Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Hematology & Oncology for October 2014. 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.
Generic Meds May Help Breast Cancer Patients Stick to Therapy
FRIDAY, Oct. 31, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Access to generic aromatase inhibitors (AIs) improves the chances that breast cancer patients will stick with their drug treatment, according to research published in the November issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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Docs Face Challenges Treating HPV Oropharyngeal CA Patients
FRIDAY, Oct. 31, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Key challenges have been identified for health professionals communicating the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer (OSCC), according to a study published online Oct. 28 in Head & Neck.
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Almost One in Five Americans Plagued by Constant Pain
FRIDAY, Oct. 31, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Almost one-fifth of Americans suffer from chronic pain, a large new survey reveals, with the elderly and women suffering the most. The findings were published in the October issue of the Journal of Pain.
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Fewer Malpractice Claims Paid in the United States
THURSDAY, Oct. 30, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The number of medical malpractice payments in the United States has dropped sharply since 2002, according to a new study. And compensation payment amounts and liability insurance costs for many doctors declined in recent years. These findings were published online Oct. 30 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Would Alternative Payment Plan Cut Medical Bills?
THURSDAY, Oct. 30, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- New research supports replacing the traditional way of reimbursing doctors for care -- paying for each service provided -- with an alternative system that gives a set amount of money to health care organizations for patient care. The study was published in the Oct. 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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AMA Code of Ethics Offers Guidance for Physicians
THURSDAY, Oct. 30, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The American Medical Association (AMA) Code of Ethics and other articles provide guidance for physicians in relation to public health emergencies, according to a report from the AMA.
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ADT May Up Heart-Related Deaths in Prostate Cancer Patients
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 29, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) may increase heart-related mortality in men with prostate cancer who also have certain heart conditions, according to research published online Oct. 29 in BJU International.
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Voters' Views on Affordable Care Act Split Along Party Lines
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 29, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Americans' opinions about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are sharply divided along political lines, according to research published online Oct. 29 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The findings come from 27 public opinion polls conducted by 14 organizations.
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Less Competition Among Docs = Higher Medical Costs
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 29, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Competition between medical practices helps keep health care costs lower, according to a study published in the Oct. 22/29 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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After Breast Cancer, Depression Risk Lingers
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 29, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Women who survive breast cancer face a higher risk of depression that can linger and require antidepressants, according to a new study published online Oct. 27 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Mammography + Tomosynthesis Cost-Effective for Dense Breasts
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 29, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Combined biennial digital mammography and tomosynthesis screening is effective for women with dense breasts, according to a study published online Oct. 28 in Radiology.
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Noneconomic Damages Caps Cut Malpractice Payments by 15%
TUESDAY, Oct. 28, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Adoption of noneconomic damages caps reduces average malpractice payments by 15 percent, according to research published in the October issue of Health Affairs.
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'Prehabilitation' Before Surgery May Aid Recovery
TUESDAY, Oct. 28, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Exercising, eating a healthy diet, and learning relaxation techniques before colorectal cancer surgery appear to speed a patient's recovery, according to a small study published in the November issue of Anesthesiology.
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Better Radiologist Performance on Own Recalled Screens
TUESDAY, Oct. 28, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Radiologists' screening performance improves with work-up of their own recalled screening mammograms, according to a study published in the November issue of Radiology.
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CDC Issues Revised Interim U.S. Guidance on Ebola
MONDAY, Oct. 27, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Today, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a revision of their Ebola guideline document -- Interim Guidance for Monitoring and Movement of Persons with Ebola Virus Disease Exposure.
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New York, New Jersey Ease Ebola Quarantines
MONDAY, Oct. 27, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Faced with pressure from the White House and criticism from infectious disease experts, the governors of New York and New Jersey have eased their quarantine measures that required all medical workers returning from West Africa who had contact with Ebola patients to be forced into isolation.
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Knowing Genetic Risk of Cancer Doesn't Change Behavior
MONDAY, Oct. 27, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Knowledge of genetic colorectal cancer (CRC) risk does not influence screening behavior, according to research published in the Oct. 21 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Suboptimal Staging Linked to Mortality in Bladder Cancer
MONDAY, Oct. 27, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with bladder cancer, the omission of muscle in the specimen or its mention in the pathology report is associated with increased mortality, according to a study published online Oct. 22 in Cancer.
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FDA Approves New Treatment for Acquired Hemophilia A
FRIDAY, Oct. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Obizur (Antihemophilic Factor [Recombinant], Porcine Sequence) has been approved to treat acquired hemophilia A (acquired Factor VIII deficiency), a rare, non-inherited form of hemophilia.
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Airborne Transmission of Ebola Highly Unlikely
FRIDAY, Oct. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- People face no threat of airborne transmission of Ebola, according to a panel of Ebola experts gathered by the New England Journal of Medicine for an issue briefing Wednesday.
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New York City Health Officials Confirm First Ebola Case
FRIDAY, Oct. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- New York City health officials said Thursday that a health care worker who recently returned from West Africa has tested positive for Ebola. The patient, identified as Craig Spencer, M.D., by city officials, had been working with Doctors Without Borders helping to treat Ebola patients in Guinea, one of three West Africa countries hit hard by the disease.
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Breast Cancer Markers Commonly Used for Routine Surveillance
FRIDAY, Oct. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Breast cancer tumor markers are frequently used for routine surveillance in nonmetastatic breast cancer, and their use has been found to increase the number of diagnostic procedures performed as well as the total cost of care, according to a study published online Oct. 20 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Coworker Response 'Crucial' in Workplace Bullying Resolution
THURSDAY, Oct. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Targets of workplace bullying can offer chaos, report, or quest narratives about their experiences, and coworker response plays a role in narrative development, according to a study published online Sept. 25 in Management Communication Quarterly.
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Aspirin May Cut Mortality in Nonmetastatic Prostate Cancer
THURSDAY, Oct. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Daily aspirin use, even at low doses, may reduce mortality among men with high-risk nonmetastatic prostate cancer, according to research published online Oct. 20 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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U.S. Ranks Last Among Wealthy Nations in Health Care Access
THURSDAY, Oct. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. health care system ranks last compared to other industrialized nations when it comes to affordability and patient access, according to a new survey published in the Oct. 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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FOLFOXIRI + Bevacizumab Ups Outcome in Metastatic CRC
THURSDAY, Oct. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with untreated metastatic colorectal cancer, chemotherapy with fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan (FOLFOXIRI) plus bevacizumab improves outcome versus fluorouracil, leucovorin, and irinotecan (FOLFIRI) plus bevacizumab, according to a study published in the Oct. 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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U.S. Residents Back From Ebola-Affected Areas to Be Tracked
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Public health officials plan to actively monitor all U.S. residents returning home from one of the three Ebola-affected nations in West Africa, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday.
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Americans Report Distrust of Medical Profession
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Americans are less trusting of the medical profession than people in many other countries -- even though they often like their own doctor, according to a new report. The findings were published in the Oct. 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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APIC Provides Resources for Ebola Management
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Resources are available to increase protection against Ebola transmission, according to a report from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).
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Hospital Conversion to For-Profit Status Ups Financial Margins
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Hospital conversion to for-profit status is associated with improvements in financial margins, but has no effect on process quality metrics or mortality rates, according to a study published in the Oct. 22/29 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Drug Coupons Shrink Patients' Costs Considerably
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Drug coupons could reduce patients' out-of-pocket costs by 60 percent, according to a study published in the October issue of Health Affairs.
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Hospice Doesn't Offset Intensive End-of-Life Ovarian Cancer Care
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Increasing use of hospice in the final days of ovarian cancer does not offset intensive end-of-life care in older women, according to a study published online Oct. 6 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Price Transparency Platform Linked to Lower Claims Payments
TUESDAY, Oct. 21, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Access to an employer-sponsored private price transparency platform is associated with reduced total claims payments, according to research published in the Oct. 22/29 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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CDC: 'Think Ebola' and 'Care Carefully'
TUESDAY, Oct. 21, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued updated guidelines for the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by health care workers when caring for patients with Ebola, along with a reminder to health care workers to "Think Ebola" and to "Care Carefully."
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Law Requiring Release of Health Information Upheld
TUESDAY, Oct. 21, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A state law that requires plaintiffs to release relevant protected health information before proceeding with allegations of medical liability has been upheld by a federal appeals court, according to the American Medical Association (AMA).
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Unplanned Hospitalizations With GI Cancer Patients Common
TUESDAY, Oct. 21, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Unplanned hospitalizations among elderly patients with gastrointestinal cancer are common, according to research published online Oct. 6 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Sustainable Benefit Seen for Trastuzumab in Breast Cancer
MONDAY, Oct. 20, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Adding a year of trastuzumab (Herceptin) to standard chemotherapy improves overall survival by 37 percent and raises 10-year overall survival rates from 75 to 84 percent, according to research published online Oct. 20 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Viewpoint: Getting United States Prepared for Ebola Outbreak
MONDAY, Oct. 20, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A case of delayed Ebola diagnosis in Dallas and subsequent infection of health care workers has highlighted the lack of preparedness for a U.S. outbreak of the disease, according to a viewpoint piece published online Oct. 17 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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New MCAT Shifts Focus, Will Include Humanities
MONDAY, Oct. 20, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) has been revised, and the latest changes, including more humanities such as social sciences, are due to be implemented next April, according to a report from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
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Volume of Patient-to-Doc E-mails Up From 2001 to 2010
FRIDAY, Oct. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- From 2001 to 2010 the volume of patient-to-physician electronic messages increased, but the rate per-capita stabilized, according to research published in the October issue of Health Affairs.
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Obama Appoints Ron Klain As 'Ebola Czar'
FRIDAY, Oct. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- President Barack Obama on Friday appointed Ron Klain, a former chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, as Ebola "czar" to oversee the federal government's response to the presence of virus in the United States.
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Long Noncoding RNAs Can Detect Prostate Cancer
FRIDAY, Oct. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Differential expression of long noncoding RNAs identified in prostate cancer cell lines, patient tissue samples, and patient urine samples can detect prostate cancer, according to a study published in the November issue of the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics.
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Specialized Care Centers May Be Needed to Contain Ebola
FRIDAY, Oct. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Specialized medical centers may be necessary to adequately treat and contain the Ebola virus in the United States, according to an ideas and opinions piece published online Oct. 16 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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70-Gene Signature Not Cost-Effective in Breast Cancer
FRIDAY, Oct. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with node-negative breast cancer (NNBC), the 70-gene signature is unlikely to be cost-effective for guiding adjuvant chemotherapy decision making, according to a study published online Oct. 6 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Many Docs Believe Mobile Health Apps Can Improve Patient Care
FRIDAY, Oct. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A Manhattan Research survey recently found that many physicians believe digital communication technologies, including mobile apps, can be used to improve patient outcomes, according to an article published Oct. 8 in Medical Economics.
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Prevalence of Familial Pancreatic Cancer About 9 Percent
THURSDAY, Oct. 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The prevalence of familial pancreatic cancer (FPC) is about 9 percent, and patients with FPC have more precursor lesions and are less likely to smoke than patients with sporadic pancreatic cancer (SPC), according to a study published online Oct. 14 in Cancer.
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Overdetection of PSA Recurrence After Radical Prostatectomy
THURSDAY, Oct. 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Prostate-specific antigen recurrence (PSA-R) may be overdetected after radical prostatectomy (RP), according to research published in the Oct. 15 issue of Clinical Cancer Research.
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Exercise Cuts Later CV Risk in Hodgkin's Lymphoma Survivors
THURSDAY, Oct. 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Exercise may lower the risk of treatment-related cardiovascular events in adult survivors of childhood Hodgkin's lymphoma, according to research published online Oct. 13 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Ebola Workshop Scheduled for Nov. 3 in Washington, D.C.
THURSDAY, Oct. 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- At the request of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council will host a workshop to discuss research needed to prepare for handling the occurrence of Ebola virus disease in the United States, according to a press release from the National Academies.
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Limiting Malpractice Claims May Not Curb Costly Medical Tests
THURSDAY, Oct. 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Malpractice reform may not keep physicians from ordering unnecessary and expensive tests, according to a study published in the Oct. 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Immune Therapy Induces Remission for Many With ALL
THURSDAY, Oct. 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- An experimental immune-system therapy can often lead to complete remission in advanced acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients who have run out of other options, according to research published in the Oct. 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Change in Doc, Public Attitudes Needed to Cut Overtreatment
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 15, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Reform of malpractice laws as well as inclusion of patients in medical decision making may help reduce overdiagnosis and overtreatment, according to an article published online Oct. 14 in The BMJ.
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CDC Takes Steps Toward Hospital Preparedness for Ebola
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 15, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has sent new resources to Dallas to support the highest standard of infection control, according to a news release issued by the organization Tuesday.
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Allergy to Some Metal Implants Linked to Rare Skin Cancer
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 15, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A rare type of skin cancer has been linked to allergic reactions to metal implants, according to research published online Oct. 8 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
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Second Health Care Worker in Dallas Tests Positive for Ebola
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 15, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A second health care worker who helped treat a patient who died of Ebola last week at a Dallas hospital has tested positive for the disease, health officials said Wednesday morning.
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Resident Proficiency in High-Value Care Is Hard to Test
TUESDAY, Oct. 14, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The high-value care (HVC) subscore on the Internal Medicine In-Training Examination (IM-ITE) helps assess resident knowledge of HVC, but additional tools are needed to measure proficiency in practice, according to research published online Oct. 14 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Considerations for CMS Coverage of Lung Cancer Screening
TUESDAY, Oct. 14, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The benefits and potential harms of low-dose computed tomography (CT) screening for lung cancer are discussed in relation to the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) evaluation of screening coverage. The two clinical reviews were published online Oct. 13 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Smoking-Related Illnesses in U.S. Total 14 Million
TUESDAY, Oct. 14, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Cigarette smoking accounts for approximately 14 million major medical conditions that plague the lives of U.S. adults, according to a new government report published online Oct. 13 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Review: Weak Power in Most CRC Neoplasia Risk Prediction Models
TUESDAY, Oct. 14, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Most colorectal neoplasia risk prediction models have weak discriminatory power, according to a review published in the October issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
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Health Officials Reviewing Ebola Procedures at Dallas Hospital
MONDAY, Oct. 13, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Federal and local health officials said Monday that they were re-examining infection-control efforts at the Dallas hospital where a nurse contracted Ebola while caring for America's first diagnosed victim of the deadly disease.
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Texas Hospital Worker Tests Positive for Ebola
MONDAY, Oct. 13, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A health care worker who helped treat the Liberian man who died of Ebola in a Dallas hospital last week has tested positive for the virus, public health officials reported Sunday.
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Combining Healthy Habits Equals Greater Reduction in CRC Risk
MONDAY, Oct. 13, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A few healthy habits could reduce the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), according to a study published online Oct. 10 in BMC Medicine.
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FDA: Akynzeo Approved for Chemo-Related Nausea/Vomiting
FRIDAY, Oct. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The combination drug Akynzeo (netupitant and palonosetron) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat nausea and vomiting among people undergoing chemotherapy, the agency said Friday in a news release.
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High Cholesterol Tied to Prostate Cancer's Return
FRIDAY, Oct. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- After surgery for prostate cancer, elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides may be linked with greater risk of the cancer's return, new research suggests. The findings were published online Oct. 10 in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
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Medicines Are Biggest Culprit in Fatal Allergic Reactions
FRIDAY, Oct. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Over half of allergy-related deaths are caused by medications, while less than 7 percent are caused by food allergies, according to research published online Sept. 30 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
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Americans Increasingly Anxious About Ebola
FRIDAY, Oct. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- One-quarter of Americans now view Ebola as a major public health threat to the United States, with many saying they'd change their travel plans due to Ebola fears, a new Harris Poll/HealthDay survey reveals.
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Specialty Drugs May Be Worth the Higher Costs
FRIDAY, Oct. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Despite high costs, specialty drugs may provide value that balances the price difference compared with traditional drugs, according to research published in the October issue of Health Affairs.
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Five Major U.S. Airports to Screen Travelers for Ebola
THURSDAY, Oct. 9, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Five major U.S. airports will begin screening travelers entering the country from the three West African nations hit hardest by the ongoing Ebola epidemic, federal health officials announced Wednesday.
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Reducing Residency Work Hours Doesn't Affect Patient Outcomes
THURSDAY, Oct. 9, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Duty-hour reforms have not adversely affected hospital mortality or length-of-stay of patients cared for by new attending physicians who were partly or fully exposed to reduced duty hours during residency, according to research published in the October issue of Health Affairs.
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Androgen Receptor Signaling Tied to Insulin Resistance
THURSDAY, Oct. 9, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Mouse models show tissue-specific androgen receptor (AR) signaling is involved in regulation of metabolism, which may explain the link between androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and the development of metabolic syndrome in men, according to research published in the October issue of Diabetes.
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Risk of Upper GI Bleeding Varies for Drug Combinations
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Concomitant use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), low-dose aspirin or cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) selective inhibitors with other drugs can increase the risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB), and the magnitude of interaction varies according to drug combination, according to a study published in the October issue of Gastroenterology.
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Dallas Ebola Patient Has Died, Hospital Officials Confirm
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian national who was the first person diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, died Wednesday morning at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.
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CDC: U.S. Life Expectancy Hits Record High of Nearly 79 Years
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Average life expectancy in the United States reached an all-time high of 78.8 years in 2012, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday. For people 65 years old in 2012, life expectancy was an additional 19.3 years, up slightly from the year before. Women age 65 and older in 2012 can expect to live another 20.5 years, while men may get around an additional 18 years.
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Tobacco Tied to Higher Risk of Oral HPV Infection
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Tobacco use in any form appears to be linked to an increased risk of infection with oral human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16), according to a research letter published in the Oct. 8 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, a theme issue on infectious disease.
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Ovarian Cancer DNA Detected in Vaginal Fluid
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have found it's possible to detect ovarian cancer gene mutations in vaginal fluid samples -- a finding they hope is a step toward an effective screening test for the disease. The findings were published online Oct. 6 in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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AAFP Urges Docs to Check Accuracy of Open Payments Data
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) urges family doctors to check the accuracy of the first set of data published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Open Payments transparency program.
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Tips Provided for Maximizing Use of Patient Portals
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Patient portals should be designed to meet patient priorities and promoted in order to maximize their use and boost practice efficiency, according to an article published Oct. 1 in Medical Economics.
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Chemo Rx Patterns Changed Before Reimbursement Changes
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Other factors may affect chemotherapy prescription patterns more than changes in Medicare reimbursement, according to a study published online Sept. 29 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Cancer Diagnosis Can Take Toll on Mental Health
TUESDAY, Oct. 7, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- One out of three people diagnosed with cancer also wind up struggling with a mental health disorder such as anxiety or depression, according to a German study published online Oct. 6 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Obama Considers Tighter Ebola Screening for Travelers
TUESDAY, Oct. 7, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- President Barack Obama said Monday that his administration is preparing additional screening measures to prevent the Ebola epidemic in West Africa from gaining a foothold in the United States.
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Insulin Dependence Ups Post-Op Complication Risk
TUESDAY, Oct. 7, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) have an increased risk of a number of postoperative complications after lumbar fusion compared with those who have noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or no diabetes, according to a study published in the Oct. 1 issue of Spine.
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CDC Team Assisting Ebola Response in Dallas
MONDAY, Oct. 6, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have arrived in Texas and are working closely with Texas state and local health departments to investigate the first Ebola case in the United States, according to a news release issued by the agency.
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States Encouraged to Use Physician Assistant Workforce
MONDAY, Oct. 6, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Physician assistants (PAs) have an important role in the provision of health care and their role should be encouraged by appropriate state legislation, according to a report from the National Governors Association.
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BMP Use in Spinal Arthrodesis Doesn't Up Cancer Risk
MONDAY, Oct. 6, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Recent use of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) in spinal arthrodesis is not associated with increased cancer risk, according to research published in the Sept. 3 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
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Impact of Physician Payments Sunshine Act Discussed
MONDAY, Oct. 6, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The Physician Payments Sunshine Act is causing concern for manufacturers and providers, as well as physicians, according to a health policy brief published online Oct. 2 in Health Affairs.
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Study Clarifies LMWH Treatment for Cancer-Related DVT
MONDAY, Oct. 6, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Results of a randomized trial support the role of residual vein thrombosis (RVT) as a factor in determining the optimal duration of anticoagulant therapy in cancer patients with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of the lower limbs. These findings were published online Sept. 29 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Physician Payments Found Not to Favor Procedures
FRIDAY, Oct. 3, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Physician Fee Schedule does not systematically provide higher valuation of physician work per unit time for procedure/test codes than for evaluation and management (E/M) codes, according to a study published online Sept. 18 in the Annals of Surgery.
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VTE Prophylaxis Effect Varies for Otolaryngology Patients
FRIDAY, Oct. 3, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For patients undergoing otolaryngology surgery, the effectiveness and safety of venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis vary in patient subgroups, according to research published online Oct. 2 in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.
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Lung Cancer Screening Found Cost-Effective for Medicare
FRIDAY, Oct. 3, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) is a low-cost and cost-effective strategy for screening Medicare beneficiaries for lung cancer, according to a study published in the August issue of American Health & Drug Benefits.
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Medical Errors Should Be Used to Improve Patient Care
THURSDAY, Oct. 2, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Medical errors occur and should be used to help improve medical processes, according to a report from the American Medical Association.
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Providers Received Billions From Drug/Device Companies
THURSDAY, Oct. 2, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- About 546,000 doctors and 1,360 teaching hospitals in the United States received billions of dollars from drug and medical device makers in the second half of 2013, according to data released Tuesday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The financial benefits ranged from research grants to trips, and totaled nearly $3.5 billion from August through December last year, the Associated Press reported.
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In Cancer Prevention, 9-Valent HPV Vaccine Looks Promising
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 1, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A vaccine meant to protect against nine types of human papillomavirus (HPV) could prevent 90 percent of all cervical cancers, according to a study published in the October issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
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Obesity Tied to Higher Cancer Risk for CRC Survivors
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 1, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Colorectal cancer (CRC) patients who are overweight or obese when diagnosed appear to face a slightly higher risk for developing a second weight-related cancer, according to research published online Sept. 29 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The finding didn't speak to the risk of CRC recurrence, only the potential for developing other cancers associated with obesity.
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CDC Confirms First Patient Diagnosed With Ebola in U.S.
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 1, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The first confirmed case of Ebola has surfaced in the United States, involving a man who recently flew here from Liberia, federal health officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced late Tuesday.
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Burnout on the Job Isn't Just About the Work
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 1, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Work, non-work, and individual factors explain a considerable part of psychological distress, depression, and emotional exhaustion, according to a study published online July 24 in Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology.
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Increased Toxicity for Many Newly Approved Anticancer Drugs
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 1, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Newly approved anticancer drugs that do not have a specific molecular target on cancer cells are associated with increased toxicity and the accompanying costs of management, according to research published online Sept. 29 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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