The director of the National Cancer Institute said models predict excess cancer deaths in the thousands due to delayed care and screening; Democratic senators call for an investigation into for-profit institutional review boards; US hospitals begin administering dexamethasone to the sickest patients.
National Cancer Institute (NCI) Director Ned Sharpless, MD, warned that delays in cancer screenings and diagnoses due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic are likely to result in thousands of excess deaths, The Washington Post reports. This is because some cancers will now be found in later stages, making them harder to cure. Specifically, NCI models predict there will be 10,000 more breast and colorectal cancer deaths over the next decade, an increase of roughly 1%, due to these delays in care. The director explained that these estimates were based on a conservative analysis and the true mortality rate may be greater.
In an open letter to the Government Accountability Office, US Senators Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts; Bernie Sanders, D-Vermont; and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, called for an investigation into private, for-profit institutional review boards (IRBs). The senators alleged that a preliminary investigation found the boards’ reviews of studies have significant vulnerabilities that may expose patients to unnecessary risks while participating in clinical trials. The letter prompts investigators to explore the current market structure for IRBs compared with academic or nonprofit IRBs, any inherent conflicts of interest that arise from their profit-seeking mission, and overall quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of the boards.
Hospitals throughout the country that are seeing surges in COVID-19 cases have begun to administer dexamethasone, a common steroid that showed preliminary beneficial results in British patients with the disease, before confirmation of the study results, Reuters reports. This move marks a shift in traditional hospital care, as doctors usually wait for detailed data published in a peer-reviewed journal, or guidelines issued from medical societies, before introducing a new treatment. The inexpensive steroid is the first drug shown to lower mortality risk in severely ill patients with COVID-19. A study conducted by Oxford University researchers found the steroid reduced death rates by around one-third, while Britain’s health ministry already approved its use.
Data Back Neoadjuvant Combo vs Chemo Alone for Early-Stage NSCLC
April 24th 2024For patients with early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), combining neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors and platinum-based chemotherapy improves 2-year outcomes over chemotherapy alone, suggest findings of an extensive literature review and meta-analysis.
Read More
Empowering Community Health Through Wellness and Faith
April 23rd 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. In the third episode, Camille Clarke-Smith, EdD, MS, CHES, CPT, discusses approaching community health holistically through spiritual and community engagement.
Listen
Overcoming Employment Barriers for Lasting Social Impact: Freedom House 2.0 and Pathways to Work
April 16th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our second episode, in which we learn all about Freedom House 2.0 and the Pathways to Work program.
Listen
Downward Morbidity, Mortality Trends Discovered Among Patients With Ovarian Cancer, Liver Metastases
April 24th 2024This study indicates a declining trend in morbidity and mortality rates among patients with ovarian cancer and liver metastases, highlighting the efficacy of surgery and chemotherapy in improving survival outcomes.
Read More