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By Nancy Lapid, Health Science Editor

Hello Health Rounds readers! Today we have potentially promising news for cancer patients. Researchers report that for some women with cervical cancer, less extensive surgery may be as effective as standard radical hysterectomy. And Roche’s Perjeta may work on other HER-2 positive cancers in addition to breast cancer. We also report on a Canadian study that found links between lifestyle factors and frequent headaches in children.   

In breaking news, see these stories from our Reuters journalists: WHO says resistance to GSK’s HIV drug is growing; US court to weigh Obamacare mandate to cover HIV drug, cancer screenings; CVS, Walgreens to begin selling abortion pill; Physician group asks US to make funds available to doctors hurt by Change hack; France makes abortion a constitutional right; Christian employers in US do not have to cover gender transition; and drugmakers send counter offers for U.S. Medicare price negotiations.

Also: Flying Dutchman recognized as longest-surviving heart transplant patient; Spain’s Catalonia hands out free reusable menstruation products; Dialysis providers gain as investors focus on cardiac benefits after Ozempic’s latest data; Senior doctors in England to vote on improved pay offer; and China to improve childbirth policies, boost support for elderly.

Roche’s breast cancer treatment Perjeta might have a role in fighting other cancer types as well, according to preliminary data. Scroll down to learn more. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann

Low-risk cervical cancer can safely be treated with a less radical operation than what patients have generally undergone, according to results from a 700-patient trial.

All of the participants had early-stage tumors measuring no more than 2 centimeters, with minimal invasion of nearby tissues.

Half underwent a so-called simple hysterectomy, in which the uterus and the cervix were removed. The others underwent the standard radical hysterectomy, in which surgeons removed the uterus and cervix, parts of surrounding tissues and ligaments, and 1-to-2 cm of the upper part of the vagina.

With a median follow-up time of 4.5 years, the incidence of pelvic recurrence of cancer at 3 years was 2.17% in the radical hysterectomy group and 2.52% in the simple hysterectomy group, a difference that was not statistically significant, according to a report published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Rates of urinary incontinence were lower in the simple hysterectomy group than in the radical group within four weeks after surgery (2.4% vs 5.5%) and beyond four weeks (4.7% vs 11.0%).

Urinary retention was also less common after simple hysterectomy within and beyond four weeks at 0.6%. For radical hysterectomy it was 9.9% and 11%, respectively.

The researchers note that among limitations of the study are that minority women were underrepresented and so results cannot be generalized to all populations.

While half the patients were followed for more than 4.5 years, disease recurrence beyond this time frame is still possible, they noted.

Roche’s breast cancer treatment Perjeta might have a role in fighting other cancer types as well, according to preliminary data.

Perjeta, a monoclonal antibody known as pertuzumab, is used in combination with Herceptin (trastuzumab) and chemotherapy to treat breast cancer patients who have human epidermal growth factor receptor2 (HER2) proteins on their tumor cells, known as HER-2 positive breast cancer.

As part of a larger trial attempting to identify “personalized” cancer treatments, researchers administered Perjeta to 25 middle-aged and older adults with HER-2 positive gynecologic, gastrointestinal, urinary bladder, or head and neck cancers.

None of the tumors disappeared, but three patients (12%) – one each with rectal, liver bile duct, or bladder cancer – saw their tumors shrink in response to the treatment, researchers reported on Monday in Clinical Cancer Research.

In another nine patients with cancers at these sites, the disease remained stable and did not progress.

Most of the patients with shrinking or stable tumors had rare cancer subtypes that are “an area of unmet medical need,” the researchers noted.

Further testing of Perjeta in patients with these particular cancers may help identify a larger proportion of individuals who might benefit from the treatment, study leader Dr. Roisin Connolly of University College Cork in Ireland said in a statement.

Lifestyle factors such as alcohol and tobacco use and heavy screen exposure were linked with children’s risk of frequent headaches, according to a large Canadian survey.

For the study, published on Thursday in Neurology, nearly 5 million children and teens, ages five to 17, were asked if they had experienced headaches over the previous six months and how often, and about lifestyle factors.

After adjusting for other potential risk factors, participants who regularly ate breakfast and dinner with their family had 10% lower odds of reporting at least two headaches per week than those who did not eat regular meals.

Among participants ages 12 to 17, regular use of alcohol, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or cannabis were each associated with more than tripled odds of frequent headaches, as was daily exposure to smoking inside the house.

At all ages, heavy screen exposure was also linked with a higher risk of frequent headaches, the researchers found.

“It is not uncommon for children and teens to have headaches, and while medications are used to stop and sometimes prevent headaches, lifestyle changes may also offer an effective route to relief by preventing headaches from happening and improving quality of life,” said study leader Dr. Serena Orr of the University of Calgary in a statement

The study cannot prove that any of these factors caused the frequent headaches or that refraining from these exposures would prevent such headaches.

This newsletter was edited by Bill Berkrot. Additional reporting by Shawana Alleyne-Morris.

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