Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research Finds Some Cancer Cells Can Siphon Energy From T Cells
Stat: Like A Vampire, Some Cancer Cells Can Suck The Energy Source From Immune Cells
As elite hunters of the immune system, T cells are constantly prowling our bodies for diseased cells to attack. But when they encounter a tumor, something unexpected can happen. New research shows that some cancer cells can fire a long nanotube projection into the T cell that, like a vampire’s fang, sucks energy-creating mitochondria from the immune cell, turning the predator into prey. A study published this week in Cancer Cell investigated how cancer cells can rob mitochondria from T cells, shutting the immune cell down while energizing themselves. It may be yet another way cancer overcomes both the body’s defenses and resists many immunotherapies like CAR-T therapy and immune checkpoint blockade drugs, experts said. (Chen, 10/13)
In other cancer research —
The New York Times: Younger Women Get Lung Cancer At Higher Rates Than Men
Over the last several decades, the rates of new cases of lung cancer have fallen in the United States. There were roughly 65 new cases of lung cancer for every 100,000 people in 1992. By 2019, that number had dropped to about 42. But for all that progress, a disparity is emerging: Women between the ages of 35 and 54 are being diagnosed with lung cancer at higher rates than men in that same age group, according to a report published Thursday by researchers at the American Cancer Society. The disparity is small — one or two more cases among every 100,000 women in that age range than among men — but it is significant enough that researchers want to know more. (Blum, 10/12)
FiercePharma: Pfizer Takes On Novartis With FDA Nod For Lung Cancer Combo
Pfizer is expanding the reach of its BRAF-MEK combo as the pharma giant looks to further build up its oncology presence. The FDA has approved Pfizer’s Braftovi and Mektovi for treating metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with BRAF V600E mutations, the agency said Wednesday. (Liu, 10/12)
Fox News: Ovarian Cancer Could Be Detected Early With A New Blood Test, Study Finds
A new blood test could help diagnose cancer cases earlier. Researchers from the University of Southern California (USC) developed a blood test to detect early onset ovarian cancer. The test, called OvaPrint, is described as a "cell-free DNA methylation liquid biopsy for the risk assessment of high-grade serous ovarian cancer," according to the report published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research. ... The researchers are looking into a follow-up study to validate results, according to Medical Press. This validation could lead to OvaPrint's commercial availability within the next two years. (Stabile, 10/13)
Healio: Affordable Care Act Increased Cancer Trial Participation Among Medicaid-Insured Patients
Expansion of the Affordable Care Act significantly increased cancer clinical trial participation among patients with Medicaid insurance, according to study results published in JAMA Oncology. The greatest increases in clinical trial participation occurred in states that expanded access to Medicaid, researchers noted. (10/13)
Related news from Texas, California, and Colorado —
Inside Climate News: Texas Moves To Formalize Cancer Risk Threshold From Industrial Air Pollution
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has quietly proposed maintaining a target cancer-risk level for air pollution permits that scientists and public health officials consider inadequate to protect public health, especially for communities like those east of Houston that are exposed simultaneously to many sources of industrial emissions. (Baddour, 10/13)
CNN: California Bans 26 Possibly Toxic Cosmetic Chemicals
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has banned 26 chemicals — used in many cosmetics such as hair products, bodywash and nail polish — due to concerns about health harms. The Golden State’s economy is the largest in the United States and the fifth largest in the world, meaning the new law marks another move that could influence the consumer landscape of not only California, but the rest of the nation. (Rogers, 10/11)
The Colorado Sun: Colorado’s Radon Mitigation Assistance Program Has Become More Popular
A Golden family lived in their foothills home for 20 years before they discovered they were inhaling indoor air with twice the federally recommended limit of a cancer-causing odorless, colorless and tasteless gas. That gas, radon, moved from soil through cracks in the basement into the two-story house and was measured at 7.8 picocuries per liter (pCi/L), about two times the 4 pCi/L action level set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Higher levels like this are found in one out of every two homes in Colorado, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE). (Oldham, 10/13)
