Clinical

If all 12.7 million US youth with obesity become obese adults, the individual cost on average is just over $92,000, and the societal costs over their lifetimes may exceed $1.1 trillion, according to findings from the Brookings Institute.

A study published in the Journal of Surgical Research has found that surgeons are focusing on life-enhancing procedures for late-stage cancer patients. In their follow-up on 22,000 late-stage cancer patients in the United States between 2006 and 2010, while the use of surgeries declined only slightly, doctors became more likely to restrict surgery to healthier patients.

The diagnostic test, developed by Biodesix, Inc, will help guide treatment decisions in patients with advanced lung cancer.

The "digital phenotype," a catch-all term for the trail of relevant health data people leave behind in their interactions with the internet, social media, and technology, has largely untapped potential for the early detection of various conditions.

The database will allow consumers, healthcare providers, and product manufacturers to access information tracked on medical devices, with the end goal of improving patient safety, improving device postmarket surveillance, and facilitating medical device innovation.

While West Africa is on its way to be nearly Ebola-free, Dr Marie-Paule Kieny, assistant director-general for Health Systems and Innovation with the World Health Organization says that 2 experimental Ebola vaccines being tested on volunteers may not yield sufficient data on efficacy.

A very small segment of the Medicaid-only population-those who are not also eligible for Medicare-accounted for almost half of expenditures for all Medicaid-only enrollees from 2009 to 2011, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.

The study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that in addition to protecting against 80% of cervical cancers, the new Gardasil-9 has the potential to protect against nearly 19,000 other cancers diagnosed in the United States.

In his blog, a University of Chicago economist says that while non-adherence is a major source of waste in US healthcare-totaling approximately 2.3% of GDP-achieving the optimal level of adherence to treatments is more nuanced than strictly raising adherence rates.

Based on their analysis of a mail-in questionnaire, researchers in Canada found that parents who had their daughters vaccinated differed from those who did not do so in perceived susceptibility to the disease, benefits and barriers of the vaccine, and cues to action.

In this Health Affairs blog, experts provide examples of payment reform in the emergency department that'd move away from the traditional fee-for-service, while at the same time improving outcomes at a lower cost.

Carolinas HealthCare System monitors ICUs in 10 of its hospitals from a command center near Charlotte. The command center is staffed 24/7 with a rotating crew of 7 to 9 nurses and doctors who specialize in critical care.

In collaborations with 14 cancer centers throughout the country, IBM will apply Watson Genomic Analytics, a cloud-based service, to implement evidence-based treatment decisions in oncology.

Amarin's action has initiated a debate on whether the FDA's authority over ensuring the safety and efficacy is being side-stepped.

The appeals court decision has ensured that Novartis cannot bring its biosimilar Zarxio (filgrastim), which provides immune support to cancer patients, to the market at least till June 3.

Johnson & Johnson will ask an independent panel to recommend who gets a breakthrough drug that's still under development.

Since the introduction of the Oncology Care Model, oncologists have raised numerous questions as they weigh whether to apply for participation.

The study conducted by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and published in JAMA Oncology, found a siginificant increase in progression-free survival in men who initiated statin therapy along with androgen deprivation for their prostate cancer.

Lancet editors criticized the "unacceptably slow" global response to rising rates of childhood obesity.

Among other topics, panelists discussed the connection between mental health and diabetes, and the need to treat these conditions together.

FDA approves a key combination therapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus, a device to help patients battle obesity, and another indication for Lucentis.

The pharmaceutical industry has learnt its lesson from the pushback that Gilead faced over the price of its hepatitis C drug, Sovaldi. The lack of a price discussion prior to the introduction of the regimen washed-out the excitement over a "cure" for the disease.

Earlier diagnosis, longer treatment duration, and increased effectiveness of cancer therapies all contributed to the constantly rising spending levels for these medicines.

Saxenda was approved in December 2014 to treat obesity, giving physicians another option for patients who are overweight and battling diabetes. Experts say payers need to take obesity as seriously as other conditions when making decisions about covering therapies.