Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Good News In The Battle Against Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
The Washington Post: New, Targeted Treatments For Lung Cancer Are Reducing Lung Cancer Death Rates, Study Finds
Death rates for the most common type of lung cancer have fallen significantly in the United States in recent years, an improvement resulting in large part from new targeted treatments, according to a study by the National Cancer Institute. The study, published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, said death rates for men with non-small-cell lung cancer declined 6.3 percent per year from 2013 to 2016. The number of cases — the incidence — also decreased but at a much slower rate. That meant, the researchers said, that a reduction in smoking, which reduces the risk of lung cancer, was not the only reason for the decline in death rates. People who developed cancer also were benefiting from better treatments. (McGinley, 8/12)
Stat: Lung Cancer Deaths Are Falling Faster Than New Cases
For the most common type of lung cancer in Americans, deaths are falling faster than new cases, a new study reports, suggesting — but not proving — that new therapies targeting genetic mutations are having an outsize effect on survival. Mortality rates for patients with non-small cell lung cancer, which accounts for three-quarters of cancers originating in the lung, declined for men by 3.2% per year from 2006 to 2013. The drop accelerated to 6.3% per year from 2013 to 2016, when targeted therapies were introduced. (Cooney, 8/12)
In other scientific news —
ABC News: Fatal Surgeries Among Black Youth Force Researchers To Examine Medical Bias
Researchers are pointing to an alarming medical study about fatal surgeries among Black youth, saying the data sheds light on why doctors and hospitals should to do more to confront their own biases. The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found that Black children are 3.4 times more likely to die within a month of surgery and 1.2 times more likely to develop postoperative complications after both elective and emergency surgeries, than white children. (Allen, 8/12)
The New York Times: Whether You Are A Night Owl Or Early Bird May Affect How Much You Move
People who are evening types go to bed later and wake up later than morning types. They also tend to move around far less throughout the day, according to an interesting new study of how our innate body clocks may be linked to our physical activity habits. The study, one of the first to objectively track daily movements of a large sample of early birds and night owls, suggests that knowing our chronotype might be important for our health. (Reynolds, 8/12)
