February 28, 2024

More than 60% of uninsured or underinsured individuals who seek cancer screening have at least one barrier to care, a team of researchers and clinicians reported in study results presented at the Academy of Oncology Nurse and Patient Navigators 14th Annual Navigation and Survivorship Conference. They also demonstrated that a free, community-based cancer screening and navigation program can identify those barriers and facilitate referrals to community partner organizations or other resources.

February 26, 2024

An estimated 35 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed in 2050, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported in February 2024, a 77% increase from the estimated 20 million cases in 2022. Yet according to survey responses across 115 countries, most parts of the world do not have sufficient funding for cancer and palliative care services, WHO said. Additionally, the data showed “striking inequities in the cancer burden” based on the Human Development Index and “significant global inequities in cancer services” between high- and low-income countries.

February 23, 2024

Behind closed doors, House Republicans have shifted from optimistically cautious to expecting a government shutdown. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) will have to choose in coming weeks between a fight with Democrats that threatens a shutdown, or a deal with Democrats that threatens his job. The government will start a partial shutdown unless a budget or spending stopgap is passed by March 1.

February 22, 2024

The idea of cancer survivorship care has a longstanding history, but in the current landscape, the imperative to deliver that care has never been more pressing. During the 1970s, about one in two people diagnosed with cancer survived at least five years, but because of advancements in screening and treatment, now more than two in three survive that long. As a result, the number of cancer survivors has significantly increased: As of January 2022, the United States had 18.1 million cancer survivors, which is more than 5% of the U.S. population.  

February 20, 2024

Caring for a loved one with cancer is an act of love and compassion—an act that the majority of the 18 million individuals living with cancer in the United States rely primarily on unpaid family and friend caregivers to provide. Those caregivers rarely have formal training, and many do not have adequate support to navigate the complexities of medical and nursing care. 

February 19, 2024

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is urging the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to work with the U.S. Congress to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries maintain access to telehealth. Led by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI), the group sent HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra a letter on January 29, 2024, making the case for permanent telehealth legislation before the current waivers expire at the end of 2024.

February 16, 2024

On February 16, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to lifileucel (Amtagvi™), a tumor-derived autologous T-cell immunotherapy, for adult patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma previously treated with a PD-1–blocking antibody and, if BRAF V600 positive, a BRAF inhibitor with or without a MEK inhibitor.