Oncology

Dr Peter Bach says professionals are looking at opportunities for new payment models and care redesign, but there are also threats that might surface. Each type of insurance payment model has different levels of risk factors. New payment models, such as the UHC pathways program and CMMI demo, have limited risk.

The value of genetic testing in breast cancer is subject to debate, but it also holds promise. One recent clinical trial simulated by a group of researchers, for instance, found that the 7 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (7SNP) genetic test for breast cancer was cost-effective when used for MRI screenings in patients at intermediate risk of developing the disease over their lifetime.

All the economic studies of genomic tests for breast cancer rely on modeling rather than randomized controlled trials or other direct trial data.

Cancer drug prices have doubled in the past decade, from an average of $5,000 per month to more than $10,000.

Progress in treating multiple myeloma, or cancer of the plasma cells in bone marrow, has advanced significantly over the past decade. Today, questions about the disease often involve finding a treatment that balances the goal of putting a patient into remission especially if stem cell transplantation is a possibility against the toxicity of the treatment itself.

With grants from government sources looking less certain, partnerships between academic research center and pharmaceutical companies are more important than ever to keep breakthrough hematology therapies in the pipeline, said Burt Adelman, MD, a hematologist who serves as executive vice president and chief medical officer for Dyax Inc.

New therapies to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) will receive plenty of attention this week at the 55th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition in New Orleans. At an education session that opened the meeting Saturday, a physician with the Mayo Clinic made it clear that cost considerations are a reality for many older patients.

Research on how tools impact health, costs is 'inconclusive,' but clinicians say better-informed patients avoid unnecessary care, frustration

More than 200 participants gathered in Baltimore for "Patient-Centered Oncology: Real-World Perspectives," which covered genetic testing, how to engage patients in decision-making, and how the "culture of medicine" continues to drive up costs despite calls to abandon the fee-for-service payment model.

At The American Journal of Managed Care's (AJMC's) Patient-Centered Oncology Care: Real-World Perspectives (PCOC) conference, held November 14-15 in Baltimore, MD, discussion squarely centered on the ideals of making oncology care more patient-focused.

Some of the most significant changes in healthcare reform are being led by oncologists, especially as innovation and team-based collaboration are increasingly becoming the standard in cancer care delivery.

Oncologists are at the forefront of payment and delivery reforms sweeping medicine today, a former head of Medicare said.