As the COVID-19 pandemic uses up health resources, there are a few older diseases that are re-emerging, most notably tuberculosis, HIV, and malaria. Although the cases of these diseases were at their lowest point in 2018, some physicians are fearing that the COVID-19 risks are taking these diseases back to where we were 20 years ago.

No effective oral therapy exists for the outpatient treatment of COVID-19. Hydroxychloroquine has in vitro activity against SARS-CoV-2 and has been proposed as a potentially effective treatment. This randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigated whether hydroxychloroquine could reduce COVID-19 severity in adult outpatients.

Presented at the ASCO20 Virtual Scientific Program, data from the 1,459 patients who were African American, Hispanic, Native American, Pacific Islander, or Asian highlighted the need for increased surveillance for cutaneous toxicity in patients with darker pigmented skin. Immune-related cutaneous adverse events (irCAEs) were assessed by the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v5.0.

The study looked at cancer survivors aged 65 or older from the SEER-Medicare database; survivors were diagnosed with cancer between 2000 and 2012. Claims from 2007 to 2013 were used to estimate costs by cancer site, phases of care, and stage at diagnosis.

Published in JCO Clinical Practice and developed by a working group of seven experts in oncology pharmacy practice, the guidelines outline 26 recommendations covering the use of anticancer medications, from proper staff hygiene and safety to how to conduct clinical trials.

In this editorial from The Lancet, the authors dissect the 160,000 new cases reported each day worldwide since June 25 and how these numbers illustrate a worrying pattern of the world facing a worsening multipolar pandemic despite the nuanced subnational picture level.