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22 Cancer Groups Urge Biden to Support Ending Sale of Menthol, Flavored Smokes
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network joined 21 groups representing millions of cancer patients, survivors and caregivers, to send a letter on December 13 to the White House supporting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed rules to eliminate the sale of menthol in cigarettes and all flavors in cigars. The letter reads in part:
Exercise Linked to Less Belly Fat in People With HIV
Getting more physical activity can help older people with HIV shrink their waistlines in addition to offering other benefits for overall health, according to study results published in the journal AIDS. Weight gain is a growing concern for people living with HIV and their health care providers. HIV-positive people have...
How COVID-19 Compromised Gains in Controlling HIV
The COVID-19 pandemic slowed previous gains made in controlling HIV blood levels and worsened health disparities, according to UC San Francisco researchers leading the largest U.S. evaluation of the impact of the public health crisis on people with HIV. While the country had been making progress on its goals to...
Understanding the Interplay Between Viral Hepatitis and MASLD
Viral hepatitis can exacerbate the progression of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), and a thorough understanding of the interplay between hepatitis viruses and fatty liver disease is needed to better diagnose and treat these conditions, according to a review published in Cureus. MASLD, the new name for non-alcoholic fatty...
Former and Light Smokers Still Have Elevated Lung Cancer Risk
While the odds of lung cancer diagnosis are low for former smokers and light smokers, their risk is still 10 times higher than that of people who never smoked, according to study findings published in JAMA Oncology. Before the latest update in November, guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task...
$10M Grant to Study High Blood Pressure Control in Black Adults
High blood pressure affects 1 in 3 adults worldwide. In the United States, about 55% of Black adults have high blood pressure, which, if left untreated, can lead to serious cardiovascular issues, such as heart disease, heart attack, stroke and more. To address this disparity, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute...
Meditation Is Big Business, but What Does the Science Say?
In 2019, Debra Halsch was diagnosed with smoldering multiple myeloma, a rare blood and bone marrow disorder that can develop into a type of blood cancer. Her doctors recommended chemotherapy, she said, but she feared the taxing side effects the drugs might wreak on her body. Instead, the life coach from Piermont, New York tried meditation.
Vaginal Ring Will Be Available in 11 African Countries – But Not in the U.S.
The dapivirine vaginal ring, an alternative HIV prevention method for women, will soon be available in nearly a dozen countries in Africa. This is welcome news, as adolescent girls and young women are among the groups most at risk in sub-Saharan Africa. But the ring is not available to women in the United States, who also need more prevention options.
The Side Effect Roulette of Cancer Treatment
The stomach pain stopped Vickie-Lee Wall in her tracks. “The first time the pain got that bad, I honestly thought something had burst in my gut,” said the 64-year-old New Jersey woman, who has stage 4 lobular breast cancer. Her oncologist had prescribed two drugs, including a targeted...
FDA Approves First CRISPR Gene Therapy for Sickle Cell Disease
On December 8, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first-ever CRISPR gene-editing therapy to treat sickle cell disease, a blood disorder that mainly affects Black people. The agency also approved a second gene therapy that works in a different way. The treatments are potentially life-changing, but they are not without risks, and their high cost could limit access.
Biden Wants States to Ensure Obamacare Plans Cover Enough Doctors and Hospitals
The Biden administration plans to push states to boost oversight of the number of doctors, hospitals, and other health providers insurers cover in Obamacare plans, under rules proposed in November. The annual regulatory proposal, known as the payment parameters rule, also seeks to expand access to adult dental coverage in...
Some Breast Cancer Patients Can Safely Skip Radiation Therapy
Some people with breast cancer may be able to skip radiation after surgery without increasing their risk for disease progression, according to three studies presented at the recent San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). Forgoing radiation would reduce both side effects and logistical hassles. “Although techniques of radiation treatment have...
How Immunotherapy Impacts Populations Underrepresented in Clinical Trials
New research in the December 2023 issue of JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network finds patients treated with first-line immunotherapy for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) showed similar results in terms of survival, progression-free survival, and treatment duration, regardless of race or ethnicity, even with differences in income and insurance. The clinical investigators focused on patients in under-represented groups who were typically less likely to be included in the immunotherapy clinical trials that have been conducted to date. They analyzed results from 248 patients treated with pembrolizumab [Keytruda] over a 9-year period between January 1, 2013 and June 1, 2022, with non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and Non-Hispanic White patients each accounting for an approximately equal percentage. Median overall survival was 16.8 to 26.3 months, similar to results previously reported in large prospective clinical trials.
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Real Health is the leading health magazine for African Americans in the United States. Launched in 2004, the goal of Real Health is to help African Americans of all ages achieve optimum health and wellness—physically, mentally and emotionally—by offering readers current, accurate information based on the latest science through well-researched stories that educate, entertain, uplift and motivate members of the community at large to be their best selves.
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