Date Time
Study shows sharp decline in cancer screenings and diagnoses during first COVID-19 surge
Focusing on the largest health care system in the Northeast, the study is among the first to document the pandemic’s impact on cancer screening and diagnosis.
Screening and diagnoses rebounded in the months following the first surge of the pandemic.
The authors urge those who delayed screenings during the height of the pandemic to contact their health care provider to discuss the potential need to reschedule one.
In one of the first studies to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer diagnoses, researchers at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center document a substantial decline in cancer and precancer diagnoses at the Northeast’s largest health care system during the first peak of the pandemic because of a drop in the number of cancer screening tests performed.
New Study Finds Mental Health Effects of Common Hair Loss Drug
A new study reviews the negative psychological side-effects associated with a commonly used hair loss drug finasteride.
A new study, published in
JAMA Dermatology, examines associations between suicidality and other negative psychological side effects and finasteride, a commonly used hair loss drug. The researchers found that finasteride may be linked to suicidality and adverse psychological events in men younger than 45 years-old prescribed the drug to treat hair loss.
The researchers urge clinicians to be cautious when prescribing this medication and to be aware of any potential negative psychological side effects shown by their patients. They also highlight the need for further research to be conducted to gain a clearer understanding of the relationship between finasteride and mental health issues. The researchers, led by Dr. Quoc-Dien Trinh, of the Division of Urologic Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital,