Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden: Cancer 'Moonshot' Work Not Just A Passing Phase
Stat: Joe Biden Outlines A Lifelong Role In Cancer Research After Politics
Biden said he is still exploring ways in which he might help accelerate cancer research once he and President Obama leave office. His commitment is borne out of personal loss: His son Beau died of brain cancer last year. He said he has discussed his next steps with scientists, foundations, and other institutions, and he recalled a recent conversation with “a billionaire philanthropist” — whom his aides declined to identify — about how he might work with “existing philanthropic efforts relating to cancer.” (Scott, 9/19)
In other news —
The Washington Post: Brain Cancer Replaces Leukemia As The Leading Cause Of Cancer Deaths In Kids
It's official: Brain cancer has replaced leukemia as the leading cause of cancer deaths among children and adolescents. In 1999, almost a third of cancer deaths among patients aged 1 to 19 were attributable to leukemia while about a quarter were caused by brain cancer. By 2014, those percentages were reversed, according to a report published Friday by the National Center for Health Statistics, which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (McGinley, 9/16)
NPR: Can Immunotherapy For Cancer Go Mainstream?
It was in 1909 that Nobel Prize-winning German physician Paul Ehrlich proposed the idea that our bodies are fighting constant battles with cancer and that, thankfully, most of the time we win. Ehrlich was a visionary in recognizing the interaction between cancer and the immune system. Specifically, that cancerous cells are continuously arising in the body but that our immune defenses in many if not most cases keep them at bay. Now, after his and related ideas sputtered along for decades, the theory is at the core of one of oncology's hottest areas, immunotherapy, or the mobilization of the human immune system to fight malignancy. (Stetka, 9/17)
NH Times Union: Salem Husband Betting On Controversial Cancer Drug To Cure Wife's Dementia
For seven years, the 84-year-old has been struggling with a disease called Lewy Body Dementia, which, in the simplest terms, is a living hell, according to [Don] Carano. It's like a combination of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, and it's progressive, killing most victims within eight years, according to the Mayo Clinic. It's characterized by severe dementia, aggressive behavior, horrific hallucinations, rigid muscles and tremors - and it only gets worse. But Carano believes there is a cure - a daily dose of the drug nilotinib (marketed as Tasigna) used to help treat chronic myeloid leukemia patients in remission. (Grosky, 9/17)
