Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Ancient Egyptians Pioneered Cancer Treatments, Scrutiny Of Skulls Shows
The Wall Street Journal: Ancient Egyptians Were First to Treat Cancer
Ancient Egyptian doctors were the first to explore and treat cancer, according to scientists who examined two skulls with tumors and found evidence they had been operated on. The older of the two, both discovered in Giza, Egypt, belonged to a man between the ages of 30 and 35 who died more than 4,000 years ago. While the cause of death remains uncertain, the man’s skull and jaw had over 30 cancerous bone lesions. Microscopic analysis of the bone and micro-CT scans revealed cut marks made by a sharp, metal instrument, likely a knife, in the areas around the tumors. (Woodward, 5/29)
More cancer news —
Stat: Merus Drug And Keytruda Shrank Tumors In Patients With Head And Neck Cancer
Merus said Tuesday that the combination of its experimental drug petosemtamab with the checkpoint inhibitor Keytruda shrank tumors in 62% of patients with head and neck cancer, according to an interim analysis of an ongoing mid-stage clinical trial. (Feuerstein, 5/28)
The Baltimore Sun: Double Lung Transplants Weren’t Typically Recommended For Lung Cancer Patients. But A New Technique Has Been Successful
For decades, double lung transplants were not considered a viable option for treating lung cancer. “It had been done, but it had always failed,” said Ankit Bharat, chief of thoracic surgery at Northwestern Medicine. “When you took out the lungs, the cancer cells would spread to the rest of the body, and it would come back a matter of months after the transplant.” (Kalra, 5/28)
Becker's Hospital Review: The Link Between Proximity To Cancer Centers And Stage Of Disease: New Findings
Patients who live farther away from a designated comprehensive cancer center may be more likely to receive a late-stage diagnosis, according to an analysis of medical records from researchers at Baltimore-based John Hopkins Medicine. Researchers analyzed records from more than 94,000 cancer patients to assess how proximity to a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, insurance status and other social determinants of health affect the odds of receiving an early- or late-stage cancer diagnosis. The team evaluated data from patients in the Johns Hopkins Hospital cancer registry who received a diagnosis, cancer treatment or both from 2010 to 2019. (Carbajal, 5/28)
MedicalNewsToday: Low-Fat Diets May Help Lower Lung Cancer Risk, Particularly In Smokers
A low-fat diet has been associated with a lower risk of lung cancer in a cohort of people in the United States. Researchers from China analyzed data from a cohort of over 98,000 people taking part in a U.S.-based cancer study, and found a 24% lower risk of lung cancer in people who had the lowest amount of fat in their diets. This reduction was even more pronounced, standing at a 29% reduced risk in smokers who had the lowest-fat diets. (Flynn, 5/28)
The Wall Street Journal: Cancer Is Capsizing Americans’ Finances. ‘I Was Losing Everything.’
Gwendolyn Jackson was financially sound before her cervical cancer diagnosis—she was gainfully employed, insured and secure in a home of her own. But now, the 53-year-old has tens of thousands of dollars of medical debt. Chemotherapy drained her energy and she suffered other health problems, including a stroke. She lost her housing-coordinator job because of the physical toll. An eviction notice showed up on Jackson’s door, and her truck was repossessed. “One morning, I woke up and I was a top case manager,” said Jackson, who lives in Houston. “Then I was losing everything.” (Abbott and Loftus, 5/28)
