Latest Health News

6Jun
2023

Gene-Targeted Drug Tagrisso Cuts Death Rate in Half for Patients With Early-Stage Lung Cancer

Gene-Targeted Drug Tagrisso Cuts Death Rate in Half for Patients With Early-Stage Lung CancerTUESDAY, June 6, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Once-a-day use of the targeted cancer pill Tagrisso (osimertinib) cut the five-year death rate in half for a subset of patients with early-stage lung cancer, a new clinical trial shows.The results could have major implications for patients whose cancers carry a mutation in a gene known as EGFR, which is implicated in the out-of-control cellular growth driving a tumor. Tagrisso appears to short-circuit this excessive growth. The new trial involved 682 patients with stages IB, II or IIIA non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). About 85% of lung cancers are NSCLCs. All patients in the study had cancers with EGFR mutations.“We have been using one-size-fits-all adjuvant chemotherapy for every patient with lung cancer despite a decade of advances in...

Injected Birth Control Could Be Game-Changer to Curb...

6 June 2023
Injected Birth Control Could Be Game-Changer to Curb Stray Cat PopulationsTUESDAY, June 6, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Millions of stray cats roam the world over, and surgical sterilization has long been the primary method of population control.But a small new study shows promising results for a one-and-done contraceptive injection.Researchers say this first-of-its-kind approach appears safe and effective.“A non-surgical contraceptive that could result in lifetime sterility following a single injection would present many advantages over the current standard of care of surgical sterilization,” said study co-author Dr. William Swanson.Swanson is director of animal research at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden.Currently, the male stray cat population is controlled via “the surgical removal of the gonads under general anesthesia,” he noted. “In the...

AHA News: Celebrating Pride Month With Mental Health in Mind

6 June 2023
AHA News: Celebrating Pride Month With Mental Health in MindTUESDAY, June 6, 2023 (American Heart Association News) -- As rainbow flags flutter in the June breeze for Pride Month, many LGBTQ+ people will feel tension in the air."It's been a really rough go for LGBTQ Americans" of late, said psychiatrist Dr. Natalia Ramos, an assistant clinical professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.In the wake of universal stressors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the economy, the news has been full of anti-gay and anti-transgender actions from the highest levels of state and local governments. "I think even for those of us that are not based in states that are directly impacted right now, it's hard to miss out on the extremely negative discriminatory messaging that's going on against LGBTQ people," Ramos...

Can Some Cancer Patients Safely Skip Radiation Therapy?...

6 June 2023
Can Some Cancer Patients Safely Skip Radiation Therapy? New Studies Say YesTUESDAY, June 6, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Radiation therapy might not be necessary in treating some forms of rectal cancer and lymphoma, sparing patients from the toxic treatment, a pair of new clinical trials shows.One trial found that rectal cancer patients whose tumors shrink in response to chemotherapy can safely skip the radiation therapy that’s normally provided prior to surgery, researchers reported at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting, in Chicago.“We can successfully de-escalate treatment of rectal cancer and achieve the same high cure rates — keep patients disease-free with less long-term toxicity,” said lead researcher Dr. Deb Schrag, chair of medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.In the second trial, the...

Money Troubles Can Delay Cancer Diagnoses, Putting Survival in Jeopardy

6 June 2023
Money Troubles Can Delay Cancer Diagnoses, Putting Survival in JeopardyTUESDAY, June 6, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Money woes have long been linked to worse health care. Now, a new study finds financially strapped patients often put off cancer screenings -- only to learn they have the disease when it's advanced and tougher to treat.Researchers studied the financial background of nearly 102,000 patients diagnosed with cancer between 2014 and 2015. More than a third had previously experienced at least one major money crisis -- such as bankruptcy or eviction. And those people were more likely to be identified with later-stage cancer than those without financial upheaval.Later stage disease meant stage 3 or stage 4 cancer.“These findings are clinically relevant because survival following a cancer diagnosis is generally better for people diagnosed with...

Opdivo Could Boost Outcomes for People Battling Hodgkin Lymphoma

6 June 2023
Opdivo Could Boost Outcomes for People Battling Hodgkin LymphomaTUESDAY, July 6, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- The widely used immunotherapy drug nivolumab (Opdivo) is safer and more effective in treating adults and children with advanced Hodgkin lymphoma than the targeted therapy now used as standard care is, new clinical trial results show.Nivolumab outperformed the drug brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris), extending progression-free survival by 94% at one year compared to 86%, said lead researcher Dr. Alex Herrera, a hematologist-oncologist at City of Hope in Duarte, Calif.Nivolumab also produced significantly fewer side effects than brentuximab vedotin, which was the first novel therapy developed for Hodgkin lymphoma, Herrera said in a presentation Sunday at the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago.“Based on these...

More U.S. Kids, Teens Are Getting Weight-Loss Surgeries

6 June 2023
More U.S. Kids, Teens Are Getting Weight-Loss SurgeriesTUESDAY, June 6, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- As obesity rises among U.S. kids and teens, the number of weight-loss surgeries is growing, too.Metabolic and bariatric surgeries among 10- to 19-year-olds rose by nearly 20% between 2020 and 2021, after climbing since 2016, a new study finds.The jump is especially notable among those from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, who are packing on pounds more readily than white kids, the researchers said.“This analysis shows that families are making the decision to pursue bariatric surgery more frequently year-over-year, and among those from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds in particular,” said Sarah Messiah, study co-author and a professor of epidemiology at the University of Texas Health Houston School of Public...

Another Reason to Hate Mondays: Higher Risk for Severe Heart Attacks

6 June 2023
Another Reason to Hate Mondays: Higher Risk for Severe Heart AttacksTUESDAY, June 6, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Monday can be a downer as folks leave weekend play behind. Now, researchers say Monday might also be the most common day for deadly heart attacks.Doctors at the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland determined this by analyzing patient data in Ireland, though they can’t determine the reason why.Past research has suggested it might have to do with circadian rhythm — the body’s sleep/wake cycle.“Someone is admitted to hospital due to a life-threatening heart attack every five minutes in the U.K., so it’s vital that research continues to shed light on how and why heart attacks happen,” said Nilesh Samani, medical director at the British Heart Foundation.“This study adds to evidence around...

Chinese Company May Help Ease U.S. Shortage of Cancer Drug

MONDAY, June 5, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- With the United States facing a high number of drug shortages, a Chinese company may help to boost the supply of one in particular, the chemotherapy agent...

One Form of Menopause Hormone Therapy Might Raise Blood...

MONDAY, June 5, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Women who use estrogen to ease menopause symptoms may see their blood pressure rise — but the way they take the hormone may determine that, a large new...
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