Upbeat Study Into Lung Cancer Found Survival Rates Are Rising
The five-year rate rose 22% between 2015 to 2019. NPR notes the findings are a "bright note" amid deepening racial disparities in many health care areas since rates are rising in communities of color, too. Separately, Midwestern states are found to have a mixed record in fighting lung cancer.
NPR:
Lung Cancer Survival Rates Rise, Including Among People Of Color
Survival rates for lung cancer are improving, especially among historically marginalized communities of color, according to a new survey from the American Lung Association released Tuesday. The findings are a bright note amid deepening racial disparities in many areas in health care. The five-year lung cancer survival rate increased by 22% in the five years between 2015 to 2019. (Noguchi and Wroth, 11/14)
The Midwest Newsroom:
Report: Midwestern States Have A Mixed Record On Fighting Lung Cancer
Sara Geiken, 43, remembers the first time she felt the pain of her lung cancer after a workout class in 2019. “I thought I had pulled a muscle,” she said. Geiken, who had been involved with the American Lung Association in Iowa for nearly ten years as a volunteer, was at low risk for lung cancer. So, when a doctor diagnosed her with adenocarcinoma, which starts in glands that line the insides of the organs, she was caught off-guard. (Mansouri, 11/14)
Military.com:
Veterans, Advocates Want Blood Cancers Added To PACT Act List Of Burn Pit-Related Conditions
Veterans' advocates are pushing to have several blood cancers added to the list of conditions considered to be service-connected under the PACT Act, a move that would make some Gulf War and post-9/11 veterans eligible for expedited health care and benefits. The Department of Veterans Affairs is conducting a scientific review to decide whether acute leukemias, chronic leukemias and multiple myeloma should be covered by the PACT Act, the landmark legislation passed last year that broadened benefit eligibility for veterans who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere and were exposed to burn pits or other battlefield pollutants. (Kime, 11/13)
Reuters:
Hair Relaxer Claims Against L'Oreal, Revlon Can Proceed -U.S. Judge
A federal judge on Monday allowed the majority of claims to move forward in sprawling litigation that claims chemical hair relaxer products made by L'Oreal USA, Revlon and others cause cancer and other injuries. Illinois-based U.S. District Judge Mary Rowland denied most of the companies’ arguments in their motion to dismiss the complaint in the multidistrict litigation over the products. The litigation includes more than 8,000 lawsuits. (Jones, 11/13)
WUFT:
UM, UF Research Team Gets $3.2M Grant To Study Cannabis In Breast Cancer Treatments
Breast cancer patients have become a rapidly growing segment of medical cannabis users in the country. But while cannabis has shown promise in symptom management, it is not considered a cure for cancer for now. The need for comprehensive research to understand the benefits and potential harm of medical cannabis and cannabinoids (MCC) in cancer patients is clear. (Zhou, 11/13)
The cancer drug shortage could be easing —
Reuters:
Accord Healthcare Resumes Production Of Cancer Drug Cisplatin Amid Shortages
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Monday that Accord Healthcare has resumed manufacturing of commonly used cancer drug cisplatin against the backdrop of ongoing drug shortages in the United States. Cisplatin is a type of chemotherapy drug used alone or in combination with other drugs to treat several advanced forms of cancer, including bladder, ovarian and testicular cancer. The FDA last week had reported on its website that Accord resumed production of another cancer drug methotrexate. (11/13)
