Latest KFF Health News Stories
In Battle Against Ovarian Cancer, A New Focus on Fallopian Tubes
Removing them during already-planned hysterectomies poses little risk and can help prevent a deadly cancer, researchers find.
Social Isolation May Worsen Breast Cancer Prospects
A new study shows women fare worse without a support network.
Victims Seek Payments As ‘Dr. Death’ Declares Innocence
While hundreds of his former patients submit claims for restitution, a Detroit cancer doctor convicted of making millions by purposefully poisoning them with drugs they didn’t need vows to prove his innocence.
Se curaron del cáncer cuando niños, pero siguen enfermos
Aunque los avances en la medicina están salvando a más niños diagnosticados con cáncer, una nueva investigación sugiere que problemas de salud persistentes en la edad adulta están aumentando con cada generación de supervivientes.
‘Durable Cure’ Is Goal For Childhood Cancer, But Recent Patients Have Persistent Issues
People treated in the 1990s report worse health problems later in life than those treated in the two previous decades.
Is 20-Something Too Late For A Guy To Get The HPV Vaccine?
A generation of young men missed out on the HPV vaccine. Now, 29-year-old journalist Jake Harper wonders if that’s putting him and other men at risk.
How Tiny Are Benefits From Many Tests And Pills? Researchers Paint A Picture
A Maryland physician teams up with an environmental scientist to help patients better understand the risks and benefits of medical tests and treatments.
Pricey New Treatment Roils Issues Of How To Treat Prostate Cancer
High-intensity focused ultrasound, often not covered by insurance, leads to discussions about which patients benefit in the real world.
Expert Panel Recommends Expansion Of Services With No Cost Sharing For Women
The list of preventive services that insurers must cover without a co-pay could grow to include mammograms for younger women, testing that follows an irregular screening and birth control for men.
Studies Link Cancer Patient’s Survival Time To Insurance Status
Research on patients with testicular cancer and others fighting a brain malignancy finds that people who are privately insured are more likely to be diagnosed earlier and survive longer.
Insurers May Insist On Counseling Before Genetic Tests For Breast Cancer
Doctors are concerned that requiring referrals to genetic counselors can deter women from going forward with testing for genetic mutations that cause breast cancer.
Patients, Fearing Pricey Follow-Ups, May Shy Away From Some Colon Cancer Tests
Most screening tests for colon cancer are covered by insurance but if they come back positive, they may require a diagnostic colonoscopy and that may not be covered completely by insurance.
Another Reason To Diet: Experts Find Additional Evidence Of Obesity-Cancer Link
A review by the International Agency for Research on Cancer reaffirms earlier findings that excess body fat increases the risks for certain cancers.
Gov’t Task Force Finds Evidence Lacking to Support Visual Skin Cancer Screenings
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force concluded that insufficient evidence exists regarding the benefits and harms of visual skin cancer exams.
California is the first state to begin building an up-to-date database to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
Palliative Care Sometimes Adds To Families’ Stress Burden, Study Finds
A study in JAMA finds palliative care counseling for families of chronically ill patients is not routinely needed by all and sometimes increases symptoms of post-traumatic stress.
Study Finds Doctors Quick To Change Practice For Breast Cancer Patients
Despite the usual view that physicians are slow to alter their routines based on new scientific evidence, researchers found that breast cancer surgeons quickly adopted advice to not remove lymph nodes after a landmark clinical trial in 2011.
Report: ‘Convergence Science’ Has Potential To Accelerate The Research-To-Product Pipeline
Some say this trend is the future of biomedical research. But along with its potential, it also faces significant challenges.
End-Of-Life Care Better For Patients With Cancer, Dementia: Study Finds
Researchers concluded that physicians and other health professionals are less likely to know or accommodate the advanced-care preferences of patients with conditions such as renal disease or congestive heart failure, among others.
Colon Cancer Screening: Five Things To Know
The U.S Preventive Services Task Force recently expanded the list of approved colorectal cancer screening tests. Here’s a primer on these various tests and how they might be covered now and in the future by health insurance.
