Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Most Aggressive Treatments May Not Be Needed For Some Types Of Cancer
The Wall Street Journal: For Some Cancers, Less Treatment Is A Better Bet
Doctors are coalescing around the ironic idea that for some cancer treatment, less can be better. Some patients with cervical and pancreatic cancer can do as well with less invasive surgery, according to research presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago over the weekend. Other studies at the annual meeting showed some patients with rectal cancer or Hodgkin lymphoma can safely get less radiation. (Abbott, 6/5)
The New York Times: Rectal Cancer Patients May Not Need Radiation, Study Finds
Rectal cancer researchers have pulled off a daunting feat, demonstrating in a large clinical trial that patients do just as well without radiation therapy as with it. The results, revealed Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and in a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine, could give more than 10,000 patients every year in the United States the option to forgo a cancer treatment that can have serious side effects. (Kolata, 6/4)
On cancer testing —
The New York Times: Hundreds Were Mistakenly Told They Might Have Cancer, Test Company Says
A company that developed a blood test that detects dozens of types of cancer has acknowledged that about 400 of its customers were mistakenly told last month that they might have the disease. The company, Grail, said in an emailed statement on Sunday that a vendor it works with had sent hundreds of letters with incorrect test results because of a “software configuration issue” that has since been resolved. (Holpuch, 6/4)
BBC News: Multi-Cancer Blood Test Shows Real Promise In NHS Study
A blood test for more than 50 types of cancer has shown real promise in a major NHS trial, researchers say. The test correctly revealed two out of every three cancers among 5,000 people who had visited their GP with suspected symptoms, in England or Wales. In 85% of those positive cases, it also pinpointed the original site of cancer. ... The test remains very much a "work in progress", the researchers, from Oxford University, say, but could increase the number of cancers identified. (Roberts, 6/2)
Also —
Stat: Cross-Border ‘Twinning’ Improved Childhood Leukemia Survival
A few miles can mean a life or death difference to children with cancer, if those miles cross a national border. “Twinning programs” helped to reduce survival disparities in childhood acute leukemia between high-income and lower-income countries, according to a study presented here at the American Society of Clinical Oncology on Saturday. (Chen, 6/3)
