According to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 14.6% of veterans enrolled for VHA care reported being a current cigarette smoker in 2018.
Corticosteroids Don’t Appear to Affect Treatment Response in SCLC
Does corticosteroid use affects treatment response to chemotherapy and immune-checkpoint inhibitors (CICPIs) in some types of advanced lung cancer.
Inherited Predisposition Could Change Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment
A new study involving federal medicine researchers raised the question of whether small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an inherited predisposition. The answer is important because it opens the possibility of using targeted therapies based on the genes involved.
Older Veterans Present Special Challenges for Prostate Cancer Treatment
About 38% of the patients receiving care at the VA’s healthcare system served in the military during the Vietnam War era and have an average age fast approaching 70.
Prostate Cancer Treatment Options Significantly Expand for Veterans
The 15,000 veterans who will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2021 have access to more and better treatments than ever.
VA Researchers Battle to Lower Prostate Cancer Death Rate in Black Veterans
When the Prostate Cancer Foundation entered into a partnership with the VA to fight the common condition, an added benefit was the stepped-up effort to increase the number of minority patients enrolled in PCF studies.
Prostate Cancer Care at VA Changed Significantly in Last Decade
Over the past decade, how prostate cancer is detected and treated at VA healthcare facilities has changed gradually but significantly.
Depression Complicates Prostate Cancer Treatment in a Fourth of VA Patients
Caring for prostate cancer patients often involves much more than managing the urological symptoms. Research increasingly shows that mental health can affect how well those men respond to treatment.
VA’s Tele-Oncology Services Proved Beneficial During COVID-19 Shutdowns
Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, 2,749 face-to-face visits for medical oncology and 5,093 visits for radiation oncology occurred at the Ann Arbor, MI, VAMC from June 2019 to December 2019.
Legislators Disagree on When, How VA Should Deal With Aging Facilities
The average age of VA’s healthcare facilities is now more than 50 years old. As those buildings have aged, the cost of maintaining them has risen, and VA has not always been able to keep up.
VA Recharges Efforts to Tackle In-House Equity, Inclusion, Diversity Issues
VA needs to do more to ensure workforce equity, inclusion and diversity, especially in its senior leadership roles, according to legislators and employee advocates.
Infrastructure Costs to Modernize VA Could Cost Billions Extra
VA might have underestimated the physical infrastructure costs related to its electronic health record modernization effort by billions according to a VA Inspector General report analyzing the project costs.
Best Strategies Determined for Stage 1 NSCLC in Veterans
What is the best strategy for managing veterans with stage 1 non-small cell lung cancer with co-morbid chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or coronary artery disease?
Metformin Shows Promise in Treating Asthma-COPD Combination
A common diabetes drug has been shown to improve respiratory outcomes in asthma but its effects on COPD and the combination of asthma and COPD remained unknown.
WRAIR Tests Vaccine for COVID-19—and Future Pathogens
At Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, flexibility has been the watchword of the last 18 months. The team at WRAIR pivoted quickly from other work to focus on developing a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 as soon as the scientific community had access to the full genome in January 2020.
Military Survey Shows Preferences for HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Delivery
Use of pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent human immunodeficiency virus transmission remains relatively low for U.S. military servicemembers. New research suggests, however, that better understanding their treatment preferences could increase uptake.
Veterans With HIV Are Diagnosed With Heart Failure Earlier Than Those Without
Individuals infected with HIV have up to twice the risk of cardiovascular disease and an increased risk of heart failure (HF) compared to those without HIV
No Racial Disparity in Multiple Myeloma Treatment at VA
While recent studies have identified a significant and increasing disparity in survival among African American and Caucasian patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma in the United States, that does not appear to be the case at the VA.