• Maryland: USPSTF on Tuesday finalized a recommendation that women get regular mammography screenings starting at age 40 — reversing previous guidance that said women should wait until age 50. In 2009, USPSTF raised the recommended age for routine mammograms from 40 to 50, citing concerns that earlier screening could lead to unnecessary treatment among younger women. At the time, the recommendations sparked controversy and led Congress to intervene to ensure that mammograms would still be covered for women starting at age 40. According to John Wong, vice chair of the task force and the director of comparative effectiveness research for the Tufts Clinical Translational Science Institute, rising breast cancer rates among women in their 40s led the panel to revise its recommendation. Under the new recommendations, women with an average risk of breast cancer should be screened every two years starting at age 40. Healthcare organizations, including the American Cancer Society and Susan G. Komen, have applauded the lowered screening age, but said that not recommending annual mammograms or additional screening options for higher-risk patients will lead to more cancer cases being detected later. USPSTF chair Wanda Nicholson defended the panel's decision, saying that it provides "the best balance of benefits and harms" based on the available science. (Rabin, New York Times, 4/30; Reed, Axios, 4/30)
• Massachusetts: Philips Respironics reached a $1.1 billion settlement for lawsuits over claims that its continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines and other breathing devices harmed patients. In 2021, Philips recalled more than a dozen of its CPAP, bi-level positive air pressure (BiPAP), and ventilator machines due to potential health risks from faulty components. The initial recall affected around 15 million machines produced since 2006, and around 5 million were still in circulation in mid-2021. Several thousand people sued the company over its defective CPAP machines, claiming that they were injured by noxious gasses and flecks of foam lodged in their airways. According to the New York Times, Philips did not admit any fault in the settlement, including whether its devices caused patients' injuries. In addition to the current settlement, there was also a $479 million settlement last September over economic losses to patients and medical equipment sales companies that had to purchase replacement devices. Lawyers for the plaintiffs said they welcomed the new settlement. "Ultimately, these combined agreements accomplish what we sought to achieve when this litigation began — holding Philips accountable by obtaining care for those with physical injuries and compensation for those needing new respiratory devices," said Sandra Duggan, Kelly Iverson, and Christopher Seeger, lawyers representing the plaintiffs. (Jewett, New York Times, 4/29)

• New York: The World Health Organization Technical Advisory Group on COVID-19 Vaccine Composition has recommended that the next COVID-19 vaccine use a monovalent formulation that targets JN.1 variant. In a statement, the advisors noted JN.1 has displaced the XBB variant, and that circulating variants are also likely to be derived from JN.1. Although some studies suggest that the current COVID-19 vaccines, which target XBB, could provide some protection during the first three months against JN.1, the experts said the vaccines could be less protective as SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve from JN.1. Meanwhile, a single immunogenicity study of a potential monovalent JN.1 vaccine suggests that it produces higher neutralization antibodies against co-circulating variants of JN.1 compared to the current vaccine. According to CIDRAP News, FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will meet on May 16 to discuss and recommend which strains should be used in the COVID-19 vaccines for 2024 to 2025. (Schnirring, CIDRAP News, 4/29)

Increasing cancer screening has been a long-time goal for oncology leaders. However, achieving this goal has become even more important – and challenging – as oncology leaders aim to mitigate the impact of the delayed cancer screenings that have resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. Use our resource library to help you build a cancer screening program, grow cancer screening volumes, and stay up to date on cancer screening guidelines and recommendations.