Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Scientists Find Promising Ways To Potentially Predict, Prevent Lung Cancer
The New York Times: Early Research Suggests A Path To Predict And Prevent Lung Cancer
Scientists have made a discovery that may help prevent some people from developing lung cancer, which kills more people worldwide than any other cancer. A team of more than 80 researchers working across four continents have identified a set of proteins in the blood that accurately predict lung cancers more than five years before diagnosis. The scientists also found early evidence that an existing anti-inflammatory drug could significantly reduce lung cancer risk in people with elevated concentrations of these proteins, which they linked to inflammation. (Agrawal, 6/4)
FiercePharma: Patient Deaths Raise Questions About ADC's Cancer Drug Zynlonta
Three times as many deaths in the study arm versus the control arm in a trial of ADC Therapeutics' Zynlonta have raised questions about the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), which has been on the market since the FDA granted it accelerated approval in 2021. (Dunleavy, 6/4)
Stat: For Pancreatic Cancer Patients, An Exciting Drug Can Feel Out Of Reach
Positive results for daraxonrasib have taken the oncology world by storm. With so much interest and demand, patients are scrambling to get access. (Silverman, 6/4)
Fierce Healthcare: Thyme Care Expands Services For Cancer Survivors
Due to advances in cancer treatment and early detection, the population of cancer survivors continues to grow, reaching more than 18 million individuals in the U.S. By 2035, that number is projected to exceed 22 million. But many cancer survivors have ongoing medical and mental health needs after cancer treatment ends. Value-based cancer care navigation company Thyme Care has expanded its cancer survivorship program, called Next Chapter Care, to provide a personalized, longitudinal approach to survivorship support. (Landi, 6/4)
In other health and wellness news —
MedPage Today: Brain Risks Tied To High Ultraprocessed Food Intake
People who consumed the most ultraprocessed foods -- sugar-sweetened drinks, packaged snacks, or processed meats, for example -- were more likely to develop a composite outcome of dementia or cognitive impairment compared with those who ate the least, a large longitudinal study of older U.S. adults showed. (George, 6/4)
NBC News: Science Reveals People Are Capable Of Multitasking — It Just Requires Practice
Your brain is capable of learning to multitask without your realizing it, according to a new study. It has long been thought that using your brain to work simultaneously on multiple things was impossible. That’s because problem-solving, logical planning and abstract thinking are all carried out by a key region of the brain known as the prefrontal cortex, which is notoriously inflexible. (Cox, 6/4)
Bloomberg: Meta AI Chief Sees Health Features As Key Differentiator For Future Models
Meta Platforms Inc. Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang said the company’s future artificial intelligence models will differentiate themselves from competitors through their consumer health capabilities. “Health is an area that we view as really critical as we scale these models out to billions,” Wang, who has helmed Meta’s artificial-intelligence strategy for the last year, said Thursday at the Bloomberg Tech conference in San Francisco. (Griffin, 6/5)
