Articles related to HEALTH OUTCOMES

According to a study presented at the 2022 ASCO Quality Care Symposium, 27% of 159 patients in the sample who received inpatient immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment passed away while still in the hospital, with the median overall survival for the entire group being 47 days. Thoracic or head and neck cancers (27%) were the most prevalent, with gastrointestinal cancers (20%), hematologic malignancies (18%), genitourinary cancers (17%), and melanoma (11%) rounding out the rest.

This review of three recent publications in Schizophrenia Bulletin, Expert Opinion in Pharmacotherapy, and Frontiers in Psychiatry highlights some potential opportunity to change standard practice and improve patient outcomes. Emerging research indicates that once-daily dosing before bed is likely effective, reduces adverse effects, and boosts adherence. Furthermore, when switching agents, immediate discontinuation may be preferable, with no need to taper.

In this study involving 452 patients with diagnoses of MDD, GAD, and PTSD, IM ketamine reduced depression by 38% and anxiety by 50%, with persistence over 7 months of maintenance therapy.

The study confirmed the high unmet need among older adults with AML, namely that overall survival (OS) without transplant is poor and consistent with other studies. The authors also remark that a “definitive evidence-based recommendation favoring venetoclax and azacitidine (ven/aza) or CPX-351 in older adults will require a randomized trial.”