Tattoo-Lymphoma Link Discovered, But Cancer Experts Cast Doubt On Findings
Researchers "found no evidence to suggest that the risk increased" because of tattoos. Elsewhere, patients in England will be participating in a study to determine whether a cancer vaccine is as promising as they hope at killing cancer cells and preventing a resurgence of the disease.
CNN:
New Study Points To Possible Link Between Tattoos And Lymphoma, But Experts Say Much More Research Is Needed
A Swedish study has found a potential link between tattoos and a type of cancer called malignant lymphoma, but it ultimately calls for more research on the topic, and cancer experts say the possible link is overblown. (Christensen, 5/30)
The Guardian:
Patients In England To Be Offered Trials For World-First Cancer Vaccine
Thousands of patients in England are to be fast-tracked into groundbreaking trials of personalized cancer vaccines in a revolutionary world-first NHS “matchmaking” scheme to save lives. The gamechanging jabs, which aim to provide a permanent cure, are custom-built for each patient in just a few weeks. They are tailored to the individual’s tumors and work by telling their body to hunt and kill any cancer cells and prevent the disease from coming back. (Gregory, 5/30)
FiercePharma:
Gilead's Trodelvy Suffers Double Whammy As Failed Bladder Cancer Trial Raises Flag Over Early Deaths
In the span of half a year, Gilead Sciences' Trodelvy has flopped a second phase 3 trial. Following a high-profile setback in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in January, Gilead said Thursday that Trodelvy also failed to move the needle in a bladder cancer study. The TROP2-directed antibody-drug conjugate couldn’t outperform single-agent chemotherapy at extending the lives of urothelial cancer patients who had tried prior treatment with a chemotherapy and a PD-1/L1 therapy. (Liu, 5/30)
In mental health news —
The New York Times:
PTSD Has Surged Among College Students
Post-traumatic stress disorder diagnoses among college students more than doubled between 2017 and 2022, climbing most sharply as the coronavirus pandemic shut down campuses and upended young adults’ lives, according to new research published on Thursday. The prevalence of PTSD rose to 7.5 percent from 3.4 percent during that period, according to the findings. Researchers analyzed responses from more than 390,000 participants in the Healthy Minds Study, an annual web-based survey. (Barry, 5/30)
Military.com:
Watchdog Investigation Of Pentagon Traumatic Brain Injury Efforts Requested By 22 Lawmakers
A large, bipartisan group of lawmakers say they have concerns over how the Pentagon is tracking traumatic brain injuries among troops and whether it's taking the issue seriously -- and they want a government watchdog to look into it. In a letter shared exclusively with Military.com, 22 members of Congress, led by Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, are asking the Government Accountability Office to review the Pentagon's efforts to identify, prevent and treat traumatic brain injuries related to service members' exposure to blast overpressure, the term used to describe the concussive effect of munitions. (Toropin, 5/30)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Atlanta Club Wants Black Men To ‘Kill Their Pride’ To Save Their Mental Health
Terrence Smith was angry during happy occasions – birthdays, Christmastime, parties. “Typically, I’m a very even-keeled person. I don’t really get too high or low,” says Smith, 40. “But I started getting mad. It felt very random, and I couldn’t understand it.” (Parker, 5/29)
On the opioid crisis —
Stat:
Opioid Addiction Treatment Policy Shifts Away From Drug Abstinence
For as long as the federal government has worked to support substance use treatment, it has operated on a simple premise: Addiction medicine’s objective is to help people using drugs stop — completely and forever. But with over 100,000 Americans dying of drug overdose each year, the Biden administration appears to be changing its tack. (Facher, 5/31)
Axios:
U.S. Drug Addiction Crisis Affects Tens Of Millions Of Lives
Everyone knows the country's addiction crisis is bad, but even the direst headlines just barely scratch the surface. We spend a lot of time talking about drug overdose deaths, which each year are nearly double the number of Americans killed in the Vietnam War. But overdose deaths are only one measure of the drug epidemic's severity — and even the formal toll doesn't capture the true extent of drugs' lethal power, experts say. (Owens, 5/31)
