Georgetown conducting real-time study of fertility app

Georgetown University’s Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) is recruiting up to 1,200 women for a real-time study of Cycle Technologies’ smartphone app that calculates a woman’s fertility on a daily basis.

Study: Shorter, higher-dose radiotherapy effective for prostate cancer

A shorter course of radiotherapy with fewer sessions and higher dosage is as effective as the standard of care in treating prostate cancer, a U.K. study found. Switching over to this shorter schedule would not only benefit patients, but also help the National Health Service save tens of millions of pounds.

FDA lays out postmarket medical device cybersecurity recs in final guidance

As our world becomes more interconnected, so do our medical devices:  we are connecting devices such as insulin pumps and glucose meters to apps, some of which also have cloud connectivity, enabling patients to share their health data with caregivers and loved ones.  However, this increased interconnectivity comes with vulnerability to cybersecurity threats.

Harvard, MIT researchers harness deep learning for more accurate breast cancer pathology

Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School have worked together to create an analysis of breast cancer pathology that incorporates artificial intelligence. They found that their system–and the evaluation by pathologists themselves–worked better when used in conjunction than either did alone.

Breast Implants: Update – Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL)

ISSUE:  FDA has updated its understanding of breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) to reflect the agency’s concurrence with the World Health Organization designation of BIA-ALCL as a rare T-cell lymphoma that can develop following breast implants.  At this time, most data suggest that BIA-ALCL occurs more frequently following implantation of breast implants with textured surfaces rather than those with smooth surfaces.  BIA-ALCL is a rare condition; when it occurs, it has been identified most frequently in patients undergoing implant revision operations for late onset, persistent seroma.  The exact number of cases remains difficult to determine due to significant limitations in world-wide reporting and lack of global implant sales data.