Medical Treatments

Screening Tests For Breast Cancer Genes Just Got Cheaper

12:21am April 27, 2015

by Rob Stein

A company has priced its test for mutations linked to breast and ovarian cancer at $249 — far less than the thousands of dollars another firm charges. But is there a downside for the worried well?

Queue Listen Now

Tylenol Might Dull Emotional Pain, Too

12:17am April 27, 2015

by Allison Aubrey

People who took acetaminophen responded less strongly to happy or sad photos in a small study. It's one of several studies suggesting that there's an overlap with pain and other feelings.

Queue Listen Now

Why Many Doctors Don't Follow 'Best Practices'

6:21pm April 24, 2015

by Anders Kelto

Doctors, it turns out, often don't follow evidence-based guidelines. One result? Unnecessary tests. Scientists who study this contrariness think they know why.

Queue Listen Now

FDA Ponders Putting Homeopathy To A Tougher Test

2:59pm April 22, 2015

by Rob Stein

Homeopathy's popularity has exploded in recent years. Now the Food and Drug Administration is considering whether homeopathic remedies should have to be proven safe and effective.

Queue Listen Now

Health & Safety

Physicians Urge Columbia To Fire Dr. Oz For Promoting 'Quack Treatments'

10:05pm April 17, 2015

NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with Michael Specter, staff writer at The New Yorker about some physicians' calls for Columbia University to sever ties with TV's Dr. Oz.

Queue Listen Now

MaryAnn Anselmo has started to sing again after recovering from brain surgery and having successful treatment with a drug that targeted a mutation in her tumor cells.

Health & Safety

Why Doctors Are Trying A Skin Cancer Drug To Treat A Brain Tumor

3:27pm April 17, 2015

A drug that's effective in patients with certain forms of melanoma is being tested as a treatment for other cancers whose genetic code contains an identical mutation.

Queue Listen Now

Catharine Becker of Fullerton, Calif., was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer at 43 despite having a clean mammogram. The mother of three didn't know she had dense breast tissue until after she was diagnosed.

Health & Safety

Letters About Dense Breasts Can Lead To More Questions Than Answers

4:18pm April 16, 2015

by Barbara Feder Ostrov

Nearly half the states in the U.S. require that women be notified if mammograms detect that they have dense breasts. Critics say the information raises anxiety more than it improves care.

Will the health plan pay for the contraceptives the doctor prescribes?

Health & Safety

Study: Insurers Fail To Cover All Prescribed Contraceptives

1:38pm April 16, 2015

by Anders Kelto

An analysis of health plans in five states found limited or no coverage for some forms of contraception. Insurers sometimes imposed copays or required women to pay the full cost of the contraceptives.

Sequencing the genes of a cancer cell turns up lots of genetic mutations — but some of them are harmless. The goal is to figure out which mutations are the troublemakers.

Personalizing Cancer Treatment With Genetic Tests Can Be Tricky

6:52pm April 15, 2015

by Richard Harris

Genetic profiling of cancer cells can help guide treatment, but such profiles can be ambiguous. Results would be more accurate if all labs tested normal cells from each patient, too.

Queue Listen Now

Anne Koller closes her eyes as an oncology nurse attaches a line for chemotherapy to a port in her chest. Koller typically spends three to six hours getting each treatment.

Big Bills A Hidden Side Effect Of Cancer Treatment

2:13pm April 15, 2015

by Sarah Jane Tribble

Cancer treatment is increasingly expensive, even for patients who have insurance. Some doctors advocate discussing the costs of cancer treatment as they would hair loss, pain or other side effects.

Queue Listen Now