Mary Caffrey

Desmoid tumors are noncancerous growths that appear in connective tissue, most often on the arms, legs, and abdomen. Aggressive tumors must be treated with surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy to keep them from growing into nearby organs, which can make them life threatening. They can cause pain and disfigurement, and they can reduce functioning and quality of life.

An online survey of patients from multiple countries has shed light on their challenges in getting proper care for ovarian cancer.

Given the likelihood of MDS to progress to acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the authors state, “There are certain settings where ‘AML-like’ therapies are appropriate in MDS, particularly given our evolving understanding of the overlapping biology of these malignancies.”

Lucio Gordan, MD, president and managing physician of Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, discusses recently updated clinical guidelines from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) in multiple myeloma, which specifically discuss disease staging and risk stratification and advise clinicians on how to address 1q abnormalities.

Coverage from the Institute for Value-Based Medicine session with Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute.

The discussion, "Understanding Biomarkers and the Role They Play in Oncology," came during the Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange Summit, held October 23-24 in Reston, Virginia.

There is bipartisan support in the Congress for the Community Oncology Alliance's (COA) key agenda items, with hope that some will pass by year’s end.

Community oncology practices are witnessing a new dynamic in which more Medicare-eligible patients are still covered by commercial insurance, according to speakers at the Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange Summit, held October 23-24, 2023.

The authors discussed a polymorphism of the LEP gene associated not only with cancer, but also with chronic diseases including obesity and diabetes, offering them a reason to look into the relationship between LEP and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).

Investigators evaluated 70 patients in a retrospective study.

The rare disease Fanconi anemia is an inherited bone marrow disorder linked to birth defects that leads to failure of bone marrow, the spongy material inside the bones where stem cells develop.

The survey, completed over 2 weeks in September, follows a similar one released in June.

Katalin Karikó, PhD, and Drew Weissman, MD, PhD, were cited "for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19."

The final day of the European Society of Cardiology 2023 Congress featured a joint session with JAMA Cardiology, “Achieving Global Health Equity: A New Challenge in Heart Failure.”

Coverage from the July 25, 2023, session of the Institute for Value-Based Medicine®, presented by The American Journal of Managed Care® in partnership with Emory's Winship Cancer Institute.

Coverage from a symposium, “Weight loss as a new therapeutic target in HFpEF: dawn of a new era?” that took place August 27 during the European Society of Cardiology 2023 Congress.

The authors found shifting patterns in the effects of obesity, alcohol, and smoking on atrial fibrillation.

Javed Butler, MD, MPH, MBA, presented the analysis based on patient data from the Baylor, Scott, and White health system during the final hours of the European Society of Cardiology 2023 Congress, which concluded Monday.

Results from the FRAIL-AF study, being presented at the European Society of Cardiology 2023 Congress, surprised the investigators.

Study investigators offered updated data from 2 key trials presented in the past year: CLEAR Outcomes in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and OCEAN(a)-DOSE in lipoprotein (a).

A symposium at the European Society of Cardiology 2023 Congress covered the spectrum from diet and exercise, to medical therapy, to evidence on newer generation stents.

Javed Butler, MD, MPH, MBA, said "hopefully" results from the EMPACT-MI trial should be available within the next few months.

Patients who took the therapy lost weight and recorded some of the best gains in quality of life and physical improvement ever seen in this type of a study.

The interim update in heart failure reflects results from 10 clinical trials that have been published since the 2021 ESC Guidelines were released.

Crystal Denlinger, MD, FACP, incoming CEO of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), talks about the organization’s challenges and solutions to keeping up with the ever-changing oncology landscape and improving patient access to guideline-recommended treatments.

Denlinger, who spent most of her career at Fox Chase Cancer Center before joining the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) as its chief scientific officer, took the helm October 9, 2023.

There is no standard treatment in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) for patients who have a relapse following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 2023 Congress runs August 25-28 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.