DALLAS – Use of direct-acting antiviral therapy to essentially cure hepatitis C virus does not completely eliminate the risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma, but recent studies suggest it can significantly reduce mortality rates. The 15% to 20% of HCV patients...
Many Veterans With Cirrhosis Still Abuse Alcohol, Despite Dangers
Study Looks at What Percentage Actually Get Help at VA PITTSBURGH—Among veterans presenting for first-time care within the VA healthcare system, about 11% meet the criteria for a diagnosis of substance use disorder. Most prevalent among both male and female veterans,...
A Quick Call In VA System Almost Triples HCC Surveillance Rates
LOS ANGELES—Sometimes the simplest interventions work best. That’s what the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System discovered in its attempts to increase the number of veterans with cirrhosis who received regular surveillance for hepatocellular cancer (HCC)....
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SEATTLE – Can autologous stem cell transplantation extend remission of mantle cell lymphoma? A study published in the journal Blood Research said the procedure could do that but also cautioned that the management of subsequent MCL relapse can be challenging. VA Puget...
Military Musculoskeletal Injuries Compromise Readiness, Drive Disability Claims
Most Aren’t Related to Combat BETHESDA, MD—Three-quarters of medically nondeployable servicemembers are out of commission as a result of musculoskeletal injuries, and the vast majority of those injuries come from training and sports activities, according to a recent...
Army Institutes Programs to Minimize Soldiers’ Training Injuries
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD—How can the Army maintain fitness, promote combat-readiness and minimize injuries? The Army Public Health Center at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland has been investigating options and sharing ideas for three decades, with mixed...
New and Emerging Devices Could Transform Musculoskeletal Surgeries
Several recently approved devices have the potential to improve outcomes for service members and veterans with musculoskeletal injuries. Additional promising devices and procedures are now in testing. Some notable innovations include: Barricaid Annular Closure Device:...
DoD/VA Take Aim at Musculoskeletal Injuries with Innovation, Data
BESTHESDA, MD—For traumatic musculoskeletal injuries, the Military Health System (MHS) provides cutting-edge care as it continues to pioneer new techniques to preserve limbs and restore function. For more mundane, yet frequently disabling injuries, both the VA and DoD...
Negative Direct-to-Consumer Ads About DOAC Bleeding Kept Veterans Off the Drugs
Direct acting oral anticoagulants have a lower risk of major bleeding than warfarin and clinicians have had options for controlling major bleeds for several years. That’s not the message patients have heard, though.
DOAC Uses Rapidly Expand
Dabigatran, apixaban, edoxaban and rivaroxaban all have FDA approval for use to reduce the risk of stroke and blood clots in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and treatment of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Dabigatran, apixaban and rivaroxaban are also indicated for the prevention of blood clots after hip or knee replacement surgery.
Safer, Simpler, Reversible: DOACs Reshape Anticoagulation Therapy in VA
PALO ALTO, CA — Ten years ago choosing an anticoagulation therapy boiled down to Warfarin or—Warfarin. Today, physicians and patients in the VA and elsewhere have more anticoagulant choices than ever. and those newer options have largely displaced Warfarin for many indications.
DOACs Often Best for Complex Patients Because of Fewer Drug Interactions
IOWA CITY, IA — About one-third of VA patients have three or more chronic conditions.1 Ironically, for many of them, that complexity makes choosing between warfarin and a direct acting oral anticoagulant easier.
Mental Health Treatment Alone Won’t Stem Veteran Suicides
Joint House VA, Military Subcommittee Hearing Tackles Issue WASHINGTON—In a rare joint hearing by the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel and VA Subcommittee on Health, legislators examined how DoD and VA are working to address the increase in...
Military Spouse/Lawyer Helps Overcome Career Barriers to Moves
As an attorney for the Board of Veterans Appeals, Libby Jamison, JD, has a front seat to stories of individuals mired in red tape who are struggling to get their needs met by what can feel like an overwhelming bureaucracy. As a practicing lawyer who’s also the spouse...
AKI Risk With RCC, Other Cancers Requires Oncologist/Nephrologist Teamwork
Options for treatment of renal cell carcinoma are multiplying. Patients are benefiting from rising survival rates but also must be managed to minimize acute kidney injury from cancer treatment, with nephrectomy the greatest risk in RCC. That means more teamwork...
VA Continues to Grapple with Reducing Mortality, Disability in MS Patients
A new study looks at factors to improve survival rates in veterans with multiple sclerosis. VA’s efforts don’t stop there, however. The healthcare system has a multipronged effort to reduce disability and improve quality of life in MS patients, especially those with...
FDA Uses Speedy New Process to Approve First Drug for Newly Diagnosed PTCL
Until last fall, no established standard of care existed for newly diagnosed peripheral T-cell lymphoma. But, using a new process, the Food and Drug Administration agreed to expand the indications for brentuximab vedotin only two weeks after receiving an application....
Incidence of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Rises Quickly in U.S. Military
NASLD Is A Leading Risk Factor for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Over the last 17 years, the incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease among active-duty U.S. military servicemembers leapt from 12.6 cases per 100,000 person-years to 152.8. In the short term, military...
Treating Type 2 Diabetes to Improve Cardiovascular Health
Because of their cardiovascular protective effects, SGLT2 inhibitors have been a game-changer in Type 2 diabetes treatment. That is especially the case, now that the FDA has approved a new indication for canagliflozin to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular...
Technology Intervention Improves Continuity of Care for VA Schizophrenia Patients
An estimated 4% of veterans in care at the VA have a diagnosis of schizophrenia, and they are among the greatest users of healthcare resources. That’s why VA is piloting innovative programs to provide continuity of care to schizophrenia patients. One example is a...
While Screening More for Lung Cancer, VA Grapples with Getting Veterans to Follow Up
With veterans at generally higher risk of lung cancer for a variety of reasons, the VA is seeking to catch cases earlier by instituting widespread screening. The healthcare system is facing a difficult challenge, however: A sizable percentage of veterans whose scans...
Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Infections On the Increase in VA’s COPD Patients
Inhaled Steroids a Factor Veterans with COPD have been hit hard by an increase in nontuberculous mycobacteria infections. Researchers suggest that treatment with inhaled steroids appears to play a role in the rising rates, but many other factors also are involved. The...
DHA Considers Expanding Continuous Glucose Monitoring Coverage to Type 2 Diabetes
Results of a range of studies are conclusive: Continuous glucose monitoring can improve glycemic control and reduce hypoglycemia risks in patients with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Now, the Defense Health Agency, which tightly controls use of the technology...
VA Continues to Improve Management of Deadly Hepatocellular Carcinoma
WASHINGTON—With the number of veterans being diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma continuing to rise, the VA has implemented several new initiatives to improve outcomes for patients with this aggressive cancer. The most common type of liver cancer, HCC is the...
Rising Rates of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Drive Up Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cases
HOUSTON—A new epidemic appears poised to overtake hepatitis C as the leading cause of hepatocellular carcinoma.
HCC Risk Remains for Some, Even After Hepatitis C is Cured
HOUSTON—The VA has announced that it expects to eliminate hepatitis C in all veterans willing and able to receive treatment by May of this year. Successful treatment for HCV also dramatically reduces the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma and other complications. The VA...
Federal Medicine Clinicians Now Have Many More Treatment Options for HCC
RICHMOND, VA—For more than a decade after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved sorafenib for hepatocellular cancer, treatment options for the aggressive malignancy remained static. That changed dramatically in the last 24 months as five drugs received...
Amid Concerns, VA Says It Is ‘Turning a Corner’ on Cybersecurity
The management and upkeep of information technology structures has historically been a challenge for federal agencies.
Military E-Prescriptions Exceed 50% Goal Set Three Years Ago
FALLS CHURCH, VA — As of January 2018, 54% of prescriptions filled by MTFs were submitted electronically, exceeding the initial goal of 50% set when the e-prescribing program first rolled out three years ago.
Inhaled Pollutants Spur Nonallergic Respiratory Symptoms
A paucity of information exists on air quality and rhinitis in the pathophysiology of upper airway disease