Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New Tool Allows Consumers To Compare Cancer Treatment Costs
As options for cancer patients become increasingly complicated, and expensive, the most influential source for U.S. oncology treatment guidelines will for the first time offer a tool to assess the costs versus benefits of available therapies. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) says its new tool will provide a clearer picture of the relative value of medication options, particularly in cases where a very expensive therapy does little to improve survival. (Beasley, 8/21)
A common heart drug called a beta blocker was associated with a striking increase in survival for women with ovarian cancer in a study that suggests a possible new strategy for treating a variety of tumors. Researchers analyzing a database of 1,425 women with the tough-to-treat cancer found those who had taken a certain type of beta blocker lived more than four years longer on average than those who hadn’t been prescribed the drug. (Winslow, 8/24)
Second cancers are on the rise. Nearly 1 in 5 new cases in the U.S. now involves someone who has had the disease before. When doctors talk about second cancers, they mean a different tissue type or a different site, not a recurrence or spread of the original tumor. (8/24)
More than 30 years after the widespread use of mammograms set off a surge in the detection of tiny lesions in milk ducts, there is still debate about how — or even whether — to treat them. ... The latest round of controversy was set off by a paper published Thursday in JAMA Oncology that analyzed 20 years of data on 100,000 women who had the condition, which is also known as ductal carcinoma in situ, or D.C.I.S. (Kolata, 8/21)
In the meantime, breast cancer survivors mark their survival with tattoos, and masses of supporters of Jimmy Carter, recently diagnosed with brain cancer, show up at a church to see the former president speak --
Cancer not only took Dana Kasse Donofree's breasts, it marred her body with permanent reminders of pain and loss. "I didn't want to look in the mirror every day and see the scars," she says. "I wanted to see something beautiful." So like a growing number of breast cancer survivors and their families, the 33-year-old Philadelphia woman decided to cover her scars — and reclaim power over her body — with tattoos. (Ungar, 8/23)
The crowd consists of the faithful and the curious alike: They've gathered here this Sunday to try to catch the Sunday school teachings of former President Jimmy Carter. ... Then, after briefly describing how his cancer will be treated, Carter gets right to it, teaching straight from the heart of his Christian faith. (Blakenship, 8/24)
