Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research Roundup: The Latest Science, Discoveries, And Breakthroughs
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University say they have uncovered an advanced method for detecting cancer. A new study, published in the journal Cancer Discovery and partly funded by the National Institutes of Health, found that genetic material shed by tumors can be detected in the bloodstream three years prior to a cancer diagnosis. (Stabile, 6/17)
Patients with BRCA-mutant breast cancer had a significantly higher risk of breast implant-associated anaplastic large-cell lymphoma, a large cohort study showed. (Bankhead, 6/17)
In the first randomized trial of its kind, patients with advanced cancer and living in a low-resource setting had significantly better short-term outcomes with a telehealth comprehensive geriatric assessment. After 3 months of follow-up, patients randomized to geriatric assessment-guided intervention had significantly better physical function, psychological status, and quality of life and a lower symptom burden. (Bankhead, 6/16)
A study of more than 20,000 children in Iceland found those who had early exposure to antibiotics had higher risk of infections and antibiotic use later in childhood. The study, published recently in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, found that children with early antibiotic exposure had a significantly higher risk of several types of infections and antibiotic use compared with those who had no early exposure, with the highest risk observed in children who received antibiotics during the first week of life. Children with early antibiotic exposure also had a significantly higher risk of being diagnosed with asthma. (Dall, 6/16)
Around 1 in 7 U.S. adults who smoke might have some degree of disability, according to a study published in the journal Tobacco Control. The researchers used data from the 2019-2023 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) for about 150,000 people. During that period, 14.1 percent of adults who currently smoked had a disability, and estimates for any kind of disability were significantly higher for current or former adult smokers. (Docter-Loeb, 6/16)
