Health News Roundup: Liquid biopsy identifies who can skip chemo after colon cancer surgery -study; Gilead drug modestly delays breast cancer progression in a late-stage trial and more

The following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Liquid biopsy identifies who can skip chemo after colon cancer surgery -study

The following are summaries of some of the cancer research advances being presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago. Liquid biopsy shows who can skip chemotherapy after colon surgery

Gilead drug modestly delays breast cancer progression in a late-stage trial

Gilead Sciences Inc’s Trodelvy extended by 1.5 months, or 34%, the length of time women with advanced stages of a common type of breast cancer lived without their worsening disease, according to trial data presented on Saturday. The Phase III study compared Trodelvy to chemotherapy in 543 patients with hormone-sensitive tumors that test negative for a receptor called HER2 and who had stopped responding to at least two earlier lines of therapy.

Baby formula shortage could ease as Abbott reopens Michigan plans

Abbott Laboratories said on Saturday that it has reopened its baby formula production plant in Sturgis, Michigan, taking a step toward alleviating an acute nationwide shortage that has sent parents scrambling for supplies. The company said it will begin production of EleCare and other specialty and metabolic formulas, with an initial EleCare product release to consumers beginning on or about June 20.

US doctors urged to test for monkeypox, CDC says the risk to public low

US health officials on Friday urged doctors to test for monkeypox if they suspect cases, saying there may be community-level spread but that the overall public health risk remained low. So far, there have been 21 cases of the disease in at least 11 states. Affected patients are isolated to help prevent the spreading of the virus, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials told reporters in a conference call.

Amgen drug extends survival in some inoperable colon cancers

The following are summaries of some of the cancer research advances being presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago. Amgen drug extends survival for some advanced colon cancers

Factbox-Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 528.73 million; 6,708,329 deaths

More than 528.73 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 6,708,329​ have died, according to a Reuters tally. Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.

Beijing to allow indoor dining, further easing COVID curbs

Beijing will further relax COVID-19 curbs by allowing indoor dining, as China’s capital steadily returns to normal with inflections falling, state media said on Sunday. Beijing and the commercial hub Shanghai have been returning to normal in recent days after two months of painful lockdowns to crush outbreaks of the Omicron variant.

N.Korea reports some 73,780 people with fever amid COVID-19 wave -KCNA

North Korea reported some 73,780 more people with fever symptoms amid its first-ever coronavirus outbreak, North Korean state media KCNA said on Sunday.

US FDA flags risk of heart inflammation after Novavax COVID vaccine

The US Food and Drug Administration has raised concerns about a possible risk of heart inflammation from Novavax Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine, even as the company’s data showed it could reduce the chances of mild-to-severe disease. In Novavax’s nearly 30,000 patient trial, conducted between December 2020 and September 2021, there were four cases of a type of heart inflammation called myocarditis detected within 20 days of taking the protein-based shot.

New data sets stage for broader use of AstraZeneca breast cancer drug

AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo’s Enhertu extended survival by more than six months in patients with a form of advanced breast cancer compared to standard chemotherapy, according to data presented on Sunday. The data, unveiled at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in Chicago, could open a large, new multibillion-dollar patient population for the drug that won US approval in late 2019 as a third-line treatment for the 15% of Breast cancer patients with HER2-positive disease.

(With inputs from agencies.)