Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Although Rare, Appendix Cancer More Prevalent In Under-50s, Study Shows
Although they are very rare, cancers of the appendix are on the rise, a new study finds. An analysis of a National Cancer Institute database found that compared with older generations, rates of appendix cancer have tripled among Gen X and quadrupled among millennials, according to the report, published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine. 鈥淭here is a disproportionate burden of appendix cancer among young individuals,鈥 said the study鈥檚 lead author, Andreana Holowatyj, an assistant professor of hematology and oncology at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center. (Carroll, 6/9)
When Justin Carlyle, 23, began experimenting with drugs a decade ago, he found himself part of a generation of young Americans caught in the devastating wave of harm caused by fentanyl addiction and overdose. "I use fentanyl, cocaine, crack cocaine, yeah, all of it," Carlyle said, speaking to NPR on the streets of Kensington, a working class neighborhood in Philadelphia where dealers sell drugs openly. "I was real young. I was 13 or 14 when I tried cocaine, crack cocaine, for the first time." (Mann, 6/10)
Roughly 163 million people experience obsessive-compulsive disorder and its associated cycles of obsessions and compulsions. They have unwanted intrusive thoughts, images or urges; they also do certain behaviors to decrease the distress caused by these thoughts. In movies and TV shows, characters with OCD are often depicted washing their hands or obsessing about symmetry. (Carlson, Barber and Ramirez, 6/10)
On dementia 鈥
In a major national study led by UCSF researchers, dementia rates among older Americans were found to vary sharply by region, with the Southeast facing the greatest burden and the Bay Area鈥檚 broader region faring somewhat better. Published Monday in JAMA Neurology, the study drew on health records from more than 1.2 million veterans age 65 and older, served by the Veterans Health Administration, the largest integrated health system in the U.S. (Vaziri, 6/9)
Using physically active transportation modes in midlife -- particularly cycling -- was tied to lower dementia risk and greater hippocampal volume, a large U.K. Biobank study suggested. Compared with non-active travel like driving or public transportation, travel that incorporated cycling was associated with a lower adjusted risk of all-cause dementia over 13 years (HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.73-0.91), reported Liangkai Chen, PhD, of Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China, and co-authors. (George, 6/9)