Guardant Health’s Post

What exactly is evidence-based medicine? Check out the latest "Decoding Health Care" installment for Dr. Michael Kolodziej's take on evidence-based medicine and how it's shaping cancer care.

A new study identifies an easily measured biophysical property that can identify Type 2 diabetics at increased risk for liver cancer who don't meet current screening guidelines. https://buff.ly/3TiaRWP #Research #LifeSciences #Health #Biorealty

WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: Elder patients with advanced cancer may benefit from lower, adjusted doses of #chemotherapy agents, new study suggests. Human physiology changes throughout life. Just as we know that children are not “small adults” and we should not simply halve the dose of a drug given to a grown up, it may be high time we do more research on the elder and how they metabolise #drugs and respond to a variety of treatment regimens. Extrapolating what happens in a normal mid-aged adult may be an error worth assessing and correcting. #cancer #oncology #geriatics #elderly #seniors #internalmedicine #familymedicine #healthcare #health #

https://lnkd.in/eFZGvaVF Fantastic science and it clearly demonstrates what lies ahead in this remarkable field of bio-technology. I found it curious that the authors felt that its use could be for those in definite high risk groups. We all know that the issue with PCA is that, by and large (despite being ‘rare’) it presents to the patient and primary care doctor at a very advanced stage ( for a myriad of reasons) and my own humble conscience tells me that (on the basis they dismiss high cost) this is a test for “all seasons” (even with the additional Ca-19-9 blood test) and for anyone over a certain age and presenting with vague upper abdominal pain and a normal endoscopy to exclude other more common causes. Maybe they are being professionally conservative (as scientists often are, justly so) but this technology demands huge funding to look at the clinical utility across the range of all adults over 45 ( we can argue about the cut offs in due course).  Pancreatic Cancer is generally an abysmal diagnosis. Let’s utilise our energies and opportunities to change that depressing fact. Unaltered for decades. Please, let’s define an affordable screening strategy. A Nobel prize awaits. At least…

New from JN Learning: Molecular Alterations and Comprehensive Clinical Management Oncocytic Thyroid Carcinoma https://lnkd.in/gWgnBHXQ

Organ-based tumor classification needs to be revised. This notion is fully consistent with the results we have obtained using the Netabolics genome-scale biosimulation platform, which showed that the specific metabolic phenotypes (metabotypes) of cancer cells have almost no correlation with tumor's primary site. Our abstract at the REPO4EU RExPO24 conference: https://lnkd.in/dzJmENtR [the full publication is in preparation] About the metabotype-based approach: https://lnkd.in/dK6Z_jG4

"Diabetes accelerates the development of atherosclerosis, increasing the incidence of cardiovascular events. In atherosclerosis, immune cells called macrophages release molecules such as chemokines and cytokines, causing inflammation and leading to arterial plaque formation. However, significant gaps persist in understanding the exact molecular mechanisms controlling this increased inflammatory response in individuals with diabetes. In a new, preclinical study, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham health care system, identified a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) sequence that could help them unravel the complex processes underlying diabetic atherosclerosis, potentially paving the way for future therapeutic interventions in humans. The work has been published in Cell Reports." #diabetes #atherosclerosis

A PLEA TO STOP ORGAN-BASED MEDICINE Not only in #cancer, but in #medicine in general, the #organ-based #taxonomy of #diseases is one of the major roadblocks in biomedical #innovation. As long as we keep doing that, we ill-define diseases and maximally are able to treat symptoms. Curing is out of reach with such a structure of medicine and medical #research.

Germline testing is pivotal for personalized breast cancer treatment, yet it remains underutilized, especially among minorities and rural populations. Dr. Sonya Reid emphasizes the need for simplified guidelines and better clinical education. Key Points: 🩺 Importance: Guides screening, risk-reducing surgeries, and treatment decisions. 🚧 Barriers: Cost, lack of recommendations, and shortage of genetic health professionals. 💡 Solutions: Simplify guidelines, integrate telemedicine, and enhance provider education. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gJvCwhuy

With no existing cure for Alzheimer’s disease, early prediction is crucial. But with current diagnostic tools both costly and invasive, plasma biomarkers could herald a new era for Alzheimer’s diagnosis. In this blog, IQVIA Biotech's Olja Tanjga explores this non-invasive and cost-effective approach. https://bit.ly/3SWC9lh #CNS #AlzheimersDisease #biomarkers #clinicaltrials