EGFR Inhibitors for Lung Cancer Tied to Increased Keratitis Risk
Patients with lung cancer treated with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors may have an increased risk of new-onset keratitis, a U.S. population-based cohort study showed. Over a 20-year period, 1.12% of patients who were treated with EGFR inhibitors developed new-onset keratitis compared with 0.74% of those who did not take these drugs (HR 1.520, […]
Manipulation of gut microbiota with flaxseed could reduce breast cancer risk
A new study demonstrates that the human gut microbiome may be a factor in breast health. Lifestyle and diet have long been known to affect human health. In the study, flaxseed components called lignans were shown to influence the relationship between gut microorganisms and the expression of mammary gland microRNAs (miRNAs). A subset of these […]
Reduced-Dose Schedule of Cabazitaxel Viable for Seniors With mCRPC
A reduced-dose schedule of cabazitaxel (Jevtana) plus prophylactic granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) should be offered to older men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), according to results from the phase III randomized CABASTY trial. Rates of grade 3 or higher neutropenia or neutropenic complications were about 12 times lower with biweekly cabazitaxel 16 mg/m2 plus […]
Is red meat intake linked to inflammation?
Inflammation is a risk factor for many chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), and the impact of diet on inflammation is an area of growing scientific interest. In particular, recommendations to limit red meat consumption are often based, in part, on old studies suggesting that red meat negatively affects inflammation — yet more recent studies […]
Randomized Trial Backs HIF-2a Inhibition in Advanced RCC
MADRID — Treatment with the hypoxia-inducible factor 2α (HIF-2α) inhibitor belzutifan (Welireg) in advanced, heavily pretreated kidney cancer led to superior outcomes when compared with an older kinase inhibitor, a phase III trial demonstrated. Final progression-free survival (PFS) analysis showed a 26% reduction in disease progression or death with belzutifan versus everolimus (Afinitor), despite an […]
CMS Proposes 3.4% Cut in Medicare Physician Fees for 2024
WASHINGTON — The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing a 3.4% cut to the “conversion factor” used to set the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for 2024, and physician groups are none too happy about it. “The proposed 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) raises significant concerns for medical groups related to its […]
Arterial stiffness may cause metabolic syndrome in adolescents via an increase in fasting insulin and LDL cholesterol
Arterial stiffness may be a novel risk factor for metabolic syndrome in teens, a paper published in the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology concludes. The study was conducted in collaboration between the University of Bristol in the UK, the University of Exeter in the UK, and the University of Eastern Finland. The World […]
Post-Immunotherapy Combo Promising in Advanced RCC
Combination treatment with a hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) 2α inhibitor and tyrosine kinase inhibitor induced responses in nearly a third of advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients previously treated with immunotherapy, a single-arm phase II study found. In the study of 52 patients, 30.8% (95% CI 18.7-45.1) had a confirmed objective response following treatment with belzutifan […]
Newly identified neuromarker reveals clues about drug and food craving
Craving is known to be a key factor in substance use disorders and can increase the likelihood of future drug use or relapse. Yet its neural basis — or, how the brain gives rise to craving — is not well understood. In a new study, researchers from Yale, Dartmouth, and the French National Centre for […]
Not Just a Miner’s Problem: Workplace Fumes, Dust Tied to RA
Adding to previous studies implicating on-the-job exposure to silica dust as a risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), new research now finds dozens of other occupational inhalants that also appear to contribute to RA development. Comparison of 4,033 cases of new-onset RA with 6,485 matched controls in Swedish registries indicated that exposure to any of […]