Oncology

Dr Weber said that despite all of the newer agents in development, the NCCN still offers comprehensive guidelines for the treatment of melanoma.

Dr Ribas opened this segment by discussing the new immunotherapy agents used in the treatment of metastatic melanoma. Specifically, he discussed the agents vemurafenib (Zelboraf), dabrafenib (Taflinar), and trametinib (Mekinist).

Panel moderator and AJMC co-editor-in-chief Dr Mark Fendrick introduced panelists Jennifer Malin, MD, PhD, manager and medical director of oncology, WellPoint; Jeffrey Weber, MD, PhD, senior member, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center Director, Donald A. Adam Comprehensive Melanoma Research Center; and Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCLA.

In a study of older men who had died from causes other than prostate cancer, almost half were found to have prostate tumors. And up to half of those tumors detected on autopsy would have qualified for treatment had doctors known about them while the men lived, though none had been the cause of death.

Using low-dose CT scans to screen high-risk patients for lung tumors is far more effective at preventing lung cancer deaths than scanning those at low risk, according to a new analysis of over 53,000 volunteers.

In the final segment, panelists examine the use of companion diagnostics to determine proper patient utilization. Dr. Chernew asks if the required diagnostic testing is being appropriately used and if they are being covered by payers.

This segment of the panel discussion takes a closer look at the episode of cost for a patient going to a hospital versus a private office setting. Panelists agree that the cost of hospital care is not that much greater than in the office.

Dr. Chernew asks the panelists how payers address the value of these costly combination therapies when there are less expensive options available. Dr. Newcomer says that the drugs being discussed are, in fact, having a significant clinical effect.

In this clip, Dr. Swain and Dr. Newcomer discuss the results from the EMILIA trial. Dr. Swain notes that the survival benefit with the use of TDM-1 was five months.

Moderator and AJMC co-editor-in-chief, Dr. Michael Chernew delivers a brief overview of the discussion. The discussion focuses on the use of trastuzumab emtansine (Kadcyla) and pertuzumab (Perjeta). Panelists address the patient populations for the two agents and identify which are eligible to take the targeted therapy.

A new bill, Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2013 (HR 1416), is aiming to restore Medicare reimbursements for anti-cancer drugs and biologicals to pre-sequester levels

While American Urological Association and American College of Physician guidelines suggest shared-decision making in prostate specific antigen (PSA) screen testing, most patients have not had part in discussing those decisions.

A clinical research study at Rosewell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) will be examining a new novel immunotherapy approach to treating advanced melanoma.