PHILADELPHIA—Treatment with thiopurines is associated with an increased risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the skin in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases. An article in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology discussed results of a study that looked at...
Low to No Alcohol Use Optimizes Health Outcomes in HIV Patients
SEATTLE—For years, physicians have encouraged patients diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus to minimize or avoid drinking alcohol. But how much does it really matter? “Controlled alcohol use over time, especially nonuse or very low-level use, is likely to help...
Army Researchers Identify a CV Bonus from Early ART Initiation in HIV
SAN ANTONIO, TX—ART has never looked better, at least if you’re an individual recently diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus. Researchers at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio recently determined that antiretroviral therapy reverses endothelial...
Rural Veterans Prescribed More Long-Term Opioids
IOWA CITY, IA—Rural veterans received significantly more opioid prescriptions from the VA than those in urban areas, and that could be behind some of the drug problems in less-populated areas, according to a new study. The study in Military Medicine pointed out that...
Bergendahl Uses Video Gaming to Help Fellow Veterans Recover
Mat Bergendahl, MS, LPC, was with the Air Force Security Forces when the United States invaded Iraq in 2003. Like many servicemembers, he managed to bring along some personal effects. And, like many people his age, that included his PlayStation 2. For many in...
Metformin Halves All-Cause Mortality in Frail Older Veterans
Other Important VA Studies at the American Diabetes Association 79th Scientific Sessions MIAMI—The first-line drug of choice for Type 2 diabetes, metformin has long been known to effectively reduce blood glucose levels and substantially cut the risk of cardiovascular...
VA Opposes Law Loosening Benefit Requirements for MST Survivors
WASHINGTON—New legislation would make it easier for victims of military sexual trauma to receive benefits, but the VA is opposing it. Among other provisions, the bill would lower the burden of proof necessary for MST survivors to prove service connection, allow...
Million Veteran Program Study Raises Questions about Omega-3 Benefits in CAD
BOSTON—Researchers at the Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology and Research Information Center demonstrated the value of the VA’s ability to harness the health data of thousands or even millions of individuals in a study that calls into question long-held assumptions...
Pharmacist Involvement Improves Accuracy of Direct Oral Anticoagulants
PALO ALTO, CA—For decades, patients prescribed warfarin to reduce the risk of stroke following a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation have made regular visits to pharmacist- or nurse-directed clinics to ensure their international normalized ratio (INR) remains within a...
Pharmacist Involvement Improves Gout Therapy Adherence for Veterans
OMAHA, NE—The most common form of inflammatory arthritis—gout—affects about eight million Americans. The disease causes intensely painful flares, but despite the availability of several drugs to manage this chronic, incurable condition, ongoing adherence to therapy...
Veterans With PNES Have Lower QoL vs. Other Seizures
PORTLAND, OR—Do seizure disorders affect veterans differently than patients who have never been in the U.S. military? And does the type of seizure matter? A study published in Epilepsy & Behavior examined those issues.1 VA researchers from Portland, OR;...
Higher Efficacy DMTs Reduce MS Brain Atrophy
BETHESDA, MD—How do disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) affect region-specific brain atrophy in multiple sclerosis? A recent study sought to answer that question. Researchers from the Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, at The Henry M. Jackson Foundation...
TBI Might Not Be a Risk Factor for Alzheimer’s Disease
BOSTON—New research is calling into question whether traumatic brain injury is actually a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. A report in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia discussed recent research with neuropathologic or biomarker evidence of Alzheimer’s...
Certain Hematologic Malignancies Increase Head/Neck Tumors
PORTLAND, OR—With more than 1.3 million people in the United States having been diagnosed with a hematologic malignant tumor currently or in remission, previous research has suggested an increased risk of secondary neoplasms. Yet, the report in JAMA Otolaryngoly said...
VA Study: Anemia Often Overlooked in IBD Patients
HOUSTON—Anemia is a common complication of inflammatory bowel disease, and existing guidelines urge vigilance for the condition. Yet, according to a study in Digestive Diseases & Sciences, it is frequently undertreated, resulting in the prevalence remaining high.1...
Tracking Major Hemorrhage Risk Factors in CLL Patients
COLUMBIA, SC—Understanding that chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients are at increased risk for major hemorrhage, a study published in Cancer Medicine examined incidence of and risk factors for MH in CLL patients before introduction of newer CLL therapies such as...
Mental Health Treatment Alone Won’t Stem Veteran Suicides
Joint House VA, Military Subcommittee Hearing Tackles Issue WASHINGTON—In a rare joint hearing by the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel and VA Subcommittee on Health, legislators examined how DoD and VA are working to address the increase in...
HIV Patients Had Lower PC Incidence in VA Study
NEW YORK—Non-AIDS defining cancers are increasingly important contributors to health outcomes for aging persons with HIV (PWH), according to a recent conference presentation. The presentation also pointed out that, although prostate cancer is prevalent in aging men,...
A Fourth of Female Veterans Report Stranger Harassment at VAMCs
WASHINGTON—Women veterans regularly experience harassment by male veterans at VA facilities, and that harassment has a direct and lasting impact on their healthcare, VA researchers reported recently. Investigators from the VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System and...
New Trial Looks at Cabozantinib Combo for First Line Advanced HCC Therapy
CHICAGO—No healthcare system has been more affected by the dramatic rise in hepatocellular carcinoma than the VA. In 2000, the VA had 1,361 patients diagnosed with the disease. By 2005, the number of veterans diagnosed with HCC had more than tripled to 4,989,...
Adherence to Oral Cancer Therapies Suboptimal in Single Center Study
CHICAGO—Management of B-cell malignancies is being changed by increasing use of oral targeted agents for therapy. That also is introducing challenges in prescribing practices and communication between patients, their clinicians and pharmacists, according to a report...
Some Mental Health Disorders Lead to Worse VA Lung Cancer Outcomes
CHICAGO—Past research has demonstrated that cancer patients with comorbid mental disorders often have worse outcomes. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death at the in the United States and is the second most-common type of cancer for both male and...
VA Creates Highly Accurate Model for Predicting Lung Cancer Survival
CHICAGO—The profusion of data available through electronic health records and genomic analyses can guide lung cancer treatment—if clinicians can access key points quickly enough. Researchers at the Boston VAMC and their colleagues found a way to sort through all the...
Some Comorbidity Clusters Associated with Lower Survival in Multiple Myeloma
CHICAGO—Multiple myeloma tends to be a disease of older adults, with an average age at diagnosis of 70. By that age, 3 out of 4 Americans have multiple other chronic conditions as well, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Now,...
Adverse Events Linked to Improved Outcomes for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
CHICAGO—Patients may dread the side effects of cancer treatment, but the occurrence of certain adverse events during treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with cabozantinib predicted improved overall survival and progression-free survival in a retrospective...
Pre-Treatment Cognition Associated with Lung Cancer Survival
CHICAGO—Among geriatric patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer, pre-treatment cognition provides crucial information for “prognostication, decision making, and treatment planning,” according to researchers at the San Francisco VAMC and their colleagues. The...
Ketogenic Diet Might Be Helpful for VA’s Cancer Patients
CHICAGO—Researchers at the Pittsburgh VAMC reported a five-patient case series which indicates that a ketogenic diet may help patients with solid tumor cancers. They presented the cases at the 2019 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting held in Chicago.1...
Half of Patients With Fine Needle Aspiration Need Second Diagnostic Procedure
CHICAGO—Fine needle aspiration can quickly determine whether cancer has spread to pathologically enlarged lymph nodes, but it should not be counted on to diagnose new malignancies or to provide tissue for follow on testing, according to a study published in...
New Combination Boosts Immune Response in Triple Negative Breast Cancer
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS—A team led by researchers at the San Antonio Military Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston discovered that adding nelipepimut-S to trastuzumab significantly increases immune response in women with triple negative breast cancer. The result potentially...
VA Researchers Find Biomarker for Overall Survival in Prostate Cancer
CHICAGO—Tumors do not respond uniformly to cancer therapy. Typically, drug-sensitive portions diminish, while drug-resistant fractions grow. So, what’s the best way to measure efficacy of treatment? And what measures have the most significance for overall survival?...
