Articles related to MEDICAL CONTROVERSY

A response to “practice-changing data” in the first- and second-line setting The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has amended its advice against routinely administering PARP inhibitor monotherapy to patients with recurrent platinum-sensitive epithelial ovarian cancer in the second or later-line situation.

Bowing to criticism from doctors, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has again updated its guidelines for prostate cancer. The previous update, released this past September, had changed the recommendation about active surveillance for low-risk prostate cancer to state that active surveillance was no longer the “preferred” management option for patients with low-risk prostate cancer and a life expectancy of 10 years or more. Many physicians criticized this change, saying it could lead to overtreatment of low-risk patients by implying that active surveillance, surgery, and radiation are equivalent management options. As a result, NCCN has further revised its guidelines to now state that active surveillance is preferred for most patients with low-risk prostate cancer and a life expectancy of 10 years or more.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition recently published a report that suggested reverse causality – disease driving behavior – may account for some of the controversies surrounding studies related to coffee consumption. The results showed those who have higher blood pressure drink less coffee and those with low blood pressure drank more. But what role does genetics play?

In this podcast/article from KevinMD.com, the author questions how FIGS – a design-driven medical apparel company – let a flagrantly offensive advertisement against DOs get published, in addition to other criticism: “We should also ponder how – despite 150 years of DO education within the US – we’ve failed to correct the systemic discrimination against osteopathic students and physicians.”

ASH Clinical News speaks with Maureen Achebe, MD, MPH, Clinical Director of the Non-Malignant Hematology Clinic at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and other experts, about the safety and efficacy of IV iron products, how they are perceived in the community, and barriers to their use in the clinic.