Skipping Meds for Cost; Colonoscopy Prior Auth Jitters; VTE Prevention Update

One in five older adults reported skipping medication last year because of high drug prices. (JAMA Network Open)

Patients with breast cancer who closely followed guideline recommendations for cancer prevention had a 37% lower risk of cancer recurrence and a 58% reduction in the risk of premature death. (Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center)

The Supreme Court refused to review a lower court decision that could prohibit makers of generic drugs from using “skinny labels” that omit certain conditions from labeling to avoid issues with patent infringement. (Endpoints News)

UnitedHealthcare’s decision to require prior authorization for many colonoscopies sent shock waves through the gastroenterology community. (STAT)

A “smarter, kinder approach” to radiotherapy for anal cancer may reduce side effects without harming treatment effectiveness. (University of Leeds)

Combining osimertinib (Tagrisso) with chemotherapy significantly improved progression-free survival versus osimertinib alone in a phase III trial of locally advanced/metastatic EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer, AstraZeneca announced.

Combining an angiogenesis inhibitor with an immune checkpoint inhibitor could greatly expand the reach and utility of anti-angiogenics in the field of cancer. (Science)

A molecular classifier showed promise for predicting which patients with HER2-positive breast cancer can be safely treated with trastuzumab alone and which patients may also require chemotherapy or targeted agents. (Baylor College of Medicine)

The latest data from the American Cancer Society showed that mortality for all major cancers is decreasing worldwide, except for liver cancer in men and lung cancer in women.

Patients undergoing bone marrow transplants for cancer can safely receive a COVID mRNA vaccine 3 months after the procedure, earlier than currently recommended. (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, eClinical Medicine)

The American Society of Hematology has published new guidelines for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis, taking into account various factors that can influence VTE risk.