Hem/Onc Round-up: Brain Cancer, Healthy Habits, Colonoscopy, and more

Here are the top stories recently covered by DocWire News in the hematology/oncology section. Topics include brain cancer, breast cancer, healthy habits, and more.

Brain Cancer

Tom Parker, a member of the boy band The Wanted, is battling glioblastoma, the singer revealed. He shared the news in an Instagram post as well as in an interview with OK! magazine. According to Parker, 32, he suffered two seizures over the summer, the second of which was more serious and took place during a family trip. He received the diagnosis shortly after the second seizure.

A team of researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have developed an enhanced form of liquid biopsy that that accurately detect and monitor mutations that promote the development of gliomas, the most common type of adult brain tumor.

Financial Outcomes

A study found that while patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) may not be correlated with improved chronic disease medication adherence, low-income cancer patients in PCMHs may experience reduced costs and lower visits to the emergency department.

Women who were diagnosed with cancer as adolescents or young adults are especially vulnerable to the financial impacts of the disease, according to the findings of a new study published early online in the journal Cancer.

A pay-for-performance program for cancer drug reimbursement was found to increase use of evidence-based drugs without significant changes to overall spending, according to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Almost 1 in 8 commercially insured patients in America who underwent an elective colonoscopy over an approximate five-year span by an in-network provider received unexpected bulls for out-of-network expenses, according to a study. Researchers reviewed 1.1 million claims for elective colonoscopies where both the endoscopists and the hospital facilities were in-network. Of those the population studied, 12.1% involved out-of-network claims, with an average surprise bill of $418.

More Top Stories

It is known that regular physical activity reduces the risk of cancer. A new study shows the protective effect may be most beneficial when physical activity is done in the morning.

It’s well known that smoking is a risk factor for several types of cancers. In smokers who do receive a cancer diagnosis, smoking cessation may help improve disease outcomes. One effective intervention to help cancer patients kick the habit may be a combination of sustained cessation telephone counseling plus medication treatment, according to an unblinded, randomized clinical trial.

Oral cancer is more likely to spread in patients who experience high levels of pain, according to a study published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Phase 3 cancer clinical trials largely consist of white patients, making them perhaps not generalizable to the population, according to a study. “Most Phase III clinical trials except for lung cancer, predominantly consisted of Caucasian patients. Applying the results of these trials to patients of other races should be done with caution,” the researchers concluded.

A team from the University of Leeds have made a breakthrough on semi-autonomous colonoscopy with a magnetic endoscope using robotic assistance, enabling non-expert users to perform the procedure in vivo.

Immediate breast reconstruction with nipple-sparing mastectomy or skin-sparing mastectomy had comparable safety outcomes to conventional mastectomy alone in breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy, according to a study.

Findings from a study presented at UEG Week 2020 Virtual suggests that bariatric, or weight loss, surgery is associated with significantly lowered risk of pancreatic cancer development in people with diabetes who are obese.