No Improved Outcomes for HF Patients With Sleep Apnea Using ASV Breathing Devices
Breathing machines with adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV) did not improve survival or other clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF) and reduced ejection fraction and sleep-disordered breathing, the phase III ADVENT-HF trial found. Investigators found no difference between patients randomized to standard care plus bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) device therapy with ASV and those […]
Diagnostic Imaging Not Yet Enough for Biopsy-Free Radical Prostatectomy
While prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-PET may improve diagnostic accuracy in suspected prostate cancer, it may not be accurate enough to skip the biopsy when considering radical prostatectomy. In a retrospective review of 89 men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), PSMA-PET prior to biopsy had a false-positive rate of 30%, with subsequent needle biopsy revealing negative […]
Delaying Esophageal Cancer Surgery After Neoadjuvant CRT Fails in Trial
Prolonging the time to surgery following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for esophageal cancer failed to improve histological complete response rates and may even worsen overall survival (OS), according to results from the randomized NeoRes II study. Among the subset with adenocarcinoma, complete response rates were not significantly better with the prolonged surgical approach (10-12 weeks) compared […]
Ravulizumab Showed Preclinical Promise for ALS. What Happened?
Ravulizumab (Ultomiris), a terminal complement C5 inhibitor, did not improve functional status and survival in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the phase III CHAMPION-ALS trial showed. No significant difference between ravulizumab and placebo emerged in Combined Assessment of Function and Survival (CAFS) scores at week 50 (mean difference of 5.5 points, 95% CI -15.7 […]
Chronic Cough Drug Shows Some Benefit, but Taste-Related Events an Issue
MILAN — Twice-daily doses of the oral P2X3 receptor antagonist gefapixant may improve refractory or unexplained chronic cough, but at the cost of adverse events, a meta-analysis and systematic review found. Moderate-certainty evidence indicated that a 45-mg dose led to a small (17.6%, 95% CI 10.6-24.0) decrease in awake cough frequency, a small (16.0%, 95% […]
Intensive Pretransplant Consolidation in Older AML Fails to Improve Results
HOUSTON — Intensive consolidation treatment before allogeneic stem-cell transplant did not improve outcomes in older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a retrospective comparison showed. Relapse-free survival (RFS) at 2 years was virtually identical for patients who received intensive consolidation therapy (51%) and those who did not (50%). The intensive-therapy group had a trend toward […]
Iron Infusions Narrowly Miss the Mark for Clinical Benefit in Heart Failure
AMSTERDAM — Ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) did not go so far as to improve hard outcomes in people with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and iron deficiency in the well-powered HEART-FID trial, and it is questionable whether it is headed in that direction based on the totality of the evidence. Between study participants randomized […]
Surgery May Improve Dysphagia Outcomes in Kids With Sleep Apnea
Undergoing adenotonsillectomy may improve dysphagia outcomes in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and tonsil hypertrophy compared with watchful waiting with supportive care (WWSC), a secondary analysis of the randomized CHAT trial suggested. After 7 months, the prevalence of dysphagia — difficulty in swallowing — decreased by 21.3% (95% CI 13.5-28.9) in patients who underwent […]
5 Habits That Can Drastically Improve Your Brain Health
Cavan Images via Getty Images There are a few daily habits that can improve your cognitive function and lower your risk for Alzheimer’s. As crucial as our brains are to our ability to function, they don’t get nearly the attention that certain muscle groups (or even wrinkles) do. Unless we’re dealing with a serious condition, […]
Adjuvant Everolimus Falls Short in High-Risk Renal Cancer
Adjuvant everolimus (Afinitor) failed to significantly improve recurrence-free survival (RFS) in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who were at high risk for recurrence after nephrectomy, according to results from a randomized phase III trial. The so-called EVEREST study showed that among 1,545 patients with histologically confirmed RCC who had undergone a full surgical resection, […]