April 5, 2021
How Socioeconomic Status Affects Wet AMD
The incidence of wet age-related macular generation (AMD) is rising rapidly amidst an aging population. However, despite its name, age is not the only risk factor associated with wet AMD. Environmental factors such as smoking have been known to increase the risk of wet AMD. Given the correlation between smoking and low socioeconomic status, this...
Cost-Effectiveness of Ranibizumab vs. Bevacizumab for AMD
Ranibizumab and bevacizumab are two of the most popular treatments for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD). Both treatments are efficacious, but ranibizumab is much more expensive than bevacizumab. Comparing Medicare reimbursements for the two drugs, ranibizumab is reimbursed at $2,023 per dose, while bevacizumab is reimbursed at $55 per dose. This cost can quickly...
Increased CVD Risk With ß-Blockers for HTN in Veterans With HIV
MONDAY, April 5, 2021 (HealthDay News) — For veterans with HIV and hypertension, the rate of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events is high and is increased in association with ß-blocker use, according to a study published online April 5 in Hypertension. Leah B. Rethy, M.D., from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and colleagues used propensity...
Risk of Quitting Up for Medical Center Employees, Faculty During Pandemic
MONDAY, April 5, 2021 (HealthDay News) — A substantial number of employees and trainees working at medical centers have experienced major stress and work disruptions because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey study published online April 2 in JAMA Network Open. Rebecca K. Delaney, Ph.D., from the University of Utah in Salt Lake...
Tislelizumab Plus Chemo Slows Advanced Squamous NSCLC
MONDAY, April 5, 2021 (HealthDay News) — For patients with advanced squamous non-small cell lung cancer (sq- NSCLC), adding tislelizumab in combination with chemotherapy is associated with improved progression-free survival (PFS), according to a study published online April 1 in JAMA Oncology. Jie Wang, M.D., Ph.D., from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking...
Medicare Spending on Physician Services Down $9.4B During First Half of 2020
MONDAY, April 5, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Medicare spending on physician services declined an estimated $9.4 billion between January and June 2020, according to a report from the American Medical Association (AMA). Kurt Gillis, Ph.D., on behalf of the AMA, used claims data to assess Medicare fee-for-service spending for the first six months of 2020,...
How the Integration of E-path Reporting With Clinical Trial Matching Can Help Improve Recruitment of Racially Diverse Prostate Cancer Patients
It is essential that the lack of racial and ethnic diversity in prostate cancer clinical trials be addressed, in order to improve health disparities seen amongst these racial/ethnic minority patient populations. This study suggests that population-based cancer registries could be used as a source for the recruitment in minority patients in order to overcome problems...
Disparities Among Cancer Survivors in Clinical Trials Participation
In a study published in the Journal of Cancer Education, two researchers provide an analysis of the clinical trial participation rates among cancer survivors in a variety of demographic groups. They initially note that racial disparities in clinical trial participation among cancer patients have been described, but that an overall age-adjusted demographic analysis is lacking....