Latest news with #cancerSurvivors
Daily Mail
01-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Urgent warning as prescription drug taken by tens of thousands recalled due to cancer risk
Health officials have urgently recalled a common daily pill taken by cancer survivors over fears some batches may not work. UK medicines watchdog the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) stuck an alert on one batch of Tamoxifen 20mg tablets. It is feared the drug may not dissolve into the bloodstream effectively after failing routine dissolution tests. But the MHRA, which published the alert, said it had not yet received any complaints or reports of harm from patients who had taken the 30-pack tablets. The recall only impacts one batch of the pills, manufactured by Wockhardt UK Limited, with the batch number HZ10030 and an expiry date of April 30, 2027. Tamoxifen is a daily pill taken by around 550,000 British breast cancer survivors. It can slash their risk of recurrence after treatment by up to 45 per cent. It's also offered to women with a strong family history of the disease, as it cuts their odds of ever developing it. Tablets and capsules taken orally remain one of the most commonly used means of providing treatment. Dissolution tests are commonly conducted to check the time taken for the active ingredient in a dosage form to release into the body and help predict how the drug performs inside the body. The effectiveness of these drugs relies on the drug dissolving in the fluids of the gastrointestinal tract prior to absorption into the blood stream. The dissolution procedure is an important test both to evaluate safety, predict efficacy and stability with respect to manufacturing and storage conditions. The MHRA said patients should continue to take medicines as prescribed by your healthcare professional. The recall is being actioned at the pharmacy and wholesaler level as a precautionary measure.
Medscape
25-06-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Cancer Survivors Are Skipping the Primary Care Doctor
Fewer than half of cancer survivors visit a primary care clinician during their fifth through seventh years following their diagnosis, according to a new study published in JCO Oncology Practice . 'Primary care providers' engagement with cancer survivors is viewed as really important, not just for detection of a recurrence or a new cancer but to manage chronic diseases that are not cancer-related, like diabetes, and diseases caused or complicated by cancer treatment, like cardiovascular disease,' said Sarah Birken, PhD, associate professor at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and an author of the study. Previous research found cancer survivors have improved health outcomes for comorbid conditions when primary care clinicians are involved in their care. The study included 516 survivors of breast, colorectal, or uterine cancer treated at the Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Winston-Salem. Birken and her colleagues linked cancer registry data to outpatient visits with a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant working in family or internal medicine. Fewer than half (43%) of patients had one of these visits in years 5, 6, and 7 following their initial diagnosis, defined as 'sustained' engagement. Those with sustained engagement were 4.6 years older, on average, than those who did not have these visits. The odds of engaging with a primary care clinician rose by 36% for every decade older a person was at the time of cancer diagnosis. Previous Research Birken said the findings reinforce those of a 2023 study which found 40% of patients diagnosed with breast cancer reported communicating with primary care clinicians less over time. Kevin Oeffinger, MD, professor at the Duke University School of Medicine and founding director of the Duke Cancer Institute Center for Onco-Primary Care, Durham, North Carolina, said he was surprised by the findings because of the research showing the importance of primary care in the follow-up of cancer survivors. 'The study highlights the need for better collaboration between primary care providers and oncologists,' Oeffinger, author of an editorial accompanying the journal article, told Medscape Medical News . A 2005 report by the Institute of Medicine recommended clinicians who coordinate oncology treatment provide patients a survivorship care plan. Despite 20 years of work since the report, 'there does not appear to be an overall improvement in the quality transition of survivors from the oncology team to the primary care team or evidence that shared care is becoming the norm,' Oeffinger and his coauthors wrote in the editorial. Going Forward Birken and her colleagues said their findings should be used to promote engagement of primary care clinicians in long-term care of these patients. However, she cited some challenges to achieving this goal. Oncologists must have connections with a large number of primary care clinicians for referrals. Primary care clinicians are also often disconnected from patient care during cancer treatments. Birken said one of the notable findings in the study younger patients were less likely to have visits with primary care clinicians. 'We know that people are being diagnosed with cancer at younger and younger ages, and so an implication of this study could be that we're setting ourselves up for things to worsen with respect to primary care engagement,' Birken said. 'Younger people tend to be less engaged in healthcare; after so many oncology visits following a cancer diagnosis, primary care my feel like yet another unwanted provider visit.' The study was supported by a grant from the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Center. Oeffinger reported being a consultant for and having stock and other ownership interests in Maia Oncology and receiving research funding from GRAIL.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Relay for Life ice cream social slated for July 8
Jun. 13—The Relay for Life of Freeborn-Mower Committee has set the date for its annual Ice Cream Social. The Ice Cream Social will be held from 4-6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 8 at the Albert Lea American Legion (142 N Broadway). All cancer survivors and caregivers are encouraged to attend and the event is free and open to all. Luminaries will be available for a $10 donation. All are encouraged to bring pictures and craft supplies to decorate your luminaries.
CBS News
02-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Colorado survivors gather to mark National Cancer Survivors Day with stories of hope, healing and community
More than 100 cancer survivors gathered at Fiddler's Green on Sunday morning to mark National Cancer Survivors Day with stories of hope, healing, and community. The annual event, themed Honoring Strength and Resilience, offered an opportunity for survivors to reconnect, celebrate their milestones, and pay tribute to those who supported them through their cancer journeys. Nancy Duncan gives Sarah Scannapieco a hug at the National Cancer Survivors Day event. CBS For Nancy Duncan, a Littleton resident, the celebration marked not just her survival, but a full-circle moment of gratitude and giving back. In 2022, Nancy was diagnosed with an aggressive Stage 3 triple-negative breast cancer, a rare and fast-moving form of the disease. "When I first met with the oncologist, I asked about my quality of life," Nancy recalled. "I didn't think I'd be here today." As someone who describes herself as "Type A" — always in control — Nancy said it was difficult to let others step in and help. But she found unexpected strength in the team at AdventHealth Littleton, including her oncology nurse, Sarah Scannapieco, who stood by her throughout her treatment. CBS "There aren't many treatment options for triple-negative breast cancer," Nancy said. "It has to be treated with chemotherapy right away to stop it from growing. It's terrifying when you first hear the diagnosis — I did what no one should do and Googled it." Sarah, her nurse and now dear friend, remembers that time clearly. "We see patients weekly, sometimes daily, for months at a time," Sarah said. "You form strong bonds. They become like a second family to us." Sunday's event was a joyful reunion for Nancy and Sarah, reconnecting after a transformative year for Nancy. "It gives you hope. It gives you guidance. Happiness. All of it," Sarah said of the event. "It's really nice to see everyone come together." National Cancer Survivors Day event at Fiddler's Green. CBS Now two and a half years in remission, Nancy continues her journey with purpose. Through the American Cancer Society's Road to Recovery program, she volunteers by driving cancer patients to and from their treatment appointments — a way of giving back to the community that helped her heal.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Cancer 5K run and walk at Grant Park honors survivors, raises money for research
CHICAGO — It's a club very few of us would ever want to be a part of and one by which so many are affected by in one way or another. Along the lakefront at Grant Park, a walk to celebrate cancer survivors and raise money for research was held on Sunday, which marked National Cancer Survivors Day. 'I'm a survivor, prostate cancer,' Jesus Flores said. His mom, Nancy Howarter, had been given a grim diagnosis multiple times. She is still here. 'I've survived pancreatic cancer, thyroid cancer. I've been living with cancer for 40 years. My son is a prostate cancer survivor,' Howarter said. 'I'm happy to be here.' There are stories that touch nearly everyone today. WGN's Mike Lowe was among the attendees. 'Nobody wants to be here in these purple shirts,' Lowe said. 'When you walk this path together, it's so much easier than when you're walking it alone. To be with all of these great people here today, not only in the purple shirts, but the gray shirts as well. Those are family members are friends and supporters who has helped us along the path.' Through walks and runs just like Sunday's is where money is raised — money that has changed many aspects of how we fight cancer and the survival rates that come with those advances in science. 'It's very clear that the cancer mortality rates are decreasing sharply. That's due to better diagnosis, better treatments, in all different areas, but it's not good enough,' Erik Von Borcke, President of AbbVie Oncology, said. Folks attended the walk to support the Lurie Cancer Center at Northwestern Hospital and one another. In hopes of not only changing the survival rates but ending cancer. 'We understand we have new technology and bringing them all together that they are at the right time, the right place, so that the patients that have the disease, they can be treated immediately,' Von Borcke said. 'That's what we're celebrating with those walks and runs.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
