Sharon Worcester is an award-winning medical journalist for MDedge News. She has been with the company since 1996, first as the Southeast Bureau Chief (1996-2009) when the company was known as International Medical News Group, then as a freelance writer (2010-2015) before returning as a reporter in 2015. She previously worked as a daily newspaper reporter covering health and local government. Sharon currently reports primarily on oncology and hematology. She has a BA from Eckerd College and an MA in Mass Communication/Print Journalism from the University of Florida. Connect with her via LinkedIn and follow her on twitter @SW_MedReporter.
News
Risk Factors, Not Race, Determine Lifetime Heart Risks
- Author:
- Sharon Worcester
Major Finding: The risk of cardiovascular disease-related death through age 80 years was 4.7% and 6.4% among men and women, respectively, who were...
News
Bevacizumab Boosts Treatment Responses in Early Breast Cancer
- Author:
- Sharon Worcester
Major Finding: Adding bevacizumab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy increased the rate of pathological complete response from 28.2% to 34.5% in one...
News
Lansoprazole Disappoints for Poorly Controlled Asthma in Kids
- Author:
- Sharon Worcester
Major Finding: The mean difference in change in Asthma Control Questionnaire score between the 149 children treated with 15-30 mg/day of...
News
BRCA1/2 Mutations Tied to Better Ovarian Cancer Survival
- Author:
- Sharon Worcester
Major Finding: The 5-year overall-survival rate was 36% for 2,666 non-BRCA carriers, 44% for 909 BRCA1 carriers, and 52% for 304 BRCA2 carriers....
News
Depressive Symptoms Common, Neglected in Early Schizophrenia
- Author:
- Sharon Worcester
Major Finding: Of 405 patients with an available baseline Clinical Global Impressions-Severity of Illness Scale-Bipolar Illness (CGI-BP)...
News
Cognitive Engagement Associated With Less of an Alzheimer's Protein
- Author:
- Sharon Worcester
Major Finding: The greatest association was seen between higher past cognitive activity scores (based on levels from ages 6 to 40 years, compared...
News
Meta-Analysis Outlines Lithium Toxicity Profile
- Author:
- Sharon Worcester
Major Finding: Lithium is associated with an increased risk of reduced urinary concentrating ability, hypothyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, and...
News
Trastuzumab Bests Lapatinib for HER2 Breast Cancer
- Author:
- Sharon Worcester
Major Finding: In the GeparQuinto trial, 30% of 307 HER2-positive patients treated with trastuzumab had a pathological complete response, compared...
News
Obesity in U.S. Appears to Be Leveling Off
- Author:
- Sharon Worcester
Major Finding: Following dramatic increases in the prevalence of obesity in adults, children, and adolescents in the 1980s and 1990s, as well as...
News
Memantine Disappoints for Dementia in Down Syndrome
- Author:
- Sharon Worcester
Major Finding: Participants in the placebo group and treatment group experienced statistically similar mean changes of -1.9 and -5.6, respectively...
News
New Drug-Eluting Stents Far Safer Than Older Models
- Author:
- Sharon Worcester
Major Finding: The 1- and 2-year restenosis rates among 10,551 implantations with a new-generation DES in SCAAR were 2.8% and 3.9%, respectively,...
News
Subclinical Shedding Persists, Despite HSV-2 Therapy
- Author:
- Sharon Worcester
Major Finding: Based on 23,605 swabs collected during the course of the studies, viral shedding frequency was reduced by all treatments, compared...
News
Greater Loss of Gray Matter Volume Seen in Early Schizophrenia
- Author:
- Sharon Worcester
Major Finding: Young schizophrenia patients, compared with controls, had significantly greater mean losses of whole brain gray matter (–37.1 vs....
News
Adiponectin Predicts Dementia, Alzheimer's in Women
- Author:
- Sharon Worcester
Major Finding: Adiponectin was the only biomarker tested to be linked with development of all-cause dementia (HR, 1.29 per 1 SD increase in...
News
RA, Periodontal Disease May Be Bi-Directional
- Author:
- Sharon Worcester