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Genentech receives FDA approval for Erivedge to treat basal cell carcinoma

Today, Erivedge (vismodegib) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat adult patients with basal cell carcinoma, the most common type of skin cancer. The drug is intended for use in patients with locally advanced basal cell cancer who are not candidates for surgery or radiation and for patients whose cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

31 Jan 2012

Inlyta receives FDA approval for treatment of advanced kidney cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Inlyta (axitinib) to treat patients with advanced kidney cancer (renal cell carcinoma) who have not responded to another drug for this type of cancer.

30 Jan 2012

Non-smoking, non-drinking transplant patients more likely to develop head and neck cancer

Transplant patients who develop head and neck cancer are more likely to be non-smokers and non-drinkers, and less likely than their non-transplant counterparts to survive past one year of diagnosis, according to a new study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

30 Jan 2012

Patients may not receive all necessary screening tests during medical checkups

New research finds that patients may not always receive all of the screening tests and counseling services that are due during their medical checkups.

30 Jan 2012

Susan Mallery finds breakthrough treatment for oral cancer

Dr. Susan Mallery, a professor in the College of Dentistry at The Ohio State University and Oral Pathology Consultant at the Ohio State University and James Cancer hospitals, has dedicated her nearly 30-year career to studying new strategies to preventing oral cancer.

30 Jan 2012

HPV transmission via oral sex practices suggests research

A new study suggested that an estimated 7% of American teens and adults carry the human papillomavirus in their mouths. This may help health experts finally understand why rates of mouth and throat cancer have been climbing for nearly 25 years. The evidence additionally makes it clear that oral sex practices play a key role in transmission.

29 Jan 2012

First Edition: January 27, 2012

Now on Kaiser Health News' blog, Christian Torres reports on a speech given at the Care Innovation Summit in Washington, D.C., by Marilyn Tavenner, the president's nominee to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, about the health law's accomplishments: "Tavenner will likely make some of the same arguments for the law and CMS initiatives when – or if – she encounters a grilling at her yet-to-be scheduled Senate confirmation hearing.

27 Jan 2012

Gilead commences GS-7340 Phase 2 trial in HIV

Gilead Sciences, Inc. today announced the initiation of a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating GS-7340 for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in treatment-naïve adults. GS-7340 is a novel prodrug of tenofovir, the active agent in Viread.

24 Jan 2012

Elevated blood lead levels put smokers at higher risk for renal cell carcinoma

Higher than normal levels of lead in the blood may signal a risk two times higher than average of developing renal cell carcinoma in smokers, according to medical researchers.

24 Jan 2012

Study provides valuable information on which cancer patients might need help to quit smoking

A new analysis has found that a substantial number of lung and colorectal cancer patients continue to smoke after being diagnosed. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study provides valuable information on which cancer patients might need help to quit smoking.

23 Jan 2012

Poor and uneducated smokers face difficulty in quitting

Quitting smoking is never easy. However, when you're poor and uneducated, kicking the habit for good is doubly hard, according to a new study by a tobacco dependence researcher at The City College of New York.

21 Jan 2012

FDA allows marketing of Stratify JCV Antibody ELISA test for PML

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allowed marketing of the first test to help determine the risk for a rare brain infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) in people using the drug Tysabri (natalizumab) to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) or Crohn's disease.

21 Jan 2012

Lung association criticizes state tobacco policies

Anti-tobacco efforts by U.S. states were "abysmal" last year as their collective spending on anti-smoking programs declined 11 percent and only two raised cigarette taxes, the American Lung Association said. While more than half the states already ban the use of cigarettes in restaurants, bars and workplaces, no additional states passed comprehensive anti-smoking laws last year, the Washington-based health advocacy group said today in a report.

20 Jan 2012

Viewpoints: The 'need' to repeal CLASS; Squaring Romney's poverty and tax promises

As a physician, I treated hundreds of patients who needed long-term care, including ones with Alzheimer's. More than 13.5 million seniors could have this disease by 2040. Middle-class families remain dangerously unprepared for these costs. Some people will likely spend more than $100,000 on care. The fictional CLASS daily benefit of $50 per day won't cover this. I urge my House and Senate colleagues to support this CLASS repeal.

19 Jan 2012

Researchers review landscape of smoking cessation over the past 20 years

Smoking is a major public health issue and quitting is the single most important thing smokers can do to improve their health. In the 2012 edition of the prestigious Annual Review of Public Health, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have reviewed the landscape of smoking cessation over the past 20 years.

19 Jan 2012

Voraxaze receives FDA approval for treatment of toxic methotrexate levels

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Voraxaze (glucarpidase) to treat patients with toxic levels of methotrexate in their blood due to kidney failure.

18 Jan 2012

Alcohol-dependent Americans more likely to seek treatment than South Koreans

Hazardous alcohol use and depression are among the 10 leading causes of disability and premature death worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Many low- to middle-income countries have begun to see a steady increase in alcohol use and have entered the early stages of a tobacco epidemic. A study of alcohol use disorders (AUDs), nicotine dependence (ND), and mood and anxiety disorders in the United States and South Korea has found that while AUDs are substantially more common among Americans than South Koreans, alcohol-dependent Americans are significantly more likely to seek treatment.

17 Jan 2012

Matted lymph nodes may predict throat cancer metastasis

Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System have found a new indicator that may predict which patients with a common type of throat cancer are most likely have the cancer spread to other parts of their bodies.

17 Jan 2012

Smoking to be banned at University of California campuses

The University of California is banning cigarettes and all other tobacco products from its campuses over the next two years. This drastic step is designed to both protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke and prevent young people from developing the bad habit. Students and staff alike will be prohibited from smoking anywhere on a UC campus - including outdoor spaces, parking lots and private residences. There won't be any designated smoking areas.

16 Jan 2012

Kangaroo on cigarette packs outrages Australian authorities

According to Attorney-General Nicola Roxon the government is helpless to prevent the use of Australia’s most prized icon – the kangaroo on the packets of cigarettes in France. An image of a kangaroo and the phrase “An Australian Favorite” are on packets of Winfield being sold in France.

15 Jan 2012