Oncology

Although African Americans have had lower colon cancer survival rates over the past 2 decades compared with white patients, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found evidence-based care can remove the racial disparity.

In his blog post on FDAVoice, Peter Lurie MD, MPH, associate FDA commissioner for public health strategy and analysis, announced the introduction of a draft form and a draft guideline that can be used by a physician to request access to an experimental drug or biological product that is still under development.

The report, according to ASCO, delineates responsibilities of different stakeholders towards ensuring responsible data sharing of trial results.

The efficacy of the CDK4/6 inhibitor was demonstrated in 165 postmenopausal women with ER-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer who had not received previous treatment for advanced disease.

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology concluded that the failure rate was low with observation but was decreased significantly with the addition of radiotherapy.

The study identified distinct methylation patterns between the aggressive and benign forms of TNBC, which could provide an improved understanding of disease outcome.

A study published in the Journal of Thoracic Disease digs deep into understanding the assumptions in HEOR studies that evaluate the cost-effectiveness of personalized cancer treatments.

Panelists discuss ways to improve the focus on clinical utility in molecular diagnostics given challenges in the system and needs of patients.

Multiplexed genetic screening for EGFR and ALK gene rearrangements and subsequent biomarker-guided treatment is cost-effective compared with standard chemotherapy treatment without any molecular testing in the metastatic NSCLC setting in the United States, researchers report in The Journal of Thoracic Oncology.

With 3 I-O agents have already been approved for metastatic melanoma, 2 from BMS and 1 from Merck, the race for NSCLC has tightened with multiple ongoing clinical trials.

The Canadian company Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc has reached an agreement to buy the prostate cancer immunotherapy from Dendreon Corp.

The integrated cancer services offered by Sarah Cannon will soon be supported by the personalized medicine technology platform of Syapse, to improve individualized patient care, the companies have announced.

Clinical trials are critical for pushing the oncology field forward, but there is a need for not only more patients to participate in clinical trials, but for a more diverse population, said Howard K. Kaufman, MD, FACS.

Mobile health (mHealth) can be so much more than smartphone apps, and it is a growing movement in the United States that can empower patients, providers, and payers, according to Meg Maley, RN, BSN, founder and CEO of CanSurround.

The drug, jointly developed by Pharmacyclics and Janssen Biotech, has received prior approvals for 3 other indications.

Smokers diagnosed with prostate cancer who were treated with radiation were at a greater risk of their cancer returning, metastasizing, and ultimately causing death. Former smokers, however, did not have the increased risk.

PACE has launched an evidence-based online tool, Continuous Online Indicators, which will provide information on research progress in 12 tumor types.

Daniel F. Hayes, MD, outlines the 2 paradigms presented in medical oncology: one where people would rather be overtreated rather than miss a chance to benefit by being undertreated and another where a person might not be willing to do something until they learn there is a reason to do so.

There is an important distinction between diagnostic and screening tests, and they have different issues in regards to decision making-although the person making treatment decisions should ultimately be guiding the ship, according to Bryan Loy, MD, MBA.

Both Francisco J. Esteva, MD, PhD, and Daniel F. Hayes, MD, agree that the role of genetic counselors should be limited when order diagnostic tests in medical oncology.

The panelists discuss guidelines for diagnostic test use and the biggest challenge from a payer standpoint.

Daniel Hayes, MD, explains the implementation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology's CancerLinQ for beta testing.

Bryan Loy, MD, MBA, discusses how payers can measure diagnostic test use and results, and Daniel Hayes, MD, weighs in with how CancerLinQ from the American Society of Clinical Oncology can help.

Daniel F. Hayes, MD, discusses the FDA's announcement that it will begin to regulate laboratory-developed tests and his belief that it will not squash innovation in the field.

Kyprlois is currently approval for use in multiple myeloma patients who have progressed on 2 prior therapies.

The term financial toxicity is relatively new and is being used to draw parallels between the physical toxicities of chemotherapy and the cost-related burdens cancer patients face.

Screening for deadly illnesses does not necessarily save lives despite assumptions otherwise, according to a study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

Although the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law more than 4 years ago, many aspects of it are fairly new, which makes it difficult to analyze the impact the law has had on the United States healthcare system.

After Steven Miller, CMO at Express Scripts, announced last week that his company would like to influence the oncology market, Pharma seems to have paid heed.

Targeted biopsy using new fusion technology that combines magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with ultrasound is more effective than standard biopsy in detecting high-risk prostate cancer, according to a large-scale study.