Articles related to Oncology, Medical

This “Clinical Trials & Observations” report from Blood Advances (ASH)  explores the implications of the recently approved anemia treatment luspatercept, which can now be prescribed in the second-line setting after erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) have failed or for patients who are not eligible because of high serum erythropoietin (sEPO) levels. A downloadable visual abstract helps paint the picture as well.

In this “Clinical Trials & Observations” report/visual abstract from the pages of Blood Advances (ASH), the authors focus on two key points: 1) In patients with R/R AML, venetoclax combination therapy resulted in responses in 31% of patients and a median OS of 6.1 months, and 2) NPM1 mutations predicted higher response rates; adverse cytogenetics and mutations in TP53, KRAS/NRAS, and SF3B1 predicted worse OS.

Anaphylaxis to the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines is currently estimated to occur in 2.5 to 11.1 cases per million doses, largely in individuals with a history of allergy. In this JAMA “Research Letter”, the authors investigated acute allergic reaction incidence with more than 60,000 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine administrations at Mass General Brigham (MGB).

From MedPage Today comes this inspirational story about Christopher Veal, a medical student at UVM’s Larner College of Medicine who is calling on medical school leaders to change their culture and adjust their programs to screen for suicidal ideation and mental health early on in student life. Veal decided to speak up after a friend and fellow med student took his own life, as Veal once attempted.

There are more than 20,000 drugs approved for sale in the United States, and over the course of time, the sales of these drugs ebb and flow based on many factors. But some stay the course of time and reveal new indications or uses based on renewed clinical research. Here are five “old” drugs that are enjoying a renaissance right now, including thalidomide and its long, dark history.

Doctors, along with the rest of the nation, are drinking more during the pandemic. Five or more drinks a week is now standard fare for about 30% of Baby Boomer physicians, 26% of Generation X physicians, and 22% of Millennial doctors, up from the previous year by about 7%. But which specialties are drinking the most? Find out in this revealing report.