The David Rubenstein Show: Dr. David Agus M.D.
He was physician to the late Apple founder Steve Jobs and former American politician and professional football player Jack Kemp. Dr. David Agus M.D., is a prominent oncologist and medical researcher who says that when it comes to treating cancer, there's been tremendous progress, but there's still a long way to go. In an episode of "The David Rubenstein Show: Peer to Peer Conversations," Dr. Agus discussed the progress and challenges in cancer treatment, importance of early detection and how technologies like AI and stem cell therapies could transform healthcare in the future. This interview was recorded February 24 in New York. (Source: Bloomberg)
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New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Menopause drug might prevent breast cancer and treat hot flashes, research finds
A drug intended to treat menopause symptoms could double as breast cancer prevention. New research from Northwestern University in Illinois found that Duavee, a Pfizer-made drug, 'significantly reduced' breast tissue cell growth, which is a major indicator of cancer progression. Advertisement A phase 2 clinical trial included 141 post-menopausal women who had been diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), also known as stage 0 breast cancer, according to a press release from Northwestern. This non-invasive breast cancer affects more than 60,000 American women each year, often leading to an outcome of invasive breast cancer. The women were separated into two groups — one received Duavee and the other took a placebo for a month before undergoing breast surgery. Duavee is a conjugated estrogen/bazedoxifene (CE/BZA) drug, which combines estrogen with another medication that minimizes the potential harmful side effects of the hormone. Advertisement 'The key takeaway from the study is that CE/BZA slows the growth (proliferation) of cells in milk ducts of DCIS that expressed the estrogen receptor significantly more than placebo,' Dr. Swati Kulkarni, lead investigator and professor of breast surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, told Fox News Digital. 5 New research from Northwestern University found that the drug Duavee 'significantly reduced' breast tissue cell growth, a major indicator of cancer progression. Marko Geber – Another major finding is that the quality of life did not differ significantly between the two groups, but patients who took the CE/BZA reported fewer hot flashes during the study, she noted. 'This would be expected, as the drug is FDA-approved to treat hot flashes.' Advertisement Kulkarni presented the study last week at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago. 5 The women in the study were separated into two groups — one received Duavee and the other took a placebo for a month before undergoing breast surgery. Gorodenkoff – 5 Those who took the drug reported fewer hot flashes during the study. fizkes – The findings are preliminary and have not yet been published in a medical journal. Advertisement 'What excites me most is that a medication designed to help women feel better during menopause may also reduce their risk of invasive breast cancer,' said the doctor, who is also a Northwestern Medicine breast surgeon. Women who face a higher risk of breast cancer — including those who have experienced 'high-risk lesions' — and who also have menopausal symptoms are most likely to benefit from the drug, according to Kulkarni. 'These women are typically advised against standard hormone therapies, leaving them with few menopausal treatment options,' the release stated. Study limitations The researchers said they are 'encouraged' by these early results, but more research is required before the medication can be considered for approval as a breast cancer prevention mechanism. 'Our findings suggest that CE/BZA may prevent breast cancer, but larger studies with several years of follow-up are needed before we would know this for sure,' Kulkarni told Fox News Digital. Dr. Sheheryar Kabraji, chief of breast medicine at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York, was not involved in the study but commented on the findings. 5 'What excites me most is that a medication designed to help women feel better during menopause may also reduce their risk of invasive breast cancer,' Dr. Swati Kulkarni said. sarayutsridee – Advertisement 'While intriguing, this study is highly preliminary, and more research will be needed before we can conclude that conjugated estrogen/bazedoxifene (CD/BZA), a form of the hormone estrogen commonly prescribed to address symptoms of menopause, prevents invasive breast cancer or is effective at reducing cancer risk,' he told Fox News Digital. Kabraji also noted that the study focused on reducing levels of one specific protein, 'which does not always predict reduced recurrence of breast cancer.' 'This study did not directly show that CE/BZA treatment reduces the risk of DCIS recurrence or development of invasive cancer,' he noted. 5 According to Kulkarni,'larger studies with several years of follow-up are needed' to confirm that the drug prevents breast cancer. Science RF – Advertisement 'Importantly, however, patients who received this therapy experienced no worsening of quality of life, and saw improvement in vasomotor symptoms, such as hot flashes. If found to be effective in preventing breast cancer, CE/BZA is likely to have fewer side effects than current medications used for breast cancer prevention.' Lead researcher Kulkarni emphasized that this medication is not for the treatment of invasive breast cancer or DCIS. 'Right now, we can say that women who are concerned about their risk of developing breast cancer can consider this medication to treat their menopausal symptoms,' she added.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
D-Day rally in Idaho protests proposed cuts to Veterans Affairs
James Peterson has Stage 4 cancer, likely caused by exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. He's in hospice now and uses on oxygen tank. But he wasn't going to miss a rally Friday afternoon in front of the Boise Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He was taking part in the Unite for Veterans rally in conjunction with a national rally held at the same time in Washington, D.C., to protest proposed cuts to the VA. 'I don't know what veterans are going to do if they keep screwing with things,' Peterson told me. 'We made a promise, they made a promise, and now they're breaking their promise,' he said as he broke down in tears. He said he's received excellent care at the Boise VA, which he said has saved his life twice, from pneumonia and sepsis, and is now providing care for his cancer. Earlier this year, it was revealed that as part of cuts by Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency, the Department of Veterans Affairs was planning to cut 83,000 jobs, slashing employment by over 17% at the federal agency that provides health care for millions of veterans, according to an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press. The date for Friday's rally, June 6, is significant: It's the anniversary of D-Day, the day that Allied forces stormed the beaches at Normandy, France, marking the beginning of the end of World War II in Europe. About 70 people lined Fort Street in front of the Boise VA center, drawing honks and waves from most of the passersby. A couple of knuckleheads shouted 'Go Trump,' apparently in celebration of cutting funding for programs that help veterans. (A passing Tesla cybertruck drew a round of boos from the protesters.) Protesters held signs that read, 'Hands off VA,' 'Cut DOGE, Not VA,' 'Veterans fought for us, now we fight for them,' 'No King! Veteran, not loser' and 'Our vets are not suckers or losers.' Nancy Daniels, holding a sign that read 'Our vets deserve a fully staffed VA,' is an Air Force veteran who served seven years during the Vietnam War and spent 20 years working as a medical service worker at the Boise VA before retiring in 2023. 'This is a phenomenal center,' she told me. 'I am proud to be a veteran. It just breaks my heart to see what's happening.' She said Idaho's congressional delegation showed up several years ago to support the opening a women's wellness center and clinic at the Boise VA. 'They supported us, and now they're doing this,' she said. 'Shame on them.' Earlier this year, I interviewed one VA employee from Boise who was fired from his job in Washington, D.C., shortly after he had been hired. His job was to help connect veterans with services. These cuts are not going to fly with the American public, Jim Jones, former Idaho attorney general and state Supreme Court chief justice who helped to organize Friday's local rally, told me. Jones spent 401 days in a heavy artillery division in the Army in Vietnam. 'They've made plans for draconian cuts to the VA,' said Jones, who was wearing an Army uniform that he hadn't worn since August 1969. 'They want to get rid of 83,000 staffers, and it's just not going to work. It's a major betrayal of our veteran population, and I don't think the American people are willing to put up with it.' There is good news — sort of. Despite DOGE cuts, the House Appropriations Committee, of which U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, is a member, included an $83 billion increase in its fiscal 2026 VA spending bill to about $453 billion, according to That would be good news — if Congress approves it and if Trump doesn't arbitrarily cut it. That said, medical care would get only a 4% bump in the committee's approved budget, and the plan includes allowing veterans to see private doctors. Raymond O'Dell, of Boise, who is trying to form a Veterans for Peace chapter in Idaho, said he's worried about plans to privatize VA medical services. 'I just don't think the public truly understands what would be lost if we privatize the VA,' he said. 'Veterans are not where the cuts need to be made. We should find cuts elsewhere. We made a promise to our veterans.' For Peterson, that promise is sacrosanct. 'We signed a check,' he said, breaking down again, 'to put our lives on the line for the Constitution, and these nippleheads in Washington, D.C., who have never served or pretend that they served have no idea what it is they have to do. They promised us their support, and they need to take care of those who have served this country.'
Boston Globe
3 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Parents in Gaza are running out of ways to feed their children: ‘All we want is a loaf of bread'
But now she and her husband had two babies to keep alive at a time when Israel had blocked almost all aid from entering Gaza for nearly three months -- 80 days of total siege beginning in March. Israel began to ease the blockade in May, but only a thin trickle of supplies has arrived. Advertisement The traditional United Nations-run system for delivering aid has faltered as looters and fighting have cut off safe routes for aid trucks, and a new, Israeli-backed aid distribution system has descended into controversy, chaos and violence. Although the group behind it says it has delivered nearly 9 million meals so far, the United Nations says the assistance falls far short of what is needed for a population of 2 million people. Security at the new distribution sites is being provided by private American contractors, but the Israeli military is stationing forces nearby, outside the perimeter. Advertisement Born 5 pounds, 1 ounce, Shadia was weaker and smaller than her brother and had gained just 7 ounces a month later, her parents said. She struggled to suck from the bottle, usually drinking only half of the single bottle of formula that aid groups can offer at a time, they said. Al-Arqan has taken to drinking whatever her daughter does not finish, hoping the nutrients will help her produce milk, she said. 'Her birth brought me more anxiety than joy,' al-Arqan said. 'History is repeating itself, but this time with my little girl.' When al-Arqan managed to get some child nutritional supplements from an aid group in mid-May by waiting in line for six hours, aid workers evaluated Shadia by measuring her arm and concluded that the baby had moderate acute malnutrition, she said. But after nearly 20 months of war, Shadia's parents have no income or savings left to spend on milk or formula at the market. They survive on one meal a day: either a little lentil soup or rice and beans they get from charity kitchens in northern Gaza, where they have been living in a tent in the street for about six weeks. Barda, 26, who worked as a baker at a pastry chain before the war and has not been able to find steady work since, cannot find flour in northern Gaza for less than about $23 a kilogram, he said. That puts bread, the base on which practically every meal in Gaza used to be built, out of reach. Advertisement 'When we had Jihad, we still had some savings,' al-Arqan said. 'Now we have nothing -- no savings, no vegetables in the markets and no affordable flour.' Jihad's name, after an uncle, means 'struggle' or 'striving.' Jihad is no longer a baby. Now he asks constantly for food. A few days ago, as he was about to go down for a nap, al-Arqan said she heard him drowsily murmuring: 'Mama -- dough and bread.' 'Every day, we lose more ways to survive,' she said. 'My son is only asking for the bare minimum -- a loaf of bread. We're not asking for proper housing or clothes or even meat. All we want is a loaf of bread to stop the children's crying. Is that too much to ask?' Shadia is the apple of her grandfather's eye; he had always wanted a girl in the family. Sometimes he takes her to sleep with him and his wife on their mattress in their tent, he said, whispering words of hope and affection in his granddaughter's ears. Barda does not see cause for hope. Although he and his wife want more children, as is traditional in Gaza, they know they cannot feed more, he said. 'Our mood is broken,' he said. 'We go through the same suffering all over again every day.' To the south, in the city of Khan Younis, Hanaa al-Najjar has three children to feed, and little but lentils and dried pasta to feed them with. Advertisement The Times interviewed al-Najjar last year for the same article that described Barda and al-Arqan's struggle to feed their baby. Al-Najjar, now 31, had been left to take care of her children on her own after Israeli soldiers detained her husband as the family was evacuating a shelter on the Israeli military's orders, she said. After she ran out of formula, she was forced to feed her youngest, Muhanned, bread dipped in canned beans and lentil soup. His appetite suffered, and at less than 2 years old, he weighed half of what he was supposed to. He died in March 2024. Her elder son, Mohammed, now 8, had been hospitalized a few weeks before for fever and dehydration. Although he recovered, he has never been able to put on weight, al-Najjar said. He weighs a little less than 42 pounds -- underweight by World Health Organization standards. 'He never gains any extra weight like other kids,' she said. Now they live in a tent next to a graveyard in western Khan Younis. Al-Najjar's husband remains missing in detention. Without wheat flour, she grinds up dried lentils and pasta to make something resembling bread. Mohammed struggles to digest it, she said, and is always constipated. She has not found any medication to treat his bowel issues. For more than three months now, he has also had a bacterial infection on his scalp that doctors have been unable to treat, she said. It recently spread to his 10-year-old and 5-year-old sisters. Mohammed is a cheerful child. But the evidence of his rocky health is right there on the back of his head, even if he wears an orange hoodie to hide it. There, his dark hair has fallen out in patches, leaving nothing but an expanse of seething red skin. Advertisement This article originally appeared in
