Trending News Today: Ripretinib Improves Progression-Free Survival in Stomach Cancer

Ripretinib, Deciphera Pharmaceuticals’ investigational treatment for stomach cancer, met the main goal of improving progression-free survival (PFS) in a late-stage study, Reuters reported. According to the article, the study evaluated ripretinib against placebo in 129 patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Overall, ripretinib demonstrated a median PFS rate of 6.3 months compared with 1 month in the placebo group, with a reduced risk of disease progression or death by 85%, the article reported.

A new study indicates that negative biases associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) activity may lead to the development of depression in patients with the disease, MD Magazine reported. According to the article, the study examined the role of emotional processing biases in contributing to depression in 120 patients with IBD. Patients who had depression were more likely to be female, lacking in social support, had active disease, and were taking corticosteroids, but not tumor necrosis factor inhibitors, while exhibiting less positive emotional recognition bias, the article reported.

A study published in the American Medical Association’s internal medicine journal found that 4 in 10 privately insured patients faced surprise medical bills after visiting in-network hospitals in 2016, The Hill reported. According to the article, the cost of a surprise emergency department-related bill increased from $220 in 2010 to $628 in 2016 and for inpatient admissions increased from $804 to $2040 over the same timeframe. From 2010, the number of emergency department visits and inpatient admissions that resulted in surprise bills increased by 10 and 16 percentage points, respectively, the article reported.