Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a particularly aggressive blood cancer that is most successfully treated with intensive chemotherapy. As the average age at diagnosis is 68, patients diagnosed with the disease are often too frail to withstand potentially curative treatment with induction regimens.
New Models Might Better Predict Bleeding Risks in Cancer Patients With AF
Cancer patients have both an increased risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF), and those with the condition have a higher risk of cardiovascular-related death at a year.
Survival Outcomes for High Risk Large B-Cell Lymphoma at the VHA
Even with the availability of monoclonal antibody medications, VA patients with primary refractory or relapsed large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) have poor outcomes.
COVID-19 Minimally Affected Prescriptions, Hospital Admissions for Veterans with MM
As COVID-19 burst upon the world stage, medical care rapidly shifted from in-person visits to telemedicine consultations with varying results among patients with chronic conditions, cancer and other diseases that required regular and ongoing interaction with medical personnel.
Does Metformin Reduce Cancer Risk? The VA Weighs In
Over the last decade, a number of studies have examined a possible association between metformin use and reduction in the risk of cancer, with contradictory results.
VA Research Finds No Link Between First-Line ICIs, Embolism Risk
Retrospective studies suggest that receipt of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) may increase the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) compared to chemotherapy.
Dietician Mary Julius Champions VA’s Virtual Diabetes Education Program
When Mary Julius was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1974, the world was a very different place. There were only approximately 4.5 million Americans who had been diagnosed with diabetes.
VA Ceases All New EHR Activities Until At Least Next Summer
All upcoming deployments of VA’s new electronic healthcare record system will be halted until at least June 2023, the agency announced. This is in response to continuing issues with the system at its pilot site in Spokane, WA, as well as the handful of sites that followed.
Overall Prescriptions Are Low at VHA for CVD, CKD Protective Diabetes Drugs
Even though novel therapies for type 2 diabetes have been proven to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease progression, VHA prescription rates remain low.
Selection of Supply Chain Management Will Be Test of VA’s New Acquisition Framework to Assure Agency Gets Value for Its Money
As VA moves forward with its long-delayed search for a supply chain management system, the department plans to use the process as a de-facto trial of its new acquisitions’ framework–a system designed to ensure the department uses its money effectively when it comes to major projects.
Healthcare Providers Urged to Increase Firearm Safety Counseling With Veterans
Most, 70%, of suicides among U.S. veterans are due to firearm injury. Yet, according to a new study, not enough veterans are taking advantage of the opportunity to discuss firearm safety with their healthcare providers.
GAO: VA Hasn’t Addressed Core Issues in Standardized Purchasing
For the past decade, VA has struggled to implement a standardized framework for how it purchases goods and services.
Republican Legislators Express Strong Opposition to VA Offering Abortion Services
VA officials believe that the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June and the subsequent enforcement of abortion bans in several states creates a clear danger to the health of women veterans.
New Tool Estimates Age-Specific Prostate Cancer Risk
A multi-ancestry polygenic risk score (PRS) that stratifies prostate cancer risk across populations has been developed. In a recent study, the developers validated the performance of the PRS in the multi-ancestry Million Veteran Program and additional independent studies.
Survival Rates Better for Prostate Cancer With Radical Prostatectomy
Clinicians haven’t had information on the optimal upfront treatment modality for patients with nonmetastatic Gleason Score 9 and 10 prostate cancer (GS 9-10 PCa).
Second Cancer More Common With Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer
When men are diagnosed with localized prostate cancer, they are often faced with a difficult decision.
PTSD Appears to Accelerate Multiple Sclerosis Progression for Veterans
An unfortunate confluence of events puts a significant number of veterans at higher risk of both multiple sclerosis and post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTSD). Agent Orange and other exposures make multiple sclerosis (MS) a presumptive condition for those who have served, while combat experience, higher rates of sexual assault and other factors increase the likelihood of PTSD among veterans.
DHA: Chlamydia Is the Most Common Sexually Transmitted Infection Among Active Duty U.S. Military Servicemembers
Chlamydia is the U.S. military’s most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) among active duty servicemembers, according to 2021 and 2022 reports on STIs by the Defense Health Agency’s Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division.
Columbus, OH, VAMC Is Latest Facility to Face Problems With New EHR
Staff at the Columbus, OH, VAMC, the last VA facility where the department’s new electronic health record system was installed, are experiencing many of the same kinds of problems that occurred in Spokane, WA, where the EHR was piloted.
New Center at NYU Will Focus on How Social Factors Might Affect Veterans Using Telehealth for Cancer
As part of a larger initiative, a center will be established at New York University to determine how social factors might affect the delivery of telehealth for cancer care.
VA Adds Abortion Counseling, Limited Abortion Access to Health Services
The VA has expanded its health services to include access to abortion counseling and, in limited cases, abortion to veterans and VA beneficiaries, even when restricted by state laws.
Elnahal Is First Permanent VA Under Secretary for Health Since 2017
The Senate voted to confirm Shereef Elnahal, MD, MBA, as the next VA undersecretary for health, making him the first Senate-confirmed person in that role since 2017.
Sexual Harassment Reporting Structure Might Change at VA
Despite concerns from agency watchdogs that VA’s sexual harassment reporting process has a perceived conflict of interest, if not an actual one, the department has resisted changing it.
VA Partners With American Kidney Fund, Business to Tackle CKD
Several new partnerships are positioning the VA to offer more extensive services, educational material and testing for the one in six veterans estimated to have chronic kidney disease.
Minimally Invasive Surgery Is Safe, Feasible Option for Diverticulitis
Patients with right colon diverticulitis can consider minimally invasive surgery a safe, feasible treatment option, according to a recent study.
VA OIG: Lack of Oversight Found in DO’s Sexual Abuse at Beckley VAMC
This is just the latest finding by the OIG that places blame for a recent criminal case on lack of VA oversight.
Psychologist Colleen Richardson Makes Sure VA Properly Cares for Caregivers
During her four years of active duty with the Navy, Colleen Richardson, PsyD, saw the immediate effects of trauma first-hand. In 2008, as the first woman Operational Stress Control and Readiness Provider embedded with the 1st Marine Division’s Regimental Combat Team, the clinical psychologist provided mental health care to servicemembers on the front lines in Iraq.
COVID-19 Telehealth Changes Improve VA Treatment for Opioid-Use Disorder
Implementing new policies during the COVID-19 pandemic reduced barriers to telehealth delivery of buprenorphine treatment for opioid-use disorder for veterans seeking care, a new study reports.
Marijuana Laws Linked to Increasing Cannabis-Use Disorder in Veterans
As laws and attitudes about marijuana use have been relaxed over the past two decades, the substance has become widely regarded by society as innocuous.
Survey: Post-9/11 Veterans More Likely to Exercise, Eat Right Than Civilians
BOSTON — Recent U.S. veterans reported similar or better outcomes than nonveterans when it comes to their health, vocational, financial and social well-being. That is in contrast to some earlier cohorts who had served in the military and lagged behind civilians in some domains.