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01 / 05
Breast Cancer Death Rate Dropped 58 Percent over 44 Years in US

Washington Post | Noncommunicable Disease

Breast Cancer Death Rate Dropped 58 Percent over 44 Years in US

“The mortality rate for U.S. women with breast cancer fell an estimated 58 percent from 1975 to 2019, according to research published in JAMA that credits the decline to advances in screening and treatments.

Nearly half (47 percent) of the reduction was attributed to earlier and more effective treatment of those with Stage 1, 2 or 3 breast cancer. (With staging, generally the lower the number, the less the cancer has spread.)

In addition, about 25 percent of the drop was attributed to improved mammography screening and about 29 percent to better treatment of metastatic breast cancer, meaning cancer that has spread.”

From Washington Post.

STAT | Noncommunicable Disease

New Mosquito Nets Prevented 13 Million Malaria Cases in Pilot Programs

“Results shared this week by the New Nets Project, an initiative funded by Unitaid and the Global Fund, highlighted a pair of second-generation bed nets tested in endemic areas between 2019 and 2022. About 56 million nets were distributed in Burkina Faso, Benin, and Côte d’Ivoire, among other countries, and several pilot studies found that the new nets were between 20% and 50% more effective than traditional ones in reducing mosquito exposure and reduced the risk of infection by up to 55%. Overall, the New Net Project estimated the nets helped prevent up to 13 million additional cases of malaria, saving close to 25,000 lives.”

From STAT.

New York Times | Health & Medical Care

AI Could Spot Breast Cancer Earlier

“Clinics around the country are starting to offer patients a new service: having their mammograms read not just by a radiologist, but also by an artificial intelligence model. The hospitals and companies that provide these tools tout their ability to speed the work of radiologists and detect cancer earlier than standard mammograms alone.”

From New York Times.

Wall Street Journal | Noncommunicable Disease

The New, More-Hopeful Face of Alzheimer’s Disease

“For as long as I’ve been practicing medicine, Alzheimer’s disease has been, essentially, a death sentence. You give the diagnosis, and you prepare the patient and the family for the worst.

Until now…

Thanks to new developments in the early detection and management of Alzheimer’s, as well as new medications, many patients can slow the course of the disease and boost their well-being. The result is that more Alzheimer’s patients are able to live relatively normal lives for much longer than previously—several years, at least, and often longer.”

From Wall Street Journal.

MIT Technology Review | Noncommunicable Disease

Newest Experimental Epilepsy Treatment: Brain-Cell Transplants

“Stem cells could badly use a win. There are plenty of shady health clinics that say stem cells will cure anything, and many people who believe it. In reality, though, turning these cells into cures has been a slow-moving research project that, so far, hasn’t resulted in any approved medicines.

But that could change, given the remarkable early results of Neurona’s tests on the first five volunteers. Of those, four, including Graves, are reporting that their seizures have decreased by 80% and more. There are also improvements in cognitive tests.”

From MIT Technology Review.