Editors’ Top 5, Week of February 20

Dozens Of New Cancer Drugs Do Little To Improve Survival, Frustrating Patients
Pushed by patient advocates who want earlier access to medications, the­ FDA has approved a flurry of oncology drugs in recent years, giving some people with cancer a renewed sense of hope and an array of expensive new options. (Liz Szabo/Kaiser Health News)

Humana Lays Off 500 Workers in Homecare Unit
Amid massive losses of more than $400 million, one major health system is laying off hundreds of workers from its home health division. (Alana Stramowski/Home Health Care News)

Doctors See Gains Against “an Urgent Threat:” C. Diff
Though C. diff, as the bug is known, was identified in the 1930s, it became one of the country’s prime health concerns only a few years ago, after a particularly virulent and drug-resistant strain called NAP1 emerged in the 2000s. (Paula Span/New York Times)

Dementia Joins Ranks of Top Global Killers With No Drug in Sight
Dementia has unseated AIDS as one of the world’s top killers, new figures from the World Health Organization show, as drugmakers struggle to either curb or cure it. (Naomi Kresge/Bloomberg)

5 Ways to Avoid a Ridiculously High Medical Bill
Of all the things that are stressful about personal finance, medical bills might be the worst. (Christine DiGangi/Atlanta Journal-Constitution)