Clinical

Black women with BRCA gene mutations are far less likely to receive preventive surgery than white or Hispanic women with the BRCA gene mutation.

According to research published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, immunotherapy right after chemotherapy can piggy back on the immune modifications caused by the chemotherapy, to improve response to treatment in ovarian cancer.

What we're reading, June 15, 2016: opioids also linked to heart-related deaths and fatalities other than overdoses; judge overrules Federal Trade Commission's efforts to block merger of Advocate Health Care and NorthShore University HealthSystem in Illinois; and using social media to monitor patients outside of the healthcare setting.

A collaborative effort by urologists and public health specialists from various healthcare systems around the country has found that PSA levels measured in midlife (45 to 59 years of age) are a strong predictor of future lethal prostate cancer.

A new study, published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, has found that chemotherapy administered in patients with stage I disease, following a complete resection, can have a significant impact on their median 5-year overall survival.

While there are FDA-approved medications proven to help curb opioid addiction, not many physicians are taking full advantage of it.

What we're reading, June 14, 2016: CMS has proposed requiring Medicare hospitals follow new antibiotic controls; New York poised to expand access to breast cancer screening; and clinical trials are seeing more success.

What we're reading, June 13, 2016: the World Health Organization is recommending women in Zika-infected areas delay pregnancy; one FDA regulator feels too many drug makers are chasing the same treatments in cancer care; and risky behaviors among American teenagers are down.

A survey conducted among members of the South Carolina Academy of Family Physicians found that although most family physicians reported that they discussed low-dose computed tomography screening (LDCT) with their patients, referrals were low

Vitamin D may help reduce the risk of diabetes side effects associated with atypical antipsychotics, according to a recent study published in Scientific Reports.

Two studies presented at Heart Failure 2016 and the 3rd World Congress on Acute Heart Failure held in Florence, Italy, hold good news for patients with heart failure who get flu shots.

Treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy remains in flux with the FDA delaying a decision on Sarepta's treatment and Biomarin discontinuing development on its own drug.

Results presented at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress have confirmed that Systemic Lupus Erythematosus can increase the risk of developing cervical cancer in women.

Prescription drug monitoring programs have been associated with a decreased number of written prescriptions for the highly-addictive and most recently abused drug.

The Colombian government is forcing pharmaceutical giant Novartis to lower prices of its leukemia medicine, imatinib (Gleevec).

The process for approving biosimilars has been moving slowly, but Aimee Tharaldson, PharmD, senior clinical consultant of emerging therapies at Express Scripts, foresees them as having the potential to lower costs for the industry and hopes the approval process will pick up speed.

Only half of US veterans who died from cancer received palliative care, while the use of hospice depended upon the care environment. Overall, there was a gap between the percentage of patients who received palliative care and recommended use.

A group in Israel presented a study that evaluated the price trend of 30 anticancer agents following their launch, and found that prices may increase by as much as 44% even after adjusting for inflation.

The field of measurement in Mycosis Fungoides/Sézary syndrome type cutaneous T-cell lymphoma lacked a specific quality-of-life measure to describe patient experience or guide treatment decisions. Using an online platform with an engaged patient community, we developed and psychometrically validated a new measure in just under a year.

What we're reading, June 9, 2016: Philadelphia is poised to become the first major city to pass a soda tax; California raises its smoking age to 21; and the Obama administration looks to limit short-term health plans.

The German-Australian AML Study Group, one of the largest global groups evaluating treatments for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), has published results in the New England Journal of Medicine that now classifies AML into 11 classes based on the harbored genetic mutations.

A poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) found that the cost per median month of survival for daratumumab was lower compared with 2 other novel treatments in multiple myeloma.

Even in a state with relatively few Medicaid restrictions on hepatitis C virus medications, a low number of patients requested treatment.

What we're reading, June 8, 2016: obesity rate among women reaches record high; abuse-resistant opioid recommended for approval by advisory panel; and Gilead does not owe Merck money in drug-patent dispute.

The Department of Justice has announced that Genentech and OSI Pharmaceuticals “will pay $67 million to resolve False Claim Act allegations that they made misleading statements about the effectiveness of the drug Tarceva to treat non-small cell lung cancer.”

With only 3 medications FDA-approved to treat opioid addiction, patient access to these treatment options can be difficult, and each medication presents its own challenges, said Kelly J. Clark, MD, MBA, president elect of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

Many patients 65 years or younger are still receiving aggressive cancer treatment in their final months of life despite Choosing Wisely recommendations encouraging symptom-directed palliative care.

Can the Oncotype DX Breast Cancer Assay impact recommendation and receipt of chemotherapy in early stage breast cancer? Does the test also improve patient experience? These were some of the questions asked by researchers at the University of Michigan, and the results presented during the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

What we're reading, June 7, 2016: opioid restrictions disproportionately affect older patients with chronic pain; Genentech and OSI Pharmaceuticals settle Tarceva lawsuit; and trouble raising Zika virus funds.

As the name and meaning of specialty medications have grown over time, so too has the importance of these pharmaceuticals, said Steven D. Pearson, MD, MSc, president of the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review.