Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Researchers: Origin Point Of Colon Tumor More Important Than Anyone Expected
You don't want to get colon cancer, of course, but it turns out you really don't want to get cancer on the right side of your colon. New research suggests that where a tumor blooms on the colon matters quite a bit — and that patients might benefit from different treatment depending on which side is afflicted. (Kurtzman, 5/19)
A decadelong study of patients diagnosed with terminal colon cancer has yielded a remarkable conclusion: Patients can expect to live more than a year longer if their tumor started on the left side of their colon rather than the right side. (Seipel, 5/18)
In other news, two more researchers join the cancer "moonshot" efforts —
Robert Schreiber and Dr. Graham Colditz of Washington University were named to advisory committees for the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative. The initiative is led by Vice President Joe Biden to streamline government, academic and business efforts toward cancer research and treatments. (Bernhard, 5/18)