Oncology

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.

This week, the top managed care stories included a vote in Maine to expand Medicaid and other election day 2017 results; CMS issued final rules for the DIabetes Prevention Program; and a report from the American Society of Clinical Oncology highlighted the link between alcohol consumption and cancer.

A specific mutation has been linked with acquired resistance in immunotherapy drugs used to treat non–small lung cancer (NSCLC).

Leading healthcare innovation officer to share information about digital health, managed services, and provider sectors in the healthcare arena.

Biosimilars for core therapeutics in cancer are starting to come out, and community oncologists need to understand what that means for their business, as well as what proposed policy changes could mean for reimbursement, explained Tesh Khullar,

Roche had 2 drugs approved by the FDA—one that is the first approved treatment for a rare blood disease and the other is approved as a first-line treatment for anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive metastatic non–small cell lung cancer.

According to evidence gathered by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), alcohol consumption is linked with an increased risk of cancer and can negatively impact cancer treatment.

Rising rates of diabetes and obesity have been cited in the fact that pancreatic cancer is expected to be the second-leading cause of cancer death by 2020.

With the ACA putting emphasis on preventive care, there has been an immediate increase in breast and coloreactal cancer screenings. A recent study found that incidence rates of early-stage breast and colorectal cancer increased in 2014, but did not vary for late-stage breast and colorectal cancer.

Recent advancements in technology, specifically in detection methods, have demonstrated significant improvement in how early patients are diagnosed with breast cancer and treated.

In a pair of interviews, experts discuss neutropenia resulting from treatment of metastatic breast cancer with CDK4/6 inhibitors.

This week, the top managed care news included the first day of open enrollment; data from CMS that indicate the progress accountable care organizations are making; and findings that most people with obesity aren't get screened for it or getting care.

Increased fiber, especially from cereal, intake after the diagnosis of non-metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) is associated with lower CRC-specific and overall mortality.

Mantle cell lymphoma is an aggressive type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Acalabrutinib (Calquence) is a kinase inhibitor that works by blocking an enzyme the cancer needs to multiply and spread.

The FDA has granted Priority Review designation for Eli Lilly and Company’s New Drug Application (NDA) for Verzenio (abemaciclib), a cyclindependent kinase 4 and 6 inhibitor for metastatic breast cancer. The decision was based on the MONARCH 3 study, which examined abemaciclib as an initial endocrine-based therapy.

As cancer care becomes more expensive and complex, the role of the pharmacist is expanding, from managing the shift to greater use of oral therapies to navigating the revenue cycle, as explored in the new issue of Evidence-Based Oncology™, a publication of The American Journal of Managed Care.®

Strong chemotherapy may be part of the treatment plan for patients diagnosed with cancer, but it also comes with risks. A new campaign will empower patients with cancer to better understand and navigate risks such as febrile neutropenia that are associated with strong chemotherapy.

Results of the 70-gene signature assay strongly influence physician's treatment recomendations for patients with early breast cancer who were classified as intermediate risk by the 21-gene assay.

An overview of factors that make the Oncology Care Model performance period data challenging to navigate and use.

A new study found that the global cancer burden in young adults differs from that in younger and older age groups and was more common in women.

Results of the Phase 3 ARROW trial revealed that patiehts with refractory multiple myeloma can live up to 3.6 months longer, without their disease worsening, when Kyprolis (carfilzomib) is administered once-weekly at the 70 mg/m2 dose with dexamethasone rather than Kyprolis administered twice-weekly at the 27 mg/m2 dose with dexamethasone, according to Amgen.

James R. Jett, MD, gave an overview of the advances in diagnosis and treatment of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) during a session at the National Association of Managed Care Physicians Fall Managed Care Forum 2017.

Many of survivors of childhood cancer who are now within the prime age for labor force participation are reluctant to make changes in their employment because of access to health insurance, and therefore, job lock is common among this population.

Results of the first annual National Cancer Opinion Survey, established by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), show that the majority of Americans are unaware of several key risk factors for cancer, and that a minority are taking active steps to reduce their personal risk.

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.

Education is key to succeed in the Oncology Care Model, but presenting data in a simple format for clinicians to use is also critical, said Terrill Jordan, CEO, of Regional Cancer Care Associates.

Researchers developed additional guidance for using granulocyte colony-stimulating factors to optimize pegfilgrastim use in clinical practices for patients at risk of chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia.