Shorter Course of Treatment May Provide Better Outcome for Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer

Studies have consistently demonstrated that conventionally-fractionated high dose external beam radiation therapy, consisting of daily treatment for two months, decreases prostate cancer recurrence and improves metastasis-free survival. Previous studies also demonstrate that moderate hypo-fractionated radiation therapy, consisting of daily treatment for one month using a larger dose per treatment, provides a similar low risk of recurrence. The risk may even be lower with hypo-fractionated radiation therapy than conventionally fractionated high dose external beam radiation therapy. Read More

New Bridge Clinic to Facilitate Continuity of Care for Patients with Substance Abuse Disorders

In early 2018 experts in the Department of Psychiatry at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) will open a new clinic that will bridge patients with substance abuse disorders being discharged from the hospital and emergency department to the long-term care they need.   Read More

New Insights to Cognitive Dysfunction in People with Mood Disorders

Why do some people with bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder (MDD) struggle with cognitive dysfunction, while others don’t? That is a focal point for Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) researcher Katherine Burdick, PhD, within the Department of Psychiatry and director of the Mood and Psychosis Research Program, who is looking to identify predictors of outcome including inherited risk, aging, clinical factors, and long-term effects of recurrent illness. Read More

Disparities in Care for Publicly Insured Women with Pregestational Diabetes

A Brigham and Women’s Hospital study examines the association among public health insurance, preconception care, and pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women with pregestational diabetes.  Read More

Early Diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer via a Blood Test, Aided by Artificial Intelligence

With the help of artificial intelligence, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) have developed an early diagnostic tool for ovarian cancer that shows equal sensitivity but far fewer false positives than previous testing strategies. Read More

New EHR Tool Helps Predict Risk of Kidney Failure

A new electronic health record (EHR) tool could help physicians quickly and accurately flag patients that should be referred to a nephrologist based on indicators that may signal the risk of kidney failure. Designed by Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) investigators, this tool draws upon recent research that has identified several tests that can be used to calculate an individual’s risk score. Now, an automatic calculator can be built into EHRs and displayed prominently for a physician to see when they open a patient’s record. The paper detailing the design and implementation of the application appeared online in the July 2017, issue of The Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. Read More

Decision-making Algorithm Shows Promise for Acute Kidney Injury Treatment

Managing acute kidney injury (AKI) can be challenging, in part because evidence about when to begin treatment — namely, dialysis and other forms of renal replacement therapy that artificially filter the blood — is quite limited and offers conflicting perspectives. Read More

Advancing Minimally Invasive and Transcatheter Valve Therapies

The history of surgery for valvular heart disease at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) dates to May 1923 when Elliott Carr Cutler, MD, performed the first ever valve operation in the world. Since then, BWH has been at the forefront of the clinical practice and innovation in the management of valve disease. Read More

CANTOS Update: Response After Single Treatment with Canakinumab Predicts Which Patients Will Benefit Most

A new analysis seeks to answer the question of which patients are likely to gain the greatest cardiovascular benefit when treated with the anti-inflammatory agent canakinumab. At the 2017 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, Paul M. Ridker, MD, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, presented a pre-specified analysis on CANTOS (Canakinumab Anti-inflammatory Thrombosis Outcomes Study) that identifies a simple, clinical method to define patient groups most likely to benefit from long-term canakinumab treatment. The results of this analysis, published simultaneously in The Lancet, could have a major impact not only on patient selection and cost-effectiveness of canakinumab, but also on the future development of anti-inflammatory agents for cardiovascular disease. Read More

Comprehensive Atrial Fibrillation Program Offers Collaborative and Innovative Care

Programs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital can assist you in caring for your patients with complex disorders, including evaluation and treatment for a range of abnormal heart rhythms.

Cardiac electrophysiologist and arrhythmia specialist Paul C. Zei, MD, PhD, joined the Cardiac Arrhythmia Service at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) as director of the Comprehensive Atrial Fibrillation Program (CAFP) with the goal of establishing it as one of the leading programs in the world for managing patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).  Read More