Oncology

Experts recently proposed 3 steps to promote targeted cancer drugs that yield clinical benefits while reducing overall price growth.

Research presented at the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting identified predictors of long-term survival and health-related quality of life (QoL) in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM).

Peter Paul Yu, MD, FASCO, FACP, physician-in-chief, Hartford HealthCare Cancer Center, discusses the shift toward interoperability among electronic health record systems and efforts needed to accelerate this shift.

The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) has filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, stating that the 2% sequester cut to Medicare Part B drug reimbursement is unconstitutional and illegal, and that it can harm patient care and have a huge impact on the communityc ancer care system.

During the first round of screening, a human papillomavirus (HPV) test detected more abnormal cells grade 3 or worse in the cervix than a Papanicolau (Pap) smear, resulting in a lower liklihood of abnormal cells grade 3 or worse at 48 months.

The trial is designed to test chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in children and young adults with relapsed/refractory brain and central nervous system (CNS) tumors, wherein the modified CAR T cells will be directly injected at the site of tumor resection or into the ventricular system of the CNS.

Michael Thompson, MD, PhD, FASCO, Aurora Advanced Healthcare, discusses challenges associated with conducting precision medicine trials in the community setting.

A review of studies found that the time from symptom onset to confirmation of diagnosis of multiple myeloma can be significantly reduced. Currently, many patients experience a more than 3-month delay until their diagnosis is confirmed.

Although most practices participating in CMS' Oncology Care Model (OCM) are among the most sophisticated in the country, they've run into challenges and have identified areas for adjustment in the 5-year pilot.

Atezolizumab, in combination with chemotherapy, significantly reduced the risk of disease progression and mortality in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.

Mixed methods research incorporating interviews found a high concordance between patient-reported qualitative data and assessed tumor response in patients with Merkel cell carcinoma.

It’s been years since a large portion of colon cancer patients have seen any innovations in treatment. However, there are dietary and physical behavioral changes individuals can make that positively impact colon cancer survival said Leonard Saltz, MD, executive director of Clinical Value and Sustainability, head of Colorectal Oncology Section, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

In an interview with Rare Disease Report®, Nicholas J. Robert, MD, of McKesson Specialty Health, discussed the challenges and advances involving treating with treating Merkel cell carcinoma.

Based on trial results that showed glasdegib, an investigational oral smoothened inhibitor, nearly doubled overall survival (OS) in patients with previously untreated acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the FDA has granted the Pfizer drug a Priority Review.

John Schorge, MD, associate editor of The Green Journal, and Gynecologic Oncologist at Tufts Medical Center, discusses different prevention methods in ovarian cancer.

We've rounded up the top 5 most read articles of June, including trial results from the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting and a FDA breakthrough therapy designation for a gene therapy.

Drug manufacturer AbbVie, and a nonprofit drug discovery division of Scripps Research, Calibr, announced earlier this week that they are partnering to develop chimeric antigen receptor (CAR-T) cell therapies primarily aimed at treating cancer, particularly, solid tumors.

Coverage of our peer-reviewed research and news reporting in the healthcare and mainstream press.

There are a lot of new and exciting agents that are being explored for metastatic HER2-positive disease, explained Sara M. Tolaney, MD, MPH, instructor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, attending physician of medical oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Jamie Bakkum-Gamez, MD, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology and Gynecologic oncologist at Mayo Clinic, discusses her research on developing an early detection test for endometrial cancer.

This week, drug maker Roche released positive data from its phase 3 IMpower133 study that investigated an immunotherapy-based combination of atezolizumab (Tecentriq) and chemotherapy in the treatment of extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC).

From the role of data in treatment decisions to the use of apps in tracking patient responses, technology is now front-and-center in cancer care. A special issue of Evidence-Based Oncology™, a publication of The American Journal of Managed Care®, explores the rise of point-of-care tools.

Cancer cells can take advantage of the BCL-2 protein to survive chemotherapy, but a drug that suppresses BCL-2 may have promise in patients with leukemia who produce too much of the protein.

During this year's American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting, we sat down with 4 physicians to discuss their experiences with precision medicine, how it's changing oncology care, challenges associated with the shift, and where they think the future of precision medicine is headed.

Immune therapies, or check point inhibitors, have been very successful in a subset of patient with multiple different types of malignancies and has changed their trajectory tremendously, explained Victoria Villaflor, MD, associate professor of Medicine, hematology and oncology, Northwestern University.

As radiation oncologists met with policy makers in Congress as part of the 15th annual American Society of Radiation Oncology Advocacy Day, the need for a radiation oncology–specific alternative payment model (APM) was one of the key topics of discussion.

First-line treatment with atezolizumab plus chemotherapy helped patients with previously untreated extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC) live significantly longer than those treated with chemotherapy alone.

During remarks at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Policy Conference, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, called for more data sharing and explained how the FDA is working to modernize the clinical trial process.

During the European Hematology Association’s 23rd Congress, held from June 14 to 17 in Stockholm, Sweden, researchers announced that the ELOQUENT-3 phase 2 study, evaluating elotuzumab with pomalidomide and low-dose dexamethasone in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, met its primary endpoint in showing a statistically significant, clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival.

Every week, The American Journal of Managed Care® recaps the top managed care news of the week, and you can now listen to it on our podcast, Managed Care Cast.