Value Peer-spectives

In a new study funded by the National Cancer Institute and the University of Michigan Clinical Research Center, inexpensive ginger supplements reduced markers of colon inflammation, indicating that ginger root may be beneficial in preventing colon cancer (Zick SM, et al. Cancer Prev Res [Phila]. 2011 Oct 11. Epub ahead of print).

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a promising approach for differentiating which patients with inoperable lung cancer will and will not benefit from additional treatment after standard chemotherapy/radiation therapy.

Another report in the same issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine focuses on the relevance of 3 concepts that can help in understanding the value of clinical interventions for those involved in clinical decisions (Owens DK, et al. Ann Intern Med. 2011;154:174-180).

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued a report (Wonderling D, et al. Ann Intern Med. 2011;154:758-765) explaining the process and value of cost-effectiveness assessments and how these inform recommendations and decisions regarding clinical questions made by the UK National Clinical Guidelines Centre.

The most recent mammography screening recommendations call on women to begin annual screening for breast cancer at age 40 years, regardless of their risk for the disease.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted priority review for the investigational drug ruxolitinib as a potential treatment for patients with myelofibrosis, a blood cancer with few treatment options.

New results from the National Lung Cancer Screening Trial have shown that in individuals at high risk for lung cancer, screening with lowdose computed tomography (CT) significantly reduces mortality in this subpopulation (N Engl J Med. 2011;365:395-409).

In July, the United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) approved the use of thalidomide (Thalomid) for the first-line treatment of multiple myeloma in patients in whom high-dose chemotherapy with stem-cell transplantation is deemed inappropriate.

The immunochemical fecal occult blood test (iFOBT), a new version of the traditional FOBT, has demonstrated 90% specificity in detecting colon growths.