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Despite surgery, patients with stage 3 melanoma commonly have a poor prognosis. Those who are given immunotherapy in an adjuvant setting after surgery have improved survival, according to research recently presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Virtual Annual Meeting II. “Based on our findings, immunotherapy after resected stage 3 melanoma appears to reveal a trend for real-world 24-month survival advantage compared with no therapy, supporting the role of adjuvant immunotherapy in the real-world setting,” says Justin Moyers, MD, a fellow at Loma Linda University in California.
In addition to reading our e-newsletter, be sure to visit Today’s Geriatric Medicine’s website at www.TodaysGeriatricMedicine.com, where you’ll find news and information that’s relevant and reliable. We welcome your feedback at TGMeditor@gvpub.com. Follow Today’s Geriatric Medicine on Facebook and Twitter, too.
— Kate Jackson, editor |
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Improving Outcomes for Patients With Stage 3 Melanoma
Data derived from a large real-world database showed that some US patients with stage 3 melanoma receive adjuvant immunotherapy (immunotherapy after surgery), and those receiving adjuvant immunotherapy had improved survival compared with those who did not, according to a study recently presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Virtual Annual Meeting II.
“Patients with stage 3 melanoma tend to have poor prognosis even after curative-intent surgery,” says Justin Moyers, MD, a fellow at Loma Linda University in California. In 2015, the immune checkpoint inhibitor ipilimumab (Yervoy) was approved by the FDA as adjuvant treatment to reduce the risk of melanoma returning after surgery. Data from ipilimumab clinical trials have shown that it improves survival in patients with stage 3 melanoma when given in an adjuvant setting after resection, Moyers notes.
“The goal of our study was to determine the percentage of patients receiving immunotherapy after surgery in the era of FDA approval for adjuvant checkpoint inhibitors following surgical resection in the real-world setting,” Moyers says. “We also aimed to see the 24-month survival rate of those receiving immunotherapy vs those who did not.”
Moyers and colleagues utilized data from the National Cancer Database, a joint project of the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons and the American Cancer Society. It is a clinical oncology database, and the data are used to analyze and track patients with malignant neoplastic diseases, treatments, and outcomes. The database is the largest clinical cancer registry in the world, covering 72% of new cancer diagnoses in the United States, Moyers says.
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Closing Care Gaps
We investigate community-based palliative care, an approach that closes clinical and nonclinical care gaps for seriously ill seniors living at home. Read more »
Sleep Apnea & Heart Disease: What’s the Connection?
Treating sleep apnea may improve cardiovascular outcomes. Read more »
Telehealth During the COVID-19 Pandemic — Increased Demand Means Increased Risk
Expanded telehealth services provide possible COVID-19 patients and non–COVID-19 patients—particularly at-risk older adults—with an alternative to in-person hospital visits, slowing the spread of the virus and flattening the curve. Read more » |
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A Better Way to Bandage
DrySee, the first waterproof bandage with a liquid indicator, lets caregivers know whether the bandage has gotten wet, which could increase risk of an infection. Areas in the bandage will turn blue, indicating that the wound site has gotten wet and the bandage needs to be changed. Learn more »
Overcoming Isolation Among Older Adults in Long Term Care
The COVID-19 pandemic has both exacerbated and put a spotlight on isolation of older adults in residential facilities. Wowzitude, a subscription program that’s scalable and can be personalized to each community, is a new series of inspirational, interactive life enrichment programs that provides for engaging interaction with peers, friends, and family. The program can be delivered live videoconferencing to any of the 18,000 long term care residential facilities in the United States and Canada. Learn more » |
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Coming up in our September/October issue is our Fall Showcase. Email a sales representative to be part of this unique advertising opportunity.
A resource for professionals looking for new opportunities, as well as those physicians just curious to see what's out there, our Physician Recruitment Center gives physician recruiters a powerful tool to fill partnership opportunities, academic appointments, and hospital staff positions. To support your product marketing or recruiting needs, e-mail our experienced account executives today at sales@gvpub.com for more information or call 800-278-4400! |
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A Rare Complication of the Coronavirus
As more is learned about COVID-19, the list of symptoms and consequences has expanded. According to a new study at Penn Medicine, the virus can stop the heart. Nine of 700 COVID-19 patients at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania—all but two younger than 60—suffered a sudden cardiac arrest after being admitted, according to study authors. According to a report in The Philadelphia Inquirer, abnormal heart rhythm was detected in 53 of the 700 patients, including those who experienced the cardiac arrests. In eight of the nine cases, defibrillators were able to restart the patients’ hearts.
The Health Burden of Racism
It’s no secret that racial discrimination has significant health impacts. In a podcast called Social Distance, executive producer Katherine Wells and James Hamblin, at The Atlantic, talk with Sherman James, a professor emeritus at Duke University, about the need to discuss racism as a public health issue and the nature of racial disparities in health.
When the Gold Standard Can’t Be Met
When the gold standard of randomized controlled trials is not possible, doctors are forced to rely on available real-world data about outcomes to determine what treatments might be effective. According to The New York Times, hidden biases may skew the results, as has been charged concerning recent observational studies about COVID-19 treatments. The solution, according to reporters, is natural experiments, a method well known to economists.
Discrimination Hurts the Heart
Among the repercussions of discrimination against African Americans is an increased risk of hypertension. The American Heart Association notes that rates of high blood pressure among African Americans in the United States are among the highest in the world. More than 40% of African Americans experience hypertension, Newsweek reports, and to find out why, researchers studied 1,845 African Americans from Mississippi between the ages of 21 to 85. Their findings of the study were published in the journal Hypertension. |
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