Tag: cancer
Gene-silencing Technology Gets First Frug Approval After 20-year Wait
US regulators have approved the first therapy based on RNA interference (RNAi), a technique that can be used to silence specific genes linked to disease. The drug, "patisiran", targets a rare condition that can impair heart... read more
AKI and Electrolyte Disorders in the Critically Ill Patient with Cancer
This review outlines key knowledge areas for critical care physicians and nephrologists caring for patients with cancer and associated kidney issues such as acute kidney injury (AKI) and electrolyte disorders. Specifically,... read more
Lack of association between airflow limitation and recurrence of venous thromboembolism among cancer patients with pulmonary embolism
The presence of airflow limitation did not increase the risk of VTE recurrence in cancer patients with PE. Prospective studies are needed to validate this finding. Among 401 cancer patients with newly diagnosed PE, spirometry-based... read more
Precision Medicine, Genome Sequencing, and Improved Population Health
Despite controversy, major health systems across the globe are obtaining and making use of genome sequence data in patients they care for, hoping this approach will prove beneficial.1 Genome sequencing technology, a key driver... read more
The Gene: An Intimate History
A fascinating and often sobering history of how humans came to understand the roles of genes in making us who we are. From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Emperor of All Maladies, a fascinating history of the gene... read more
Meta-Analysis Shows Mixed Results with Palliative Care
Palliative care was tied to some improvements in quality of life (QOL) in critically ill patients, but the impact on caregiver outcomes was mixed, and there was no significant association between palliative care delivery... read more
Endobronchial Ultrasound Can ID Pulmonary Thromboembolism
The researchers found that in four cases (0.7 percent), filling defects were demonstrated in central pulmonary arteries while sampling mediastinal lymph nodes.... read more
FDA Approves ‘living drug’ to Cure Cancer
FDA has approved the first treatment to redesign immune system so it attacks the cancer cells. Kymriah therapy, which leaves 83% of people free of a type of blood cancer, costs about $475,000 and was developed by Novartis.... read more
Delirium in Advanced Cancer Patients Worsens Survival
Patients with advanced cancer who arrived at the ED with delirium had increased rates of hospitalization and ICU admissions, as well as shorter survival rates, according to a study published in The Oncologist. Many patients... read more
The Intensive Care Medicine Research Agenda on Critically Ill Oncology and Hematology Patients
Over the coming years, accelerating progress against cancer will be associated with an increased number of patients who require life‑sustaining therapies for infectious or toxic chemotherapy‑related events. Major changes... read more
Drink Coffee and Live Longer: Cohort Study
A multinational cohort study on coffee drinking and mortality in 10 European countries. Coffee drinking was associated with reduced risk for death from various causes. This relationship did not vary by country. 521, 330 people... read more
Evaluating Transfusion Strategies
Cancer patients are at increased risk of septic shock. Therefore, Bergamin et al set out to assess whether a restrictive strategy of red blood cell (RBC) transfusion reduces 28-day mortality when compared with a liberal strategy... read more
Persistent Gaps in Use of Advance Directives Among Nursing Home Residents Receiving Maintenance Dialysis
Patients with end-stage renal disease receiving dialysis have a symptom burden and prognosis comparable to patients with incurable cancer. They frequently and increasingly receive intensive procedures near the end of life.... read more
Learning to talk about death should start early in doctors' careers
At first glance, physicians’ poor understanding of death and the process of dying is baffling, since they are supposed to be custodians of health across the lifespan. Look deeper, though, and it may reflect less the attitudes... read more
Palliative care from diagnosis to death
Evidence is growing that people can benefit from palliative care earlier in their illness, say Scott Murray and colleagues, but care must be tailored to different conditions. Many people still associate palliative care with... read more
How survival of cancer patients in critical care has improved in the last 3 decades
Comprehensive care for critically ill patients with cancer is a collaborative effort, and close cooperation between oncology as well as palliative and critical care is essential. Collaborative decision making is a cornerstone... read more
Biopsy first: Lessons learned from CALGB 140503
In a carefully monitored cohort of patients with suspected small NSCLC <2 cm, a substantial number are misdiagnosed (benign nodules) or understaged. These patients may not have benefited from a thoracic surgical procedure.... read more
Characterizing Hydrogels for use in drug delivery systems
The delivery of drugs to a precise location at the desired concentration without causing toxic effects to the rest of the body has been a challenge to biomedical science for many years. Although several approaches have been... read more
Patient Achieves Remission With CAR-T Cell Therapy for Aggressive Brain Tumors
A case study published in the December 29 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine outlines the results of a patient treated with his own genetically modified CAR-T cells, using central memory T cells, a stem-cell-like... read more
Epstein-Barr risk increased by Immune Molecule Deficiency
Researchers from the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, or NIAID, have found a genetic immune disorder causing increased risk and poor control of Epstein-Barr virus and EBV-associated... read more
Study shows Tumor cells move differently than normal cells
Drexel University researchers have found that some tumor cells are unable to move like healthy cells, which could impact the way cancer is spread and treated. The team found that certain tumor cells called fibrosarcoma cannot... read more
