Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research Roundup: The Latest Science, Discoveries, And Breakthroughs
Cardinal News: The Pulse: UVa Researchers Make New Discoveries Into Why Cancer Relapses
Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have identified a previously unknown trigger that helps these dormant cells “wake up” after periods of nutrient deprivation. (Schabacker, 5/21)
Fox News: New Endometrial Cancer Drug Boosts Survival In Phase 3 Trial
A new treatment for endometrial cancer demonstrated strong potential in a Phase 3 clinical trial. Drugmaker Merck announced Monday that the investigational drug sacituzumab tirumotecan (sac-TMT) met its "primary endpoints" of overall survival and progression-free survival in patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. (Stabile, 5/20)
HealthDay: Short, Intense Radiation Therapy Safe For Prostate Cancer
A shorter, more intense course of radiation therapy can safely treat prostate cancer, a new study says. Men given two larger doses of radiation had about the same side effects as others treated with the standard five-dose course, researchers reported Sunday at a meeting of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) in Stockholm. (Thompson, 5/19)
Stat: After Decades Of Research, In Utero Gene Therapy Nears First Trial
In utero gene therapy is nearing a first FDA-backed trial for GM1, a fatal neurodegenerative disease, says UCSF researcher Tippi MacKenzie. (Molteni, 5/20)
MedPage Today: Study Questions Methods Used In Alzheimer's Drug Analysis
A statistical approach used to support amyloid-targeting treatment for Alzheimer's disease may lead to overstated claims about amyloid-cognition relationships, an analysis suggested. The study focused on quantile aggregation, a statistical technique that divides trial data into quantiles, averages the results of each quantile, and looks for patterns across groupings. (George, 5/20)
HealthDay: Your Handwriting Could Be A Window Into Your Aging Brain
Researchers in Portugal studied 58 adults, ages 62 to 92, living in care homes. Thirty-eight had previously been diagnosed with a cognitive impairment. All were asked to use a digital pen and tablet to draw lines, copy sentences and write dictated phrases —under strict time limits. Seniors with cognitive impairment often took longer to begin writing, wrote more slowly and had more fragmented stroke patterns — especially during longer, more demanding sentences. (5/20)
