Maggie L. Shaw

Being uninsured carries with it a host of adverse health consequences, including more advanced stages of disease when seeing a physician, avoidable deaths, and not receiving lifesaving treatments for conditions such as heart failure.

Persons 50 years and older accounted for 3.6 million individuals living with HIV in 2013, and this number almost doubled to an estimated 6.7 million by 2017. Not all, however, are on antiretroviral therapy (ART).

A small trial out of Columbia University Irving Medical Center shows encouraging recovery results among patients with breast cancer who contracted coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which was confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and/or high clinical or radiographic suspicion. Hospitalization was not necessary for nearly three-quarters of the patients.

By 2030, the World Health Organization estimates that 82 million individuals worldwide will be affected by dementia, up from 50 million in 2017 and a 64% increase in prevalence in just 13 years. It is well established that cardiovascular health and cognitive decline are interrelated.

Female survivors of breast cancer total over 3.5 million in the United States alone. Coronary heart disease is a leading cause of death among this patient group, as it is for all women.

The worldwide fatality rate from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) now exceeds 7%, and more than 3 million cases have been reported. Cardiovascular disease is a well-known factor for increasing the risk of contracting this sometimes deadly virus.

Washington is home to 2 pertinent developments in the arrival of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to the United States: the first US case of the virus was reported in the state on January 21 and the first major US city to report deaths as a result was Seattle.

Patients hospitalized due to acute decompensated heart failure have both a higher rate of annual mortality, compared with patients who have chronic ambulatory heart failure, and of dying within 6 months of hospital release.

Among the principal reasons for recommending initiating antiretroviral treatment (ART) among pregnant patients who are HIV positive is to prevent transmission of the virus to their unborn children. This number was estimated at 1.3 million pregnant women, as of 2018.

Fatal breast cancers were reduced by 41% and advanced breast cancers by 25% following recommended screening for the disease by mammography in 9 counties in Sweden, emphasizing the importance of early detection.

Compared with tumors smaller than 8 mm among patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, ERBB2-positive (formerly HER2-positive) breast cancer, tumors between 8 and 10 mm benefited more from postoperative chemotherapy.

Close to 6 million individuals die every year as a direct result of sepsis infection, with a majority of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. The HIV-positive population in sub-Saharan Africa is disproportionately affected by this opportunistic infection.

More than 20% of breast cancer survivors are severely affected by breast cancer–related lymphedema, with debilitating adverse effects that include depression, chronic pain, and recurrent skin infections—all affecting overall quality of life.

More than 26 million individuals worldwide live with heart failure every day. Because the condition is irreversible, finding ways and treatments to remedy this damage has long been a goal of physician-researchers.

The CDC recommends regular testing for bacterial sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among all sexually active gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM). Chief among these STDs are gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and hepatitis C.

There is a 15% to 20% greater chance of death in the 90 days following a hospitalization for heart failure among patients with Medicare compared with the general population. Social determinants of health (SDOH) are an influencing factor of this rate.

According to 2015 CDC data, current viral suppression rates from antiretroviral therapy (ART) leave room for improvement among both HIV-positive individuals who are aware of their disease status and those receiving care, at 40.0% and 81.5%, respectively.

The risk of both heart attack and stroke increases 2- to 3-fold among individuals with comorbid diabetes and cardiovascular issues; however, recent study results show improved odds of both not occurring, as well as less of a risk of hospitalization for heart failure or lower extremity amputation.

Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) was first approved by the FDA in 2012, but only for use among adults. An indication was added in 2018 for its use among adolescents.

Recent study results show that patients with cancer who develop coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are far more likely to die than those who develop COVID-10 but do not have cancer. Patients being treated with immunotherapy appear to be at particularly high risk.

According to the most recent PwC Health Research Institute Consumer Survey results, the top consumer concerns for the post–coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) period are overall health and financial well-being, with 32% saying health-related spending adjustments have already occurred or are in the planning stages.

An international team of investigators recently tried to answer this question, focusing on women with diagnosed early-stage disease and considered obese, with a body mass index above 30 kg/m2.

There's a way to boost participation in clinical trials and modernize the cumbersome process of patient accrual, noted current ASCO President Howard A. “Skip” Burris, MD, FACP, FASCO, on day 2 of Virtual COA 2020. It means shifting clinical trials out of hospitals and tertiary care centers and bringing them to the patients.

Following interim results presented at the 2017 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, a team of investigators from Vall d’Hebron in Spain delivered their final results at this year’s virtual conference on cytomegalovirus (CMV) viral load response to antiretroviral therapy compared with anti-CMV treatment.

Day 1 of Virtual COA 2020, this year’s Community Oncology Conference, kicked off with the panel discussion, “Top Oncology Issues Now & Looking Ahead,” led by Bo Gamble, director of Strategic Practice Initiatives at the Community Oncology Alliance. Topics covered ran the gamut: from Zoom being everyone’s new middle name to telehealth to caring for patients’ medical and social needs and beyond.

In the United States, heart failure affects a patient population of over 6.5 million. Through medication management, transportation, and emotional support, among the many tasks they assist with, these patients’ caregivers provide services valued at $7.9 billion annually.

Cognitive impairment is a well-documented adverse effect of treatment from breast cancer. Complications from it can appear soon after treatment has begun or far down the road.

In a preview interview for this year’s 2020 Community Oncology Conference, The American Journal of Managed Care® speaks with Anshu Jain, MD—radiation oncologist at Ashland Bellefonte Cancer Center in Ashland, Kentucky; assistant clinical professor at the Yale School of Medicine; and Community Oncology Alliance board member—on how important it is to always strive for excellence in medicine.

Chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and trichomoniasis are 4 sexually transmitted infections (STI) that have seen sharp increases in occurrence over the past 10 years. Their combined overall rate rose 31% between 2013 and 2017 and correlate with a lower overall HIV testing rate among adolescents.

In this preview interview for this year’s virtual 2020 Community Oncology Conference, The American Journal of Managed Care® speaks with Kathy Oubre, MS, chief operating officer of Pontchartrain Cancer Center in Louisiana, on why it is her privilege to work with patients who have cancer, as well as her thoughts on telehealth after the pandemic and why being in a hurricane-prone area necessitates healthcare that is flexible.