Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Dana-Farber, Beth Israel Break Ground On $1.68B Hospital Tailored To Cancer Patients In Boston
The Boston Globe: Dana-Farber, Beth Israel To Begin Construction Of New $1.68 Billion Cancer Hospital
Officials at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Beth Israel Lahey Health celebrated on Monday the start of work on their new $1.68 billion Boston hospital to treat cancer patients, the only medical center of its kind in New England. The 300-bed, 450,000-square-foot hospital is set to open in 2031 for patients who need inpatient care during treatment. (Wolf, 10/19)
More news about cancer —
The Guardian: New AI Tool Can Predict Cancer Survival By A Single Patient Selfie, Study Suggests
Doctors have developed an artificial intelligence tool that can predict a cancer patient’s chances of survival from a single photograph of their face. The AI system was custom-built by experts at Mass General Brigham, a nonprofit, integrated academic healthcare system in Massachusetts, to estimate biological age and directly predict survival outcomes in patients diagnosed with cancer. (Gregory, 10/19)
MedPage Today: 'Groundbreaking Option' Approved For Rectal Cancer
The FDA on Monday granted accelerated approval to the PD-1 inhibitor dostarlimab (Jemperli) to help select patients with operable rectal cancer potentially avoid surgery. The approval allows use in stage II/III patients with mismatch repair-deficient/microsatellite instability-high (dMMR/MSI-H) rectal cancer, a subgroup that represents about 3% of all locally advanced rectal cancers. Patients who achieve a complete response may be able to avoid the typical treatment paradigm for operable rectal cancer -- chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. (Bankhead, 10/19)
Fox News: Lung Cancer Screening With CT Scan Can Cut Death Risk By 20%, Doctor Says
Cancer can strike at any age, often without symptoms. For many cancers, routine screening remains the best way to detect the disease early and reduce the risk of death. For lung cancer, screening guidelines can vary, as the disease doesn’t always show obvious signals and can occur in both smokers and never-smokers. (Stabile, 10/19)
Medical Xpress: DNA Once Dismissed As 'Noise' Reveals New Bacterial Species In Prostate Cancer Patients
University of East Anglia researchers have discovered the genetic blueprints of 18 new bacterial species collected from prostate cancer patients. Most came from the mouth, including new types of Porphyromonas, which the team has previously linked to more aggressive prostate cancer, and Treponema. Whether they contribute to prostate cancer is unknown, but this work provides new insights into microbes in cancer patients and could uncover links that improve understanding of how cancer develops. (10/19)
ScienceDaily: Scientists Discover A Surprising Link Between Vitamin C And Cancer Survival
A surprising clinical trial suggests that taking vitamin C daily could improve survival in people with precancerous blood disorders and early-stage blood cancers. Patients receiving the supplement had fewer adverse events and showed a promising survival advantage, raising hopes that a common vitamin could help protect against leukemia-related complications. (10/20)
The Washington Post: How Simply Sitting Less Could Help Reduce Your Breast Cancer Risk
Being more physically active has long been known to both slash the risk of cancer and help improve survival in people who already have it — but research is also zeroing in on a simpler target, with possible anticancer benefits of its own: sitting less. (Sloan, 10/20)
KFF Health News: As Politicians Argue About China, US Patients Find Cutting-Edge Treatment There
Until recently, a Manhattanite might venture no more than a few dozen blocks to find the world’s most sophisticated cancer treatment. Cutting-edge American medicines have helped reduce the U.S. cancer death rate by about a third since 1990, and New York City hospitals deliver some of the best care in the country. But in January 2025, the city’s health systems had no good options for Debbie Doppelt, a 60-year-old jeweler with an unusual form of lung cancer that mostly afflicts nonsmokers like her. (Allen, 10/20)
Also —
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Iowa Governor's Husband, Kevin Reynolds, Diagnosed With Cancer Recurrence
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ husband, Kevin Reynolds, is recovering from a surgery to remove a brain tumor after being diagnosed with a recurrence of cancer, the governor’s office announced Monday. ... The governor’s family struggle with cancer comes as the state of Iowa grapples with high cancer rates. In 2026, the state had the second-highest rate of cancer incidences in the country, and was one of only three states with a rising rate, according to the Iowa Cancer Registry. (Opsahl, 10/19)
