Top in hem/onc: Decline in cancer mortality, inequity in end-of-life care

A recent report revealed accelerated declines in melanoma and lung cancer deaths from 2014 to 2018; however, mortality declines for prostate, colorectal and female breast cancers seem to have slowed or stopped.

A summary of the report was the top story in hematology/oncology last week.

Another top story featured an interview with the coauthor of a study that uncovered racial and ethnic disparities in end-of-life care among patients with metastatic cancer.

“This study examined patterns in the use of aggressive inpatient interventions among a sample of patients with metastatic cancer during the past decade and demonstrated disparities based on race/ethnicity and insurance status,” Stephanie Deeb, BS, third-year medical student at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said. “It is important to consider existing trends and health care disparities in all areas of medical care, including end-of-life medical management.”

Read these and more top stories in hematology/oncology below:

Declines in cancer death rates continue, but not for all common types

Experts continued to see a decrease in overall cancer mortality among men and women of all races and ethnicities in the United States toward the end of the last decade, according to the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer. Read more.

Medical student examines inequity in end-of-life care for patients with metastatic cancer

A medical student said she looks forward to learning more about oncology and clinical practice after leading a retrospective study that showed racial and ethnic disparities in end-of-life care among patients with metastatic cancer. Read more.

Cell therapy pioneer predicts ‘bright’ future for field

Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa has been one of the early leaders in cellular therapies for cancer treatment. Consequently, it came as no surprise the institution appointed Patrick Hwu, MD, as its new CEO. Read more.

Patients with multiple myeloma show ‘suboptimal’ responses to COVID-19 vaccination

Patients with multiple myeloma mounted suboptimal and variable antibody responses to the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, according to study results published in Cancer Cell. Read more.

FDA approves Keytruda for locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

The FDA expanded the approval of Keytruda (pembrolizumab; Merck) to include the treatment of patients with locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma not curable by surgery or radiation. Read more.