AstraZeneca Breast Cancer Drug Shows Success In Trials
Enhertu, which has been undergoing a late-stage clinical trial, helps patients with a particular type of breast cancer live longer — thus expanding other treatment options. It's the first such therapeutic success against metastatic breast cancer in patients with low levels of a protein called HER2.
Bloomberg:
AstraZeneca Reports Positive Data On Breast Cancer Drug Enhertu
AstraZeneca Plc reported data from a late-stage trial showing its drug Enhertu helps patients with a type of breast cancer live longer, potentially expanding treatment options for the disease. Enhertu boosted survival rates in patients with HER2-low unresectable and metastatic breast cancer, the U.K. drugmaker said Monday. It’s the first time such a therapy has shown a benefit in patients with that form of breast cancer, AstraZeneca said. (Mulier and Paton, 2/21)
Reuters:
AstraZeneca Boosts Oncology Credentials With Breast Cancer Trial Success
AstraZeneca (AZN.L) said its Enhertu cancer drug has been shown to significantly help women suffering from a type of breast cancer that leaves them with poor treatment options, opening the door to a much larger potential patient group. AstraZeneca, which is working on the drug with Japan's Daiichi Sankyo (4568.T), said on Monday that Enhertu prolonged survival and slowed the progression of metastatic breast cancer with low levels of a protein known as HER2. The improvement was "clinically meaningful" when compared with standard chemotherapy, it said, adding that detailed results of the late-stage trial would be presented at an as-yet undisclosed medical conference. (Burger, 2/21)
The Washington Post:
AI Outdoes Radiologists When It Comes To Identifying Hip Fractures, Study Shows
When it comes to hip fractures, time is of the essence. Delays in surgery are associated with the risk of death and pressure sores, and patients with broken hips should ideally get surgery within 48 hours. But radiologists are in short supply, and the national shortage is exacerbated by a spiking demand for radiology services. And rushed radiologists and human error can lead to the improper identification and classification of hip fractures.
Artificial Intelligence could help, suggests a recent study. When researchers pitted machine learning against human radiologists, the computer won, classifying hip fractures 19 percent more accurately than human experts. (Blakemore, 2/20)
In news about heart health —
Press Association:
Eating Vegetables May Not Protect Against Heart Disease, Study Suggests
Packing your diet full of vegetables does not protect against heart disease, a new study suggests. The findings challenge previous research that suggests eating more vegetables is linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) – which can lead to stroke, heart attacks, and death. Researchers say past studies may not have taken into account lifestyle factors such as smoking, drinking alcohol, and meat intake – and socioeconomic factors such as a person’s education, income and wealth. They add that evidence from previous studies has been inconsistent. (2/21)
The Washington Post:
Loneliness Can Increase Risk Of Heart Disease By 27 Percent For Older Women
For older women, being lonely and socially isolated can increase the chance of developing heart disease by as much as 27 percent, according to research published in the journal JAMA Network Open. The finding adds heart disease to a list of potential health effects of loneliness and isolation that include dementia and mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. (Searing, 2/20)
CNN:
Sexual Harassment And Assault Linked To High Blood Pressure In Women, Study Says
Women who experience sexual violence, workplace sexual harassment or both have a higher long-term risk of developing high blood pressure than women with no such trauma, according to new research. Hypertension is a key risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is the top killer of women, causing 1 in 3 deaths each year, the American Heart Association reports. (LaMotte, 2/22)
CNN:
Infertility Treatments Raise Risk Of Heart And Pregnancy Complications, Study Says
If you are one of the millions of women who plan to use infertility treatments to have a baby, be aware that new research found women may be at increased risk for vascular and pregnancy-related complications, especially if they are 35 or older. "Advancing maternal age -- specifically being age 35 and older -- increases the risk of having or developing conditions, such as chronic high blood pressure, that increase the risk of pregnancy complications," said study author Dr. Pensée Wu, senior lecturer and honorary consultant obstetrician and subspecialist in maternal fetal medicine at Keele University School of Medicine in Staffordshire, UK, in a statement. (LaMotte, 2/22)
A suggestion for delaying autism diagnoses —
WUFT:
FAU Researchers Suggest Delays In Autism Diagnosis For Black Kids May Reflect Providers’ Racial Biases
Yvonne Westerman’s grandson had been doing well at 15 months. He ate everything. He responded to his name, Chance. He said words. Until the day he didn’t. She took him to the doctor, who she said told her nothing was wrong; Chance was just developmentally delayed. But Westerman thought it was something more. She did her own research. She learned that with the label “developmentally delayed” instead of an autism diagnosis, it would be harder to get services like behavior therapy. No one had told her that, she said. (Hyson, 2/18)
