Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Hematology & Oncology for April 2019. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Targeted Therapy Promising for Rare Hematologic Cancer
TUESDAY, April 30, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Tagraxofusp appears effective for treating the rare aggressive hematologic cancer blastic plasmacytoid dendritic-cell neoplasm (BPDCN), according to a study published in the April 25 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Postchemo Radiation Tx May Benefit Some With Hodgkin Lymphoma
TUESDAY, April 30, 2019 (HealthDay News) — For patients with advanced-stage Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) with large tumors, limited evidence suggests that consolidation radiotherapy (RT) after chemotherapy may prolong progression-free survival, according to a study presented at ESTRO 38, the annual meeting of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology, held from April 26 to 30 in Milan.
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Combo Nicotine Replacement Tx Ups Success in Quitting Smoking
TUESDAY, April 30, 2019 (HealthDay News) — People who use combination nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) are more likely to successfully quit smoking than people who use a single form of NRT, according to a review published online April 18 in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
Improvement Needed in Doctor-Patient Lung Cancer Screening Discussions
FRIDAY, April 26, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Among individuals across the spectrum of lung cancer risk, efforts are needed to improve physician-patient discussion about lung cancer screening, according to a study published online April 25 in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
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Telerehabilitation Aids Function, Pain With Advanced Cancer
FRIDAY, April 26, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Collaborative telerehabilitation modestly improves function and pain while decreasing hospital length of stay and the need for postacute care in advanced cancer patients, according to a study published online April 4 in JAMA Oncology.
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Gender Differences Seen in Adverse Drug Reactions
FRIDAY, April 26, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The risk for adverse drug reactions (ADRs) may be higher for women, even when accounting for gender differences in drug use, according to a study published online April 2 in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.
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Six Prognostic Factors ID’d for Invasive Disease After DCIS
THURSDAY, April 25, 2019 (HealthDay News) — In a review published online April 25 in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, six prognostic factors are identified that may predict invasive disease after a diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).
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CDC Provides Clarification of Opioid Prescribing Guideline
WEDNESDAY, April 24, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Implementation of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention opioid prescribing recommendations should be consistent with the guideline’s intent, according to a perspective piece published online April 24 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Personalizing Breast Cancer Tx Could Cut Initial Costs of Care
WEDNESDAY, April 24, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Personalizing breast cancer treatment based on Oncotype DX recurrence scores could result in small decreases in costs in the initial 12 months of care, according to a study published online April 24 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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Sucking Ice Chips Cuts Oral Side Effects of Oxaliplatin Chemo
WEDNESDAY, April 24, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Chemotherapy patients who suck on ice chips during treatment with oxaliplatin infusion have less trouble with eating and drinking cold things, fewer negative effects on quality of life due to oral symptoms, and a shorter duration of oral symptoms, according to a study published in the April issue of the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
FDA Approves Pembrolizumab Plus Axitinib for Advanced RCC
TUESDAY, April 23, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The combination of pembrolizumab and axitinib has been approved as a first-line treatment in advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Friday.
Outcomes Worse for Cancer Patients Seen at Noncancer EDs
TUESDAY, April 23, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Patients with cancer who are seeking cancer-related emergency medical care have worse outcomes when they are seen at alternative hospitals or those not associated with a cancer center, according to a study published in the April 23 issue of CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.
Rates of Marijuana Use in Cancer Patients on the Rise in U.S.
MONDAY, April 22, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Many people with cancer use marijuana, and the rates of use in the United States have increased over time, according to a study published online April 22 in Cancer.
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J-Shaped Association Seen for BMI, Hodgkin Lymphoma
MONDAY, April 22, 2019 (HealthDay News) — There is a strong positive association between body mass index (BMI) and incident Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), with the positive association seen at BMIs greater than 24.2 kg/m², according to a study recently published in the British Journal of Cancer.
Financial Incentives Do Not Boost Use of At-Home CRC Screening Tests
MONDAY, April 22, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Financial incentives do not increase response rates among patients mailed at-home colorectal cancer screening tests, according to a study published online March 22 in JAMA Network Open.
Informational Film Improves Knowledge on Lung Cancer Screening
FRIDAY, April 19, 2019 (HealthDay News) — An informational film can improve knowledge and reduce decisional conflict for individuals considering participating in lung cancer screening, according to a study published online April 19 in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
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National Hand Hygiene Initiative Successful in Australia
FRIDAY, April 19, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The National Hand Hygiene Initiative (NHHI) has successfully sustained improvement in hand hygiene compliance, according to a study recently published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases and presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, held from April 13 to 16 in Amsterdam.
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Conception by IVF May Increase Risk for Rare Childhood Cancer
FRIDAY, April 19, 2019 (HealthDay News) — There is a small association between conception by in vitro fertilization (IVF) and childhood cancer, particularly hepatic tumors, according to a study published online April 1 in JAMA Pediatrics.
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Loan Forgiveness, Educational Debt May Affect Practice Patterns
FRIDAY, April 19, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Increased educational debt appears to directly influence physician practice choice, according to a study published in the April issue of the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.
CDC: Recent Decline Seen in High-Grade Cervical Lesions
THURSDAY, April 18, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The number of cervical precancers (CIN2+ cases) in the United States declined from 2008 to 2016, likely in part because of prevention with the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, according to research published in the April 19 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Sixty People Charged in Massive Opioid Painkiller Investigation
THURSDAY, April 18, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Fifty-three medical professionals, including 31 doctors, are among the 60 people charged by U.S. authorities for their alleged involvement in the illegal prescribing and distribution of opioid painkillers.
Some Patients With Imminently Fatal Cancer Undergo Treatment
WEDNESDAY, April 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Some patients with imminently fatal de novo metastatic cancer undergo treatment, according to a study published online April 15 in JNCI: Cancer Spectrum.
iADL Dependency May Up Mortality in Hematologic Cancers
WEDNESDAY, April 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) — For older adults with hematologic malignancies, instrumental activities of daily living (iADL) dependency is associated with increased mortality and acute care utilization, according to a study published online April 4 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Reasons for TKI Discontinuation ID’d in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
TUESDAY, April 16, 2019 (HealthDay News) — For patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy can be safely discontinued and yields high rates of treatment-free remission (TFR), according to a study published online March 16 in Hematology.
Standardizing Demographics Ups Accuracy of Patient Matching
MONDAY, April 15, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Standardizing demographic data can improve the accuracy of patient matching, according to a study published in the May issue of the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.
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Terminally Ill People in New Jersey Given Right to End Lives
MONDAY, April 15, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Terminally ill adults in New Jersey will soon be allowed to seek medical help to end their lives.
Female Radiation Oncologists Receive Lower Medicare Reimbursement
MONDAY, April 15, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Female radiation oncologists submit fewer Medicare charges, bill using fewer unique codes, and receive lower Medicare payments than male radiation oncologists, according to a study published online March 22 in JAMA Network Open.
Colorectal Neoplasia Risk Up for Hodgkin Lymphoma Survivors
MONDAY, April 15, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) survivors have an increased risk for advanced colorectal neoplasia, including advanced adenomas, advanced serrated lesions, and serrated polyposis syndrome, according to a study published in the March 15 issue of Cancer.
FDA Approves Personalized Tx for Metastatic Bladder Cancer
FRIDAY, April 12, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The first personalized treatment for patients with metastatic bladder cancer and susceptible fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) genetic alterations was granted accelerated approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the agency announced.
CDC Clarifies Guideline on Opioid Prescribing for Chronic Pain
FRIDAY, April 12, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has clarified that the new guideline on prescribing opioids for chronic pain is not meant to limit access to appropriate pain management, according to a letter issued to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Hematology, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
Complementary, Alternative Medicine Use High in Cancer Patients
FRIDAY, April 12, 2019 (HealthDay News) — One-third of patients with cancer and cancer survivors report using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and many do not disclose use to physicians, according to a research letter published online April 11 in JAMA Oncology.
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Morbidity Low With Focal Laser Ablation of Prostate Cancer
FRIDAY, April 12, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Focal laser ablation (FLA) of low- to intermediate-risk prostate cancer is associated with low morbidity and good oncologic outcomes, according to a study published in the March issue of the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology.
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Presence of Leukemia Cutis Tied to Worse Survival in AML
THURSDAY, April 11, 2019 (HealthDay News) — For patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the presence of leukemia cutis (LC) is associated with decreased overall and leukemia-specific survival, according to a study published online April 10 in JAMA Dermatology.
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Domestic Responsibilities Tied to Physician Mothers’ Satisfaction
THURSDAY, April 11, 2019 (HealthDay News) — For physician mothers in procedural specialties, being responsible for five or more domestic tasks is associated with an increased likelihood of career dissatisfaction, according to a study published online April 10 in JAMA Surgery.
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Caregiving for Older Cancer Patients Takes Emotional Toll
WEDNESDAY, April 10, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Poor emotional health is common among caregivers of older cancer patients, particularly when patients have higher numbers of geriatric assessment (GA) impairments, according to a study published online March 29 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Recurrence Score May Cut Costs for High-Risk Breast Cancer Care
WEDNESDAY, April 10, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Genomic recurrence score (RS) testing using a 21-gene assay is associated with decreased cancer care costs in real-world practice among certain patients with breast cancer who would otherwise receive standard chemotherapy, according to a study published in the March issue of the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
2000 to 2015 Saw Increase in Liver Cancer Mortality
WEDNESDAY, April 10, 2019 (HealthDay News) — From 2000 to 2015, there was an increase in liver cancer mortality, which was mainly seen in less educated individuals, according to a study published online April 8 in Cancer.
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Genetic Testing Underused in Breast, Ovarian Cancer
TUESDAY, April 9, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Only one-quarter of those with breast cancer and one-third with ovarian cancer undergo genetic testing, according to a study published online April 9 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Continued Smoking Among Cancer Patients Ups Costs by $3.4B
TUESDAY, April 9, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Continued smoking among patients with cancer and the associated increase in attributable first-line cancer treatment failure is tied to significant incremental costs for subsequent cancer treatments, according to a study published online April 5 in JAMA Network Open.
New, Revised Topics Released in ACR Appropriateness Criteria
TUESDAY, April 9, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The latest edition of the American College of Radiology (ACR) Appropriateness Criteria has been released and includes 188 diagnostic imaging and interventional radiology topics, with 908 clinical variants covering more than 1,670 clinical scenarios.
Dietary Supplement Use Not Linked to Mortality Benefits
TUESDAY, April 9, 2019 (HealthDay News) — For U.S. adults, dietary supplements are not associated with mortality benefits, according to a study published online April 9 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Guidance Statements Issued for Breast Cancer Screening
MONDAY, April 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Four evidence-based guidance statements on breast cancer screening have been developed by the American College of Physicians and published online April 9 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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FDA Warns Against Use of Preowned or Unauthorized Test Strips
MONDAY, April 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning patients not to use preowned test strips or test strips not authorized for sale in the United States because of possible infection or inaccurate results that could cause serious harm.
Alcohol, Drug Misuse Tied to Long-Term Health Problems
MONDAY, April 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) — More than one-third of U.S. adults in recovery for alcohol and other drug (AOD) use have health problems related to previous substance use, according to a study published online March 16 in the Journal of Addiction Medicine.
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Preventive Drugs Often Used in Last Year of a Cancer Patient’s Life
MONDAY, April 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Preventive drugs are frequently used in the last year of life among older adults with cancer, according to a study published online March 25 in Cancer.
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Digital Breast Tomosynthesis Boosts Metrics in Older Women
FRIDAY, April 5, 2019 (HealthDay News) — In older women, digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) is associated with improved performance metrics versus digital mammography (DM), although the cancer detection rate is similar, according to a study published online April 2 in Radiology.
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Histologic Clearance of CIN2/3 Seen With HPV Therapeutic Vaccine
FRIDAY, April 5, 2019 (HealthDay News) — For women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 2 or 3 associated with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV), an immunotherapeutic tipapkinogen sovacivec (TS) HPV vaccine is effective for achieving histologic resolution, according to a study published online April 4 in Gynecologic Oncology.
Ibrance Approval Expanded to Include Men With Breast Cancer
FRIDAY, April 5, 2019 (HealthDay News) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of Ibrance (palbociclib) capsules has been widened to include men with hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer, the agency said Thursday in a news release.
Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Key to Survival in Pancreatic Cancer
THURSDAY, April 4, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Three factors can predict survival in patients with borderline resectable (BR) or locally advanced (LA) pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), according to a study published online April 2 in the Annals of Surgery.
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Drop Seen in Preinvasive Cervical Disease With HPV Vaccination
THURSDAY, April 4, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Routine vaccination of young girls aged 12 to 13 years with human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine results in a reduction in preinvasive cervical disease, according to a study published online April 3 in The BMJ.
Inferior Facial Coverage Observed With SPF Moisturizer
WEDNESDAY, April 3, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Use of moisturizer with sun protection factors (SPF) is associated with inferior coverage of facial and eyelid regions compared with sunscreen, according to a study published online April 3 in PLOS ONE.
Population Mortality Affects Long-Term Follow-Up of AlloHCT
WEDNESDAY, April 3, 2019 (HealthDay News) — For older patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT), a considerable part of total nonrelapse mortality (NRM) is attributable to population mortality, according to a study recently published in Leukemia.
Americans Borrowed $88 Billion in Past Year to Pay for Health Care
TUESDAY, April 2, 2019 (HealthDay News) — About one in eight Americans borrowed a total of $88 billion in the past year to pay for health care, a new West Health-Gallup survey shows.
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Over-the-Counter Meds Save Health Care System Money
TUESDAY, April 2, 2019 (HealthDay News) — On average, each dollar spent on over-the-counter (OTC) medicines saves the U.S. health care system $7.20, totaling nearly $146 billion in annual savings, according to a report released March 18 by the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA).
Doctors Unclear on Legal Obligations in Caring for Patients With Disability
MONDAY, April 1, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Practicing physicians might not understand their legal responsibilities when caring for people with disability, which may contribute to inequalities in their care, according to a study published online April 1 in Health Affairs.
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Increasing Dose for Total Body Irradiation Cuts Graft Failure
MONDAY, April 1, 2019 (HealthDay News) — For patients with severe hemoglobinopathies undergoing bone marrow transplantation, increasing the dose of total body irradiation is associated with a reduction in graft failure, according to a study published in the April issue of The Lancet Haematology.
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Cannabis Products Used Differ for Cancer, Noncancer Patients
MONDAY, April 1, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The forms of medical cannabis used vary for patients with and without cancer, according to a study published online March 25 in the Journal of Palliative Medicine.
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