Maggie L. Shaw

The FDA approved Phesgo (pertuzumab/trastuzumab/hyaluronidase-zzxf) as a subcutaneous (SC) treatment for adult patients with metastatic human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer or early-stage HER-2 positive disease. The treatment combines 2 monoclonal antibodies in a single SC injection.

Being on an antiretroviral treatment (ART) regimen of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine may lower the risk of HIV-positive individuals contracting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Results from an analysis of patients with breast cancer and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), from Institut Curie hospitals in France, show that mortality is determined more by comorbidities than previous or current treatment for the cancer.

A worse prognosis in patients with heart failure has possibly been linked to having at least 1 anemic episode, or a drop in hemoglobin levels, as was a greater risk of hospitalization and mortality.

Individuals who self-report a problem with drugs, especially opioids, are more likely to have uncontrolled HIV, to not be adherent to antiretroviral therapy, and to engage less in primary care for their infection but more in risky behaviors, including sharing needles and having multiple concurrent sexual partners.

Elevated insulin levels, which have been shown to promote tumor growth, due to insulin resistance may be linked to a greater prevalence of invasive breast cancer among black women compared with white women.

Compared with amoxicillin, azithromycin was shown in a recent study to increase both the relative and absolute risks of cardiovascular death among patients being treated on an outpatient basis.

There is a positive association between having at least 1 chronic disease and adhering to guidelines for breast cancer screening, according to recently published study results.

The decade spanning 2007 through 2017 saw an intensified focus on reducing hospital readmissions among patients with heart failure receiving care in the Veterans Affairs Health Care System.

Despite the CDC’s recommendation, which has been in effect since 1998, study results show that just half of HIV-positive individuals choose to get tested for hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the 12 months following the receipt of their diagnosis.

Coverage from the Community Oncology Alliance Virtual Meeting, held April 23-24, 2020.

Known as a gene therapy pioneer, Zaia has spent almost 40 years at City of Hope, in Duarte, California. He was first drawn by the promise of studying cytomegalovirus. Over the decades, his groundbreaking research has encompassed HIV/AIDS, cellular gene transfer therapy, immunotherapy, bispecific antibodies, and now hyperimmune globulin for workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Cases of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) account for up to 20% of all cases of the disease, the most common cancer diagnosed in women in the United States.

Study results out of Denmark show that 0.08% of patients with heart failure received a diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the time after a country-wide lockdown began on March 12.

Despite initiating antiretroviral therapy, overall and comorbidity-free–associated survival remain below that of the population without HIV.

Study results show a 4% mortality rate among HIV-positive patients who have coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) compared with approximately 17% of patients who also have COVID-19 but are HIV-negative.

Three abstracts presented at this year’s annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology focused on cardiotoxic effects of cancer treatment and how cardiac disease remains a barrier to effective cancer therapy among patients with cancer and survivors.

Self-reported high levels of physical activity shared a positive correlation with improved mortality and care for patients who underwent chest CT scans for atherosclerosis.

A 20-year follow-up comprising a secondary analysis to an original study shows that high-dose chemotherapy plus hematopoietic stem cell transplant benefit patients with high-risk stage III disease with 10 or more axillary lymph nodes involved.

When used correctly, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is effective more than 90% of the time, saving upward of $400,000 per averted HIV transmission.

Close to 6 million Americans live with heart failure, and each of their hospitalizations for the condition carries an average cost of $11,500, or $11 billion in total costs each year.

Previous studies show that up to 75% of women with breast cancer exhibit disease- and treatment-related affects that include poorer cognitive function in the forms of psychological well-being, decision making, and adherence to treatment.

There could be a 46% spike in the incidence of heart failure in the United States by 2030, bringing the total to more than 8 million adults living with the condition and an approximate $69.6 billion hit to the economy.

Of the 1.8 million youth living with HIV around the world, the United States is home to 2000, and many were infected perinatally.

There are more than 50 drug regimens available to treat metastatic breast cancer but little guidance on the best order to deliver them, according to a study published in JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics.

Despite a decline in deaths from coronary heart disease (CHD) in the United States over the past 40 years, CHD is still the top cause of mortality in the United States—especially in low-income counties.

There was a 6% increase from 2005 to 2014 in new HIV diagnoses among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, according to the CDC and study results published in Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, and 1 in 6 is estimated to test positive for the disease at some point in his lifetime.

Older age was shown to influence the decision among women to undergo surgery as a treatment option following a diagnosis of breast cancer in the United Kingdom, where the average lifespan was 82.9 years in 2016.

"Our patients are the reasons we do what we do. They are the reason we do the work," said outgoing ASCO President Howard A. “Skip” Burris III, MD, FASCO, FACP, during his opening address on the second day of this year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology conference.

Following decades that saw its popularity dwindle in favor of subpectoral breast reconstruction, prepectoral breast reconstruction is once again on the rise.