Surabhi Dangi-Garimella, PhD

Coverage from the Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange Summit on Oncology Payment Reform, held October 23-24 in Tysons Corner, Virginia.

Opioids are commonly precribed for the treatment of both acute and chronic pain.

Discussions at the 59th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) included progress reports on genetically modified immunotherapy treatments, a new treatment paradigm for advanced Hodgkin lymphoma, possibility of treatment-free remission in chronic myelogenous leukemia, and challenges with hospice utilization for patients with leukemia.

The conclusion drawn by panelists participating at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s Oncology Policy Summit on Redefining Quality Measurement in Oncology was that ensuring access to appropriate data and using that information to improve healthcare outcomes remains an ongoing challenge.

Speaking at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Oncology Policy Summit on Redefining Quality Measurement in Oncology, Ronald Walters, MD, MBA, MHA, MS, associate vice president of medical operations and informatics at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, emphasized the need to focus on the patient’s preferences and values in cancer care delivery.

The FDA has recognized the need to include the patient's voice in the drug development process. The question is: what is the best way to do this?

Including the modified brentuximab antibody in the treatment regimen improved modified progression-free survival by 5%, although the rates of neutropenia and infections were higher in patients administered the brentuximab-containing regimen.

A much-anticipated session on the second day of the 59th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Society of Hematology provided long-term updates on trials evaluating 2 chimeric antigen receptor-T (CAR T) treatments: tisagenlecleucel or CTL019 (Kymriah) for the treatment of adult relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta) evaluated in patients with refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Clonal hematopoiesis and selection pressures associated with aging can together lead to the development of neoplasms. Two hematologists presented US and European updates on the potential to develop a predictive model, and an appropriate intervention, in these individuals.

Is transfusion dependence a barrier to hospice utilization among older patients with leukemia who are enrolled in Medicare?

Three studies presented at the ongoing 59th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Society of Hematology in Atlanta, Georgia, shared progress on the oral Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor, ibrutinib, in the treatment of relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and as a single agent in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

During a session on the first day of the 59th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Society of Hematology in Atlanta, Georgia, physicians shared current knowledge on cardiovascular toxicities of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) as well as the potential for treatment-free remission with these agents.

According to a new study published in JAMA Dermatology, older patients had better clinical outcomes than their younger comparator cohort following treatment with newer immunotherapy agents for their advanced melanoma.

A panel on the importance of clinical and non-clinical stakeholders in a patient’s care trajectory brought together a diverse group of stakeholders at The American Journal of Managed Care®’s Patient-Centered Oncology Care® meeting.

Analysis of the results from an early phase multicenter study have found that while ipilimumab is safe in women with metastatic or recurrent cervical cancer, it did not improve patient response to treatment.

An early-stage trial in pediatric and young adult patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) has found that modifying the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells to target the CD22 receptor achieved remission.

According to a new analysis by Stacy Dusetzina, PhD, and colleagues, state oral parity laws—devised to equate out-of-pocket (OOP) spending for patients, irrespective of whether their treatment is an oral agent or an infusion—are not consistent with reducing patient OOP costs for oral anticancer agents.

A review of some of the presentations at the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2017 Annual Meeting, in San Diego, California, where the discussions ranged from clinical progress witnessed in 2017 for the treatment of inflammatory conditions to reimbursement models in the rheumatology space.

A new study has shown that long-term oxygen therapy in patients with severe alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency can improve survival; however, their outcomes do not improve following lung-transplantation.

At the Community Oncology Alliance's Payer Exchange Summit VII: Oncology Payment Reform, practices shared their challenges and successes in the second year participating in the Oncology Care Model.

Novartis has filed for an expanded indication for its chimeric antigen receptor T-cell treatment, tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah), for use in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

At more than $200 per share bid, CVS Health is reportedly in negotiations to buy the health insurance giant Aetna.

Tuple Health, a healthcare technology startup, interviewed some of the stakeholders participating in value-based care delivery and OCM, to gain their perspective of the state of cancer care and healthcare reform. The results were presented at the Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange Summit on Oncology Payment Reform.

Representatives from 3 payers who partnered with providers on the Oncology Care Model (OCM) took the stage at Community Oncology Alliance (COA)’s Payer Exchange Summit on Oncology Payment Reform to outline their experience with OCM and how it has differed from other care models.

Participants from 2 oncology community practices—an oncologist–administrator combination—shared their experience with implementing the Oncology Care Model (OCM) with attendees at the Community Oncology Alliance’s Payer Exchange Summit on Oncology Payment Reform, held October 23-24, in Tysons Corner, Virginia.

Axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta) has been approved to treat adult patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma who have not responded to or who have relapsed after at least 2 other kinds of treatment.

The 2-year follow up results from the Keynote-024 trial were presented at the 18th World Conference on Lung Cancer hosted by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer in Yokohama, Japan.

The study found that young patients with leukemia who have been vaccinated against the influenza virus are as susceptible to develop flu as their unvaccinated peers.

Evidence-Based OncologyTM sat down with Brandon R. Shank, PharmD, MPH, BCOP, clinical pharmacy specialist, Division of Pharmacy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, to understand a pharmacist's role in administering chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells.

Reaffirming their commitment to actively engage patients in regulatory decisions on drug approvals, the FDA held its first Patient Engagement Advisory Committee meeting on October 11.