CLINICAL NEWS
23 and ... Who, Me?
Primary-care providers aren’t yet sold on the
use of routine genetic testing of patients
for common chronic diseases, according to
results of a survey published in Health Affairs.
Of the 488 respondents:
74 % agreed that genetic
testing for common disease
risk was useful
70 % agreed that genetic
Raise a Glass to Your Health
The relationship between alcohol consumption and cancer risk and mortality is less clear-
cut than previously thought, according to a large-scale epidemiology study published in
PLOS Medicine.
medicine will improve clinical
outcomes within the next
5 years
This population-based cohort study included 99,654 adults participating in the U.S.
Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. As expected, heavy
drinkers had the highest risks of cancer incidence and mortality, but more surprisingly,
even never-drinkers had an increased risk.
Compared with light drinkers (1-3 drinks/week), the combined risk of cancer incidence or
death was:
10 (≥2 drinks/day)
higher for never-drinkers
%
9
% higher for heavy drinkers
While light drinkers who consumed less than 1 drink per day appeared to have the lowest
risk, the authors noted that “this evidence should not be taken to support a protective
effect of light drinking.”
Source: Kunzmann AT, Coleman HG, Huang W-Y, Berndt SI. The association of lifetime alcohol use with mortality and
cancer risk in older adults: a cohort study. PLOS Med. 2018 June 19. [Epub ahead of print]
But, only:
14 % reported that
they were confident about
interpreting genetic test results
25 % said they were ready
to take care of patients who
had genetic testing for
common diseases
Act Your Age
Many adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients with hematologic
malignancies are treated at adult centers, but a study published in Blood
Advances reveals that this younger group of patients has better outcomes
when treated at pediatric centers.
Of 1,473 AYA patients (aged 15-39 years) with acute lymphocytic
leukemia (ALL) enrolled in the California Cancer Registry
from 2004 to 2014, 998 (68%) received care in an adult
setting and 475 (32%) received care in a pediatric
setting.
Compared with treatment at an
adult center, treatment at a pediatric
center lowered the risk of death
substantially, with a 47% higher
rate of overall survival (hazard
ratio = 0.53; p<0.001).
“Physicians and treatment teams in pediatric …
cancer settings may be more experienced in caring for
[AYA patients with ALL],” the authors concluded, likely
because these centers uniformly use pediatric protocols.
pediatric
setting
adult
setting
Overall Survival
Source: Muffly L, Alvarez E, Lichtensztajn D, et al. Patterns of care and outcomes in adolescent
and young adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a population-based study. Blood Adv. 2018;2:895-
903.
ASHClinicalNews.org
“Even among primary-care providers who stated that they had had
formal genomics education and who had recently been trained, perceived
preparedness was low,” the authors wrote. “Interest in, enthusiasm for,
and experience with genetic testing were not associated with confidence in
[using this tool with patients].”
Source: Hauser D, Obeng AO, Fei K, et al. Views of primary care providers on testing patients for
genetic risks for common chronic diseases. Health Aff (Millwood). 2018;37:793-800.
ASH Clinical News
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