Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Although Rare, Appendix Cancer More Prevalent In Under-50s, Study Shows
NBC News: Appendix Cancers On The Rise In Younger Generations, Study Finds
Although they are very rare, cancers of the appendix are on the rise, a new study finds. An analysis of a National Cancer Institute database found that compared with older generations, rates of appendix cancer have tripled among Gen X and quadrupled among millennials, according to the report, published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine. “There is a disproportionate burden of appendix cancer among young individuals,” said the study’s lead author, Andreana Holowatyj, an assistant professor of hematology and oncology at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center. (Carroll, 6/9)
NPR: Drug Deaths Among People In The U.S. Under 35 Are Plummeting
When Justin Carlyle, 23, began experimenting with drugs a decade ago, he found himself part of a generation of young Americans caught in the devastating wave of harm caused by fentanyl addiction and overdose. "I use fentanyl, cocaine, crack cocaine, yeah, all of it," Carlyle said, speaking to NPR on the streets of Kensington, a working class neighborhood in Philadelphia where dealers sell drugs openly. "I was real young. I was 13 or 14 when I tried cocaine, crack cocaine, for the first time." (Mann, 6/10)
NPR: Expanding Research And Treatment For OCD
Roughly 163 million people experience obsessive-compulsive disorder and its associated cycles of obsessions and compulsions. They have unwanted intrusive thoughts, images or urges; they also do certain behaviors to decrease the distress caused by these thoughts. In movies and TV shows, characters with OCD are often depicted washing their hands or obsessing about symmetry. (Carlson, Barber and Ramirez, 6/10)
On dementia —
San Francisco Chronicle: UCSF Study Finds Dementia Risk Varies By Region
In a major national study led by UCSF researchers, dementia rates among older Americans were found to vary sharply by region, with the Southeast facing the greatest burden and the Bay Area’s broader region faring somewhat better. Published Monday in JAMA Neurology, the study drew on health records from more than 1.2 million veterans age 65 and older, served by the Veterans Health Administration, the largest integrated health system in the U.S. (Vaziri, 6/9)
MedPage Today: Cycling In Midlife Tied To Lower Risk Of Dementia
Using physically active transportation modes in midlife -- particularly cycling -- was tied to lower dementia risk and greater hippocampal volume, a large U.K. Biobank study suggested. Compared with non-active travel like driving or public transportation, travel that incorporated cycling was associated with a lower adjusted risk of all-cause dementia over 13 years (HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.73-0.91), reported Liangkai Chen, PhD, of Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China, and co-authors. (George, 6/9)
