Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study Shows Overdiagnosis Of 1 In 7 Breast Cancer Cases
Modern Healthcare: Duke Estimates 15% Of Breast Cancer Cases Are Overdiagnosed
One in seven women who are diagnosed with breast cancer after a mammogram with no previous symptoms are overdiagnosed and likely overtreated, according to a new estimate from researchers at Duke University. The new estimate published in the Annals of Internal Medicine on Monday provides doctors and their patients a closer estimate of how likely women will end up dying of other causes than their diagnosed breast tumors. (Gillespie, 2/28)
Stat: New Research Sheds Light On How Often Breast Cancer Is Overdiagnosed
Catching cancer early in a mammogram can be life-saving — smaller tumors are easier to remove surgically, and therapy often has a much greater effect. But paradoxically, breast cancer screening also sometimes picks up tumors that would have caused less harm if they’d remained hidden. These cases, known as “overdiagnoses,” may never go on to pose a threat to a patient’s health for a number of different reasons. A new study, published Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine, suggests they occur in 1 of 7 breast cancer cases detected during screening. That new estimate comes as a relief to breast cancer clinicians, who say that the study should reinforce the idea that the benefits of mammography generally outweigh its risks. Still, experts said, it doesn’t minimize the real danger of overdiagnosis or the need to effectively communicate the risks and benefits of screening to patients. (Chen, 2/28)
In cancer treatment news —
The Wall Street Journal: FDA Approves Cell-Based Multiple Myeloma Therapy Discovered In China
U.S. drug regulators approved a new customized, cell-based treatment for blood cancer from Johnson & Johnson that is the first such therapy in the U.S. to be developed initially in China. The Food and Drug Administration on Monday cleared the therapy, named Carvykti, for the treatment of multiple myeloma in adult patients whose disease has worsened despite prior treatments with other drugs. (Loftus, 2/28)
Stat: FDA Approves Second CAR-T Cancer Therapy To Treat Multiple Myeloma
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved a new CAR-T therapy for multiple myeloma, a move that could ease strain on limited supplies of potentially lifesaving cancer therapies. The treatment, called cilta-cel and developed by Janssen and Legend Biotech, involves taking immune cells from a patient’s own body and engineering them in a lab to fight a patient’s cancer. Since the first such treatment for multiple myeloma was approved last year, manufacturing challenges have severely hamstrung supply — leaving eligible patients waiting for weeks or months to receive the engineered cells. (Chen, 2/28)
