May 2023 Medical Bulletin No. 29.

Published Date: 02 Jun 2023

The following are today's top medical headlines: A research team from Boston University has discovered the role of a previously unidentified protein in obesity and diabetes.

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Latest News

Does Surgery Type Matter for Young Women With High-Risk BC?

Younger women with high-risk breast cancer often opt for mastectomy, but it may not improve survival or reduce recurrences versus breast-conserving surgery.

Ask the HF Expert: Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy

Chief Cardiology fellow Yash Varma asks HF expert Ileana Piña for tips on when patients are stable to discharge on guideline-directed medical therapy and if it’s ever ok to de-escalate.

Do Smokers Need to Quit Before Lung Cancer Surgery?

Patients who still smoke heading into lung cancer surgery have a higher complication rate than those who have quit — but their mortality risk is no different, a large retrospective study finds.

Adrian Harris: Why Oncology Must Look Beyond Cancer Cells

Many promising therapies fail because of poor patient selection; Harris warns that only about one third of tumors are truly hypoxic, underscoring the need for precise biomarkers in trials.

‘Impossible’ Now Possible: Making Brain Tissue Transparent

Researchers used a blood protein wash to render brain tissue transparent down to 700 µm, witnessing live-firing activity without killing a single neuron.

AstraZeneca's Imfinzi With Pre-surgery Drug Boosts Survival in Bladder Cancer Trial

AstraZeneca said on Thursday that a late-stage trial of Imfinzi, ⁠combined with a targeted therapy prior to a surgery, showed significantly ⁠improved survival rate in...

Todays Updates

EMA Backs Breast Cancer SERD After FDA No Vote

The recommendation follows phase 3 data showing longer progression-free survival when patients switched to camizestrant plus a CDK4/6 inhibitor.

Datopotamab Deruxtecan Earns New Breast Cancer Indication

The antibody drug conjugate was approved by the FDA for certain patients with triple-negative breast cancer.

Todays Updates

EMA Backs Breast Cancer SERD After FDA No Vote

The recommendation follows phase 3 data showing longer progression-free survival when patients switched to camizestrant plus a CDK4/6 inhibitor.

Datopotamab Deruxtecan Earns New Breast Cancer Indication

The antibody drug conjugate was approved by the FDA for certain patients with triple-negative breast cancer.

Latest News

Younger women with high-risk breast cancer often opt for mastectomy, but it may not improve survival or reduce recurrences versus breast-conserving surgery.

Chief Cardiology fellow Yash Varma asks HF expert Ileana Piña for tips on when patients are stable to discharge on guideline-directed medical therapy and if it’s ever ok to de-escalate.

Patients who still smoke heading into lung cancer surgery have a higher complication rate than those who have quit — but their mortality risk is no different, a large retrospective study finds.

Many promising therapies fail because of poor patient selection; Harris warns that only about one third of tumors are truly hypoxic, underscoring the need for precise biomarkers in trials.

Researchers used a blood protein wash to render brain tissue transparent down to 700 µm, witnessing live-firing activity without killing a single neuron.

AstraZeneca said on Thursday that a late-stage trial of Imfinzi, ⁠combined with a targeted therapy prior to a surgery, showed significantly ⁠improved survival rate in...

News All Time

Cosmetic Interventions Are Booming. Many Say Ethical Conversations Are Lagging.

— Demand has increased across all age demographics and ethnicities

Anti-TNF May Reduce Kidney Injury in Brain Death Donors

Researchers identify TNF driven injury pathways in brain death donors and test anti-TNF therapy to improve kidney graft quality before transplantation.

FDA Flags Shortage Of Neurosurgical Pads and Sponges

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday acknowledged ongoing supply disruptions of certain ⁠sterile pads, sponges and strips used in neurosurgery, warning the...

Ask the HF Expert: Managing Congestion

Chief fellow Yash Varma asks heart failure expert Ileana Piña for her tips and tricks in managing patients admitted with acute decompensated heart failure.

UK and US Set Path to Shared Medical Device Approvals

The MHRA and FDA have agreed to explore mutual recognition of medical device approvals, in a move that could cut delays for patients in both countries.

They Say Compassion Drains You. Science Disagrees

Research suggests it’s not compassion that wears doctors down but a different emotion — a distinction that may help them recharge more effectively.

You Haven’t Aged a Day: The Prognostic Value of Facial Aging

An AI study suggests that the rate of facial aging could be a biomarker for cancer mortality.

Intraoperative Irradiation Safe for Breast Cancer Relapse

Intraoperative reirradiation in combination with a second breast-conserving surgery is safe and well tolerated in patients with late local recurrence of breast cancer.

Pancreatic Cancer: Should Surgery or Chemo Come First?

There’s an ongoing uncertainty among experts about whether neoadjuvant therapy or surgery first is best for patients with operable pancreatic cancer. Here’s what we know.

Surgical Robots: NHS Ambition Outpacing Delivery

RCS England finds no national strategy for funding or distributing surgical robots, leaving some hospitals reliant on local fundraising.

NDAs Are Illegal in Healthcare, Says Ethicist

Ethicist Art Caplan discusses nondisclosure agreements in healthcare.

Whole-Body MRI Predicts Surgery Outcomes in Ovarian Cancer

Whole-body diffusion-weighted MRI accurately predicts complete resection and survival outcomes after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with advanced ovarian cancer.

Some With Low-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer May Not Need Chemo

A subgroup analysis hints that chemotherapy may be skipped after complete resection, but the finding needs further study.

MRI Sharpens Prostate Cancer Risk Stratification

A meta-analysis of nearly 25,000 patients undergoing radical prostatectomy supports adding presurgery MRI findings to standard prognostic models to inform subsequent treatment.

Minimally Invasive Ablation Can Treat Small Kidney Tumors

Less invasive ablation treatment in patients with small renal tumors has a comparable risk for tumor progression to surgical resection, with fewer complications and shorter hospital stays.

177Lu-PSMA-617 Delays Progression in Prostate Cancer

177Lu-PSMA-617 delays disease progression at a significantly higher rate than standard of care in patients with oligometastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.