Health Glance
Amber Rojas was almost eight months pregnant when she learned she had hepatitis C. After her daughter was born on Dec. 23, 2014, Rojas had hoped to start treatment with a newly approved, highly effective drug called Harvoni.
After filing for prior authorization and waiting for months, the 34-year old mother received an unwelcome letter on August 27, 2015 — her treatment request had been denied because her liver was still too healthy. Rojas said that even though she felt very sick with flu-like symptoms, her insurance provider deemed her “not sick enough to qualify.”
How insurance providers deny hepatitis C patients lifesaving drugs
Studies say 1/3 of young men in China to die from smoking
Research published in the medical journal The Lancet says one in three of all the young men in China are likely to die from tobacco, but that the number can fall if the men quit smoking.
The studies, conducted by researchers from Oxford University, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the Chinese Center for Disease Control, show that two-thirds of the young men in China start to smoke, mostly before age 20, and that half of those will eventually be killed by tobacco unless they stop permanently.
FDA approves new treatment for advanced lung cancer
The Food and Drug Administration approved a new drug for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer whose tumors have a specific genetic mutation.
The drug, Keytruda, was given breakthrough therapy designation and a sped-up approval because it was deemed to be a significant improvement over available treatments based on the results of clinical trials.
Study: Many early breast cancer patients can skip chemotherapy
A 21-gene test can accurately predict whether women with breast cancer can be treated without chemotherapy, according to a large, long-term study.
The test, called the OncotypeDX, examines the expression of 21 genes in tumor biopsies. Based on the results of the test, researchers were able to correctly predict whether endocrine therapy or endocrine therapy with chemotherapy is best for individual patients.
Two drugs proven more effective than standard kidney cancer treatment
A pair of drugs have overshadowed the use of standard therapies after new clinical trials suggest they work better for advanced kidney cancer.
The two treatments -- nivolumab and cabozantinib -- each successfully prolonged the survival of renal-cell cancer patients during separate studies both published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
FDA: Start-up's cancer blood test may be harmful
A San Diego company selling an early cancer detection test was notified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration it can find no evidence the test actually works, and is concerned it could prove to be harmful for some people.
Pathway Genomics debuted its CancerIntercept test in early September with claims it can detect cancer cell DNA in the blood, picking up mutations linked to as many as 10 different cancers. The goal is to catch cancer early in people who are "otherwise healthy" and not showing symptoms of the disease.
Brain-computer connection helps paralyzed man walk
A man's ability to walk using direct brain control of his legs was restored after years of being paralyzed, researchers reported in a proof-of-concept study.
The system uses electrical signals from the man's brain, sending them to electrodes placed on his knees, allowing him to voluntarily move his legs.
Previous research has shown paralysis patients can be made to move their legs with noninvasive treatments, however this study used virtual reality training and a harness system, rather than an exoskeleton to help the man support his weight.
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