Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Beth Israel Plan New Boston Cancer Center
The Boston Globe: Dana-Farber, In Break With Brigham And Women’s, Will Build New Cancer Center With Beth Israel
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have announced plans to build a new free-standing inpatient hospital for adult cancer care in Boston, breaking the cancer hospital’s almost 30-year relationship with Brigham and Women’s in a move executives said will reshape oncology care in the region. (Bartlett, 9/14)
Bloomberg: NYC’s Mount Sinai Hospital Plans To Close Its Beth Israel Campus
New York City’s Mount Sinai Medical Center plans to gradually close its Beth Israel campus in downtown Manhattan after years of financial losses. Beth Israel lost $1 billion over the past decade “despite massive investments and upgrades,” spokesperson Lucia Lee said in a statement Thursday, adding that it is expected to lose $150 million this year as it operates at only 20% of capacity. She declined to give more detail on the timing of the closing but said the hospital, located on East 16th Street in Manhattan, and its emergency room will remain open as the process proceeds. (Coleman-Lochner, 9/14)
In related news —
CBS News: How Cancer Research Funding Is Helping Save Lives
Some research breakthroughs have led to a 33% reduction in cancer deaths over the past 30 years, according to the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). That translates to 18 million cancer survivors in 2022, compared to three million in 1971. "What's going on now is so incredible. It's such an exciting time," said AACR president, Dr. Philip Greenberg. Dr. Greenberg said advances in treatments, like immunotherapy, have been a game changer. (Stahl, 9/14)
USA Today: Progress Against Cancer Has Been Remarkable, But More Needs To Be Done
More than 70% of children with cancer now survive long term and among adults, death rates have fallen by one-third since 1991, avoiding an estimated 3.8 million deaths, thanks to prevention, early detection and new treatments. ... In the past year alone, 14 new cancer drugs have won federal approval and the uses of an additional 12 have been expanded to new tumor types or cancer stages. One of the biggest advances has been in immunotherapy: turning a person's own immune system against their cancer. (Weintraub, 9/14)
Axios: Big Tech Wields AI Might To Accelerate Cancer Research
Major tech companies are throwing their weight behind artificial intelligence in cancer care, lending their technological prowess to legacy institutions and startups trying to navigate a fast-evolving area of medicine. The explosion in AI has the potential to transform how the medical system researches and treats cancer, but only if the underlying tech is there to support it. (Reed, 9/15)
