Small-cell lung cancer patients receiving universal healthcare access, as in the U.S. military, had longer survival rates than similar patients in the U.S. general population, according to a new study.
Total Margin-Controlled Excision Best for Keratinocyte Carcinoma
The most common human malignancy is keratinocyte carcinoma (KC), which includes basal and squamous cell cancers.
Flush Out the Foe: Veterans Beat Cancer With Help From Their (Screening) PALS
Recognizing the substantially greater risk for lung cancer faced by veterans, the VA has aggressively ramped up its screening program to reach those at-risk wherever they are.
Identifying Vulnerabilities: Choosing the Best Treatments for Real Patients
The open secret about most clinical trials is that they are not particularly useful, at least not for patients and practicing physicians. Trials typically establish criteria that restrict participation to unusually healthy patients.
Know Your Enemy: Genomics Enables Targeted Strikes on Cancer
As every military strategist knows, winning a battle depends on knowing your adversary’s vulnerabilities. In the last decade, that same approach has transformed cancer therapy.
Understanding the Breath-Taking Lung Cancer Risks in Servicemembers, Veterans
OMAHA, NE—Lung cancer kills as many people in the United States as the next three most deadly cancers combined. This year, about 236,000 people will be diagnosed with the disease, and nearly 132,000 will die from it. As common as it is in the general population, lung...
For Veterans With Cancer, Teleoncology Offers High Patient Satisfaction
Approximately 50,000 U.S. military veterans are diagnosed with cancer annually, representing 3% of all cancers across the nation.
Too Few Veterans Get Concurrent Chemoradiation Therapy for Stage III NSCLC
Compared to the general U.S. population, VHA patients tend to be older, have lower levels of income and education and have a higher comorbidity burden.
Challenges in Optimizing Therapy for Older Veterans With Stage 1 NSCLC
According to a recent report, 30% of VHA patients qualified for lung cancer screening and reported at least two significant comorbidities.
Waiting More Than 12 Weeks for Surgery Can Be Risky for NSCLC Patients
A retrospective cohort study of 9,904 VHA patients with clinical Stage I NSCLC determined that surgical procedures delayed more than 12 weeks from the date of radiographic diagnosis were associated with increased risk of recurrence and worse overall survival.
NAFLD Is Dramatically Growing Cause of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
SINGAPORE – The worldwide prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease-related hepatocellular carcinoma is expected to increase in line with the growing obesity epidemic. NAFLD already is the fastest-growing cause of the liver cancer in the United States, France and...
Benefit Found for Testing Veterans With Hepatitis B for Liver Cancer
SEATTLE, WA – The most common risk factors worldwide for liver cancer are chronic infection with hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus, according to the American Cancer Society. Both of those infections lead to cirrhosis of the liver, but, in the United States, ...
Hepatocellular Carcinoma Diagnosis Delays Common for Veterans with Cirrhosis
HOUSTON – What factors are behind delays in diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in veterans who have cirrhosis of the liver? A recent study examined the frequency of delayed diagnosis and the factors involved in a cohort of VHA cirrhosis patients. Results were...
Intensive Glycemic Control Not Eye-Protective in Advanced Diabetes
Intensive glycemic control (INT) does not appear to have a protective effect when it comes to required eye procedures in patients with advanced diabetes.
VA Cancer Chief on a Mission to Increase Precision Oncology Use
Michael Kelley, MD, is on a mission, speaking to VA physicians across the country, spreading the word about precision oncology.
ICPI Add-On to Chemotherapy Continues to Improve SCLC Survival Rates
According to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 14.6% of veterans enrolled for VHA care reported being a current cigarette smoker in 2018.
Corticosteroids Don’t Appear to Affect Treatment Response in SCLC
Does corticosteroid use affects treatment response to chemotherapy and immune-checkpoint inhibitors (CICPIs) in some types of advanced lung cancer.
Inherited Predisposition Could Change Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment
A new study involving federal medicine researchers raised the question of whether small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an inherited predisposition. The answer is important because it opens the possibility of using targeted therapies based on the genes involved.
Prostate Cancer Care at VA Changed Significantly in Last Decade
Over the past decade, how prostate cancer is detected and treated at VA healthcare facilities has changed gradually but significantly.
VA’s Tele-Oncology Services Proved Beneficial During COVID-19 Shutdowns
Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, 2,749 face-to-face visits for medical oncology and 5,093 visits for radiation oncology occurred at the Ann Arbor, MI, VAMC from June 2019 to December 2019.
For Veterans with CLL, More Options Mean More Hope
Over the last decade, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved 19 new drugs or combinations to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
CLL Survival Is Steadily Improving, but Adverse Effects Remain Challenging
As with most cancer, overall survival in chronic lymphocytic leukemia has steadily risen over the past two decades. New agents play an important role in that improvement, but they also require additional training and close attention to different types of adverse effects.
Herpes Zoster Common in Younger Veterans with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
A diagnosis of cancer of any type is terrifying. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia may be better than most, with many CLL patients able to manage the disease with regular monitoring for years or even decades.
VHA Study: No Link Between Ranitidine, Gastric Cancer
With the Food and Drug Administration requesting withdrawal of ranitidine formulations due to a potentially carcinogenic contaminant, N-nitrosodimethylamine, a new study evaluated whether ranitidine use is associated with gastric cancer.
Women Benefit From Both Lung, Breast Cancer Screening
Women are most likely to die from lung cancer—with mortality greater than breast, cervical and ovarian cancer combined—and increased screening has been shown to significantly reduce mortality.
Antibiotic Use Linked to Reduced Effectiveness for Common NSCLC Therapy
ATLANTA – The use of antibiotic therapy appears to adversely affect the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer patients. The reason is that dysregulation of the gut microbiota caused by antibiotic therapy can alter the anticancer immune response.
Add-on to Chemoradiotherapy Doubles NSCLC Survival for Some Veterans
ANN ARBOR, MI – Median overall survival doubled for veterans with stage III non-small cell lung cancer who received chemoradiotherapy plus durvalumab, as compared to those receiving chemoradiotherapy alone, according to a new study. The authors note that the current standard of care for patients with unresectable stage III NSCLC is concurrent chemoradiotherapy followed by durvalumab maintenance, but veterans were not included in the trial establishing that protocol.
Male Veterans With Breast Cancer Fare Worse Than Females
ALBANY, NY – While survival rates for breast cancer generally have improved over the last decades, that is not true for at least one cohort of patients: men. In fact, increased mortality has been documented for male veterans with breast cancer, even after adjusting for age and other clinical factors. VA researchers tried to determine why.
Survey Looks at VHA Glaucoma Surgery Patterns
Laser trabeculoplasty (LTP) is the use of a laser beam to burn areas of the trabecular meshwork, located near the base of the iris, to increase fluid outflow.
Battlefield Ocular Trauma Leaves Wounded Legally Blind
Modern-day combat trauma results in complicated ocular injuries causing nearly a third of injured military personnel to be declared legally blind in the affected eye, according to a new study.
