcoidosis
MONDAY, May 15, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- There is an association between the presence of abnormally high numbers of circulating Th17.1 cells in melanoma patients prior to receiving anti-programmed cell death (PD)-1 antibody therapy and the onset of sarcoidosis, according to research published online May 8 in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases.
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Hospitals Need to Be Prepared for Ransomware Attacks
FRIDAY, May 12, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Hackers are increasingly targeting hospitals, using viruses to lock their computer systems and hold sensitive medical data and other files hostage, according to an observation piece published online May 11 in The BMJ.
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Tai Chi Can Help Relieve Insomnia in Breast Cancer Survivors
FRIDAY, May 12, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- For breast cancer survivors, tai chi is as effective as cognitive behavioral therapy and more effective than medication in treating insomnia and reducing the risk for sleep loss-related health issues, including depression, fatigue, and a weakened immune system, according to a study published online May 10 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Practice Prices Linked to Some Measures of Care Coordination
THURSDAY, May 11, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- High-price practices have higher scores on certain measures of care coordination and management, but the overall relationship between higher prices and quality and efficiency of care is weak, according to a report published in the May issue of Health Affairs.
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New VTE Often Occurs During Chemo in Ovarian Cancer
THURSDAY, May 11, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with ovarian cancer, new diagnosis of venous thromboembolism frequently occurs during neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy, according to a study published in the June issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
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Outpatient Wait Times Are Longer for Medicaid Recipients
THURSDAY, May 11, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Medicaid patients have slightly longer waits at medical appointments than those with private insurance, according to a report published in the May issue of Health Affairs.
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Leukotriene B4 Is Promising Drug Target for Tx of Lymphedema
THURSDAY, May 11, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- An underlying mechanism has been identified that could eventually lead to the first drug therapy for lymphedema, according to a study published online May 10 in Science Translational Medicine.
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Increases in Rates of Insured Don't Harm Continuously Insured
WEDNESDAY, May 10, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Increases in insurance coverage from 2008 to 2014 were not associated with worse access to care for continuously insured adults, according to a study published in the May issue of Health Affairs.
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Adding Selumetinib to Docetaxel Doesn't Up PFS in NSCLC
WEDNESDAY, May 10, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- The addition of selumetinib to docetaxel does not improve progression-free survival among patients with previously treated advanced KRAS-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a study published in the May 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Postmarket Safety Events for 32 Percent of Novel Therapeutics
WEDNESDAY, May 10, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- From 2001 to 2010, 32 percent of novel therapeutics approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had a postmarket safety event, according to a study published in the May 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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USPSTF Does Not Recommend Routine Thyroid Cancer Screening
TUESDAY, May 9, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Clinicians should not routinely screen adults for thyroid cancer if they have no symptoms or warning signs of the disease, according to a final recommendation statement issued by the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force and published in the May 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Evidence-Based Medicine Course Beneficial for Critical Thinking
TUESDAY, May 9, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- An evidence-based medicine (EBM) course has some positive effect on medical student critical thinking (CT), according to a study published online April 27 in the Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine.
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Most Physician Mothers Report Perceived Discrimination
TUESDAY, May 9, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- A considerable proportion of physician mothers report perceived discrimination, according to a research letter published online May 8 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Voriconazole Exposure May Affect SCC After Lung Transplant
TUESDAY, May 9, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- For lung transplant (LTx) recipients, prolonged exposure to voriconazole may be associated with the development or recurrence of skin squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), according to a study published online May 2 in the Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research.
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Traveling to Academic Hospital May Be Best for Pancreatic Cancer
TUESDAY, May 9, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who travel to an academic medical center to undergo surgery for pancreatic cancer live a few months longer than those who choose to have their operation at a hospital closer to home, according to a study published online May 1 in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
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Poor Environmental Quality Tied to Higher Cancer Rates
TUESDAY, May 9, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Overall environmental quality is strongly associated with increased cancer risk, according to a study published online May 8 in Cancer.
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More Women Than Men Leaving Practice of Medicine
MONDAY, May 8, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- More women than men leave the practice of medicine, according to an article published in Medical Economics.
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Osteoporosis Tx Ups Survival in Postmenopausal Breast Cancer
MONDAY, May 8, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- For postmenopausal breast cancer patients receiving aromatase inhibitors, oral osteoporosis therapy (OPT) is associated with improved survival, according to a study published online May 2 in Cancer.
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E-Health-Based Management of Oral Anticoagulation Tx Beneficial
FRIDAY, May 5, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Electronic-health-based management of oral anticoagulation (OAC) therapy is associated with fewer adverse events, according to a study published online April 29 in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
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More Side Effects With CRT Plus Metformin in Head, Neck Cancer
FRIDAY, May 5, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with advanced head and neck cancer undergoing chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and receiving metformin experience more side effects than patients not on metformin, according to research published online April 27 in Head & Neck.
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Poll: Many Americans Concerned About ACA Repeal
THURSDAY, May 4, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Only one in five Americans support a repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a new HealthDay/Harris Poll reveals.
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CMS Releases Resources to Help With Payment System
THURSDAY, May 4, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently added three new online resources to assist physicians already participating in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and those exploring the opportunities available.
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Lower Incidence of Chronic Illness for Centenarians
THURSDAY, May 4, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Among elderly veterans, the incidence of chronic illness is lower for centenarians than octogenarians and nonagenarians, according to a study published online April 19 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
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Household Income Takes a Hit After Cancer Diagnosis in Spouse
WEDNESDAY, May 3, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Family income can take a big hit when a wife or husband cares for a spouse with cancer, according to a study published recently in the Journal of Health Economics.
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CDC: Mortality Rate for Black Americans Drops 25 Percent
WEDNESDAY, May 3, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- While the overall mortality rate among black Americans dropped 25 percent between 1999 and 2015, the average life expectancy still lags behind whites by almost four years, according to research published in the May 2 early-release issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Half of U.S. Doctors Receive Payments From Industry
WEDNESDAY, May 3, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- About half of U.S. doctors received payments from the pharmaceutical and medical device industries in 2015, amounting to $2.4 billion, and any form or amount of compensation can influence prescribing behavior, according to research published in the May 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, a theme issue on conflict of interest.
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Alcohol Linked to Higher Risk of Breast Cancer in Black Women
TUESDAY, May 2, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Consuming seven or more alcoholic drinks a week appears to raise a black woman's risk of breast cancer, according to a study published in the May issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
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Pictorial Messages Better for Discouraging Indoor Tanning
TUESDAY, May 2, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Pictorial messages discouraging indoor tanning produce greater negative emotional reactions than text-only messages, according to a study published online recently in the Journal of Health Communication.
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Alternate-Day Fasting Not More Effective for Weight Loss
TUESDAY, May 2, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Alternate-day fasting does not produce superior weight loss or weight maintenance compared with daily calorie restriction, according to a study published online May 1 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Low-Dose Aspirin Linked to Reduced Risk of Breast Cancer
TUESDAY, May 2, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Regularly taking low-dose aspirin appears to protect women from hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer, according to a study published online May 1 in Breast Cancer Research.
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