Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study: More With Breast Cancer Can Skip Post-Surgery Radiation Therapy
The Wall Street Journal: More Women With Breast Cancer Could Skip Harsh Radiation, Study Says
More older women with low-risk breast cancer could forgo radiation after surgery to avoid further side effects and costs, research showed, as some doctors work to limit tough treatments without hurting survival. Women in the study published Wednesday by the New England Journal of Medicine were 65 and older with early stage breast cancers that could respond to hormone therapy. The women all had surgery and hormone therapy and were divided into a group that underwent radiation and a group that went without it. Ten years after surgery, survival rates in the two groups were almost equal, suggesting more women could skip radiation without affecting their survival. (Abbott, 2/15)
Stat: Radiation Didn't Affect Older Breast Cancer Patients' Survival In Study
Radiation has long been a mainstay of breast cancer treatment, and following surgery up with the therapy can reduce the risk of recurrence. The drawback of radiation, though, is a fistful of unpleasant potential side effects including pain, a slight risk of organ damage, a very small risk of secondary cancer, and the time and money needed for the procedures. Now the results of a Phase 3 trial suggests that many older patients may not need radiation and can go without it after surgery without harming their overall survival. (Chen, 2/15)
In other health and wellness news —
CIDRAP: WHO Says It Will Maintain Global Health Emergency For Mpox
The World Health Organization (WHO) said today that the mpox outbreak will remain a global health emergency. ... As of Feb 14, there have been 85,860 confirmed mpox cases globally, with 93 deaths. Outside of countries in West and Central Africa, the outbreak has primarily affected men who have sex with men. (Dall, 2/15)
Stat: Can Food Be Medicine? And Other Questions About A New Push
After nearly forty years of obscurity, the “food is medicine” movement is having a moment. Multiple federal agencies are working on food is medicine projects, major organizations have pledged hundreds of millions in research funding, and billions more are being invested in food-focused startups. Even the White House has publicly announced its support for the movement, which focuses on the use of healthy food as a medical intervention for certain chronic and diet-related diseases. (Florko, 2/16)
Politico: Twitter Becomes First Major Social Platform To Allow Weed Ads
Elon Musk is backing up all his 420 tweets. The owner of Twitter, who sparked a media firestorm after he puffed on a spliff during an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, is making good on speculation that his acquisition of the platform might make it more cannabis-friendly. The company changed its policy to allow U.S. cannabis companies to advertise on its platform Tuesday — although with numerous restrictions. (Zhang, 2/15)
