HHS Expands Access to Methadone, Buprenorphine
As part of a broader overdose prevention strategy, the Biden administration announced changes to decades-old federal rules, which aim to simplify and expand access to addiction treatment in order to save more lives. Specifically, the final rule, issued by HHS, makes permanent pandemic-era flexibilities that allow eligible patients with an opioid use disorder (OUD) to […]
Two-Stage Screening Strategy for Ovarian Cancer Continues to Show Progress
A two-stage ovarian cancer screening strategy substantially improved early-stage detection among average-risk postmenopausal women, according to long-term follow-up from a large prospective study. Combining serial CA125 values and conditional referral for transvaginal sonography (TVS) led to a sensitivity of 74% for detection of ovarian and borderline cancers. Cancers detected by the Risk of Ovarian Cancer […]
Opinion | ‘Like Playing a Game of Whac-A-Mole’: What We Heard This Week
“It’s like playing a game of Whac-A-Mole.” — Bill Reed, the chief event strategy officer for the American Society of Hematology, on taking down scam websites for medical organizations’ annual meetings. “Just one flush can hold a lot of information.” — Kristine Du, BSc, a lab technician at the University of Calgary, on wastewater-based virus […]
SABR Offers New Hope for Older Patients With Inoperable Kidney Cancer
SAN DIEGO — Stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) was an effective, noninvasive strategy for treating primary renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in patients who were not suitable for surgery, according to the FASTRACK II trial. In the prospective, phase II study of 70 patients, none had local progression of kidney cancer during the trial lifetime (median […]
IMRT Dosing Strategy Eases Dysphagia in Head and Neck Cancer
In patients with head and neck cancer, a strategy to reduce the radiation dose to dysphagia-and aspiration-related structures improved swallowing and other functional outcomes compared with standard intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), according to results from the phase III DARS trial. Patients treated with dysphagia-optimized (DO) IMRT had significantly higher patient-reported composite scores on the MD Anderson […]
Chemo-Free Approach Works in Subset of Patients With HER2+ Early Breast Cancer
CHICAGO — An “adaptive response” treatment strategy identified a subset of patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer who benefited from a chemotherapy-free treatment plan, according to the phase II PHERGain trial. The strategy is based on evaluating an early response to a dual HER2 blockade with trastuzumab (Herceptin) and pertuzumab (Perjeta) with 18F-FDG PET imaging […]
Researchers design an innovative strategy to fight obesity through gene therapy
A scientific team from the University of Barcelona and the CIBERobn has designed a strategy to fight obesity and diabetes in mice through ex vivo gene therapy which consists of implanting cells that have been manipulated and transformed in order to treat a disease. This is the first study to apply the ex vivo gene […]
Isotretinoin REMS Still Needed, But Its Burden Could Be Reduced, FDA Staff Says
A risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) for the use of isotretinoin to treat severe acne is still very much needed, but there are ways to lighten its burden on patients and providers, according to FDA staff. For example, because of the drug’s risk of causing birth defects if taken while patients are pregnant, prescribing […]
For Septic Shock, Another Toss-up Between Emphasizing Vasopressors Vs Fluids
SAN FRANCISCO — For sepsis-induced hypotension, a restrictive fluid strategy with earlier vasopressor use didn’t impact mortality compared with liberal fluids, the CLOVERS trial showed. The restrictive strategy had its intended effect, reducing median IV fluids administered over 24 hours by 2,134 mL in favor of more vasopressor use compared with the liberal fluids strategy […]
Screening Colonoscopy with Add-On AI Could Save $290 million a Year
Using artificial intelligence (AI) during screening colonoscopy could be a cost-savings strategy that also could boost the prevention of colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality, a researcher reported. Among a simulated cohort of patients at average risk for CRC, and compared with no screening, the relative reduction of CRC incidence was 44.2% with screening colonoscopy […]