Cuts hit cancer patients—foreshadowing broader limits under federal health care law

[koshergrl]

"Starting this month, cancer clinics across the country have begun turning away thousands of Medicare patients, citing the Federal sequester budget cuts.
Oncologists took a 2% funding cut, and they say that it makes it impossible to administer expensive chemotherapy drugs if they are to remain open. Large numbers of patients at these clinics are being told to seek treatment elsewhere, such as at hospitals."


Cuts hit cancer patients?foreshadowing broader limits under federal health care law | NRL News Today

 

[koshergrl]

Scary.

"
In a joint statement from the Community Oncology Alliance, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the International Oncology Network, and US Oncology Network, they reported that 72% of cancer clinics (when surveyed) plan to deny new Medicare patients or send all Medicare patients to the hospital for treatment due to the cuts. Disrupting cancer treatment for tens of thousands will no doubt put many lives at risk.
But the situation is even worse for those patients currently enrolled in clinical trials. These kinds of trials are the critical step in advancing cancer treatments and new drugs that will be used to more effectively treat future patients. Because of the complexity and small size of these trials, their ability to simply go someplace else for treatment is either limited or impossible.
Not only will current patients have their care disrupted and possibly delayed, but future treatments and cures will be impacted. This one sector, cancer clinics for Medicare patients, is feeling the pain of cuts today.
However, under provisions of the 2010 health care law, the Federal Government will begin imposing similar limits across all health sectors after 2015."

Cuts hit cancer patients?foreshadowing broader limits under federal health care law | NRL News Today

 

[koshergrl]

"
The 2010 federal law creates an Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), an 18-member cost-cutting board. In addition to having authority to limit Medicare reimbursement rates, IPAB also has a key role in suppressing nongovernmental health care spending.
IPAB is instructed to make recommendations to limit what all Americans are legally allowed to spend for their health care so as to hold it below the rate of medical inflation through 2017, and thereafter to the per-person growth in the Gross Domestic Product plus one percent."

Cuts hit cancer patients?foreshadowing broader limits under federal health care law | NRL News Today

 

[waltky]

Monitoring chemo damage to children's hearts...

MRI detects early damage to chemotherapy child hearts
10 June 2013 > Detecting early damage to a child's heart following chemotherapy is possible using MRI scans, says a study from Canada.

Even when children's heart function appeared to be normal, a new MRI method of mapping the heart was able to identify damage, University of Alberta researchers said. A UK cardiologist said the impact of anthracycline treatment on children's hearts was only now being understood. Early detection was crucial, he said. While chemotherapy treatment with anthracyclines is known to be effective against many types of cancer, it can lead to irreversible changes to the heart muscle which may not become apparent until several years after treatment.

Writing in the Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, the researchers said they performed MRI scans on children and young adults aged seven to 19 who were in remission following this type of treatment. Using an emerging MRI method called T1 mapping, they said they were able to identify the early effects on patients' hearts. This happened even in children whose heart function appeared normal by ultrasound. Dr Edythe Tham and Dr Richard Thompson, who led the study, said: "In childhood cancer survivors, MRI changes were related to anthracycline dose given to the children. "These changes are also mirrored by thinning of the heart wall and a reduction in the exercise capacity."

Early protection

Dr Chris Plummer, consultant cardiologist at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, said the side effects of chemotherapy were well-known. "Chemotherapy with anthracyclines is a very effective treatment for cancer but it can be quite toxic to the heart. "We've known that for a long time but the number of children affected is only becoming appreciated now. "We have to look for ways to protect the heart and intervene earlier when damage occurs. "Waiting for visible heart damage to appear is too long to wait."

But Dr Plummer said carrying out an MRI scan of a child's heart was not an easy thing to do. "Scanning the heart is more difficult than other organs because it is constantly in motion. But with modern scanners the images are fantastic. "It's the best way of looking at the structure and function of the heart - and it's entirely safe. "It is an excellent way of precisely monitoring heart function in children."

BBC News - MRI detects early damage to chemotherapy child hearts