Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
WHO: Cancer Cases Are Expected To Rise Worldwide
The Washington Post: Why WHO Is Warning About Escalating Cancer Rates By 2050
Annual cancer cases are projected to rise considerably worldwide by 2050, according to a World Health Organization report on cancer published Wednesday. With its assessment, the United Nations body tempered optimism about improvements in cancer surveillance and treatment and warned that global health care inequities are driving further cases and deaths.A round 20.6 million people were diagnosed with cancer in 2024, according to the findings. That number could reach 35 million a year by 2050. (Wu, 7/8)
NPR: Could ‘Death By Organ Donation’ Ease Shortage Of Organs For Transplant?
Should surgeons be allowed to perform euthanasia by removing patients' hearts and other organs while they're still alive? The idea, dubbed "Death by Organ Donation," would enable euthanasia patients to donate organs for transplantation in a way that would make their organs more likely to be usable. It would also kill them. (Stein, 7/8)
The latest studies and discoveries —
Chicago Tribune: Study Shows Transplants Boost Survival For Lung Cancer Patients
Laura Rotunno didn’t think she had much longer to live. “My body has had enough,” Rotunno, of Deerfield, remembered thinking last year, under the weight of Stage 4 lung cancer. The color had drained from her face, she was on oxygen and it was difficult to leave her home. (Schencker, 7/8)
MedPage Today: Chronic Kidney Disease Increasingly Driven By Diabetes
The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the U.S. was generally stable over the past decade, but the underlying diagnoses driving the condition changed over time, according to National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. (Monaco, 7/8)
MedPage Today: A Better Idea Of When Mild HCM Is Likely To Go Downhill Fast
If therapies were to expand to people with mild hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), the first in line should be specific groups more prone to disease worsening, suggested one registry study. (Lou, 7/8)
Newsweek: Lyme Disease Discovery Could Lead To Earlier Diagnosis And Treatment
Scientists have identified a group of immune molecules that could help doctors catch Lyme disease earlier and identify patients whose symptoms linger long after treatment ends. The findings, led by Tufts University School of Medicine, could pave the way for better tests that catch Lyme disease in its earliest stages, when antibiotics work best, and help doctors identify patients still struggling with symptoms after treatment. (Fleur Afshar, 7/9)
In other lifestyle and wellness news —
CIDRAP: Many Women Open To HPV Self-Sampling Kit, Survey Reveals
Many women are open to using a human papillomavirus (HPV) self-collection test if offered the chance, says a paper published yesterday in BMC Public Health. Providing self-testing kits could increase the number of women undergoing cervical cancer screening. (Holohan, 7/8)
The 19th and Truthdig: Pain During IUD Insertions Was Treated As Inevitable For Generations. It Isn't
Taylor Townsell remembers her OBGYN reassuring her that her IUD insertion would feel like “just a pinch.” The pain came a split second later. The 32-year-old described it to Truthdig in still-vivid detail: “Bright, electric, as if my body had become nothing but nerve endings.” She passed out. (de Vignemont, 7/8)
The Wall Street Journal: How GLP-1s Changed One Woman’S Battle With Bulimia
For more than two decades, Paige Gordon chased a feeling of fullness. One night in college, she remembers eating an entire pizza, a bag of cookies, and a gallon of mint-chip ice cream while standing in her kitchen, before even removing her coat. She got so good at making herself throw up, she could do it almost silently. (Janin, 7/8)
Bloomberg: How Inflammation Became The Wellness Industry's Latest Buzzword
The commercialization of anti-inflammation has taken on a life of its own. Private members’ clubs are now hosting $4,000 anti-inflammatory retreats. Hotels have redesigned menus around anti-inflammatory eating. Vibration plates, fitness devices promoted for lymphatic drainage that cause involuntary muscle contractions, are popping up across social media. If you see the phrase “lymphatic drainage” in a spa treatment, the I-word will almost certainly appear soon after.Anti-inflammatory treatments claim to provide immediate rewards such as less puffiness or a more chiseled jawline. (Rappaport, 7/8)
KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
Rachel Spears reads the week’s news: When babies receiving infant formula allegedly get sick or die, what happens next is largely up to the companies that make it. Plus, abortions continue to rise four years after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. (7/9)
