PSA and Biomarker Testing Plus MRI Appears to Improve Prostate Cancer Screening
A single round of prostate cancer screening that included a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, a kallikrein panel, and an MRI detected one additional high-grade cancer per 196 men and one low-grade cancer per 909 men, according to preliminary results from the Finnish ProScreen randomized trial. The risk difference for the group randomized to the screening […]
Genetic Test for Opioid Addiction Risk Should Be Withdrawn, Experts Tell FDA
A group of 31 physicians and researchers called on the FDA to reverse its decision about AvertD, a test that uses DNA to identify whether adults may have an elevated risk of developing opioid use disorder (OUD). In a letter to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, MD, experts in genetics, addiction, psychiatry, public health, and device […]
Liquid Biopsy for CRC Screening May Not Be Ready for Prime Time
While screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) with a blood-based test would result in better outcomes than no screening at all, it would likely result in worse outcomes than currently available tests — while increasing costs — according to two modeling studies published in Gastroenterology. In the first, models suggested that compared with no screening at […]
CDC Officially Drops 5-Day Isolation Time For COVID-19
LOADINGERROR LOADING NEW YORK (AP) — Americans who test positive for COVID-19 no longer need to stay in isolation for five days, U.S. health officials announced Friday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its longstanding guidance, saying that people can return to work or regular activities if their symptoms are mild and improving […]
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Tied to Lower Midlife Cognitive Test Scores
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) was linked with lower cognitive test scores in middle age, a cohort study suggested. After 30 years of follow-up, women who were diagnosed as having PCOS in young adulthood performed lower on a composite of five cognitive function tests (ß coefficient for mean z scores difference -0.190, 95% CI -0.327 to […]
Another Prostate Cancer Screening Candidate Outperforms Standard PSA Testing
SAN FRANCISCO — A multiparametric blood test for prostate cancer showed potential to avoid more than half of unnecessary biopsies without sacrificing accuracy, a large prospective study showed. In a comparison against the current PSA testing standard of ≥4 ng/mL, the Stockholm3 biomarker, which incorporates a PSA cutoff of 15 ng/mL with other proteins and […]
Is Getting Test Results Online Right Away a Good Idea? Yes, Patients Say
Patients who receive test results online before their physician has had a chance to review them should have immediate access to resources to help them adjust to bad news, an expert suggested. “We need to do more to wrap patients in support and information tools and technology when that result is scary, when that result […]
Snipless Vasectomy Shows Early Promise as Long-Term Male Contraceptive
CHICAGO — A no-scalpel vasectomy passed a preliminary clinical test, achieving near-100% azoospermia within 2 weeks and maintaining the status to day 30 in the first men to undergo the procedure. Following injection of an occlusive nonhormonal hydrogel into the vas, sperm concentration decreased by as much as 99.98% by day 14 in the first […]
FDA Authorizes First At-Home Test That Can Detect Flu And COVID-19
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the first over-the-counter at-home test to detect and differentiate influenza (commonly known as the flu) and COVID-19. The test, made by California-based Lucira Health, works similarly to standard at-home COVID tests where users swirl a self-collected nasal swab in a vial and place it in a test unit. […]
FDA Authorizes At-Home Test for Both Flu and COVID
The FDA has authorized the first over-the-counter (OTC) home test to detect both influenza A and B and COVID-19, the agency announced Friday. The Lucira COVID-19 & Flu Test is a single-use at-home test kit that provides results in about 30 minutes. The test is designed for those with symptoms of a respiratory tract infection. […]