Oncology

The approval comes within months of avelumab being approved for the treatment of Merkel cell carcinoma.

A colon cancer risk assessment study found that individuals who follow a healthy eating and exercise lifestyle reduce their likelihood of developing colorectal polyps or colorectal cancer.

This week in managed care, the top stories included a surprising shake-up in leadership at Molina Healthcare; feedback for the Oncology Care Model; and Healthy Vision Month is focusing on women.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced a pilot project that will take advantage of expected savings from biosimilar medications, particularly expensive anticancer agents, to make these treatments available for low- and middle-income countries.

Although Daniel George, MD, of the Duke Cancer Institute, sees value in cancer vaccines and expects they will start showing more benefit to patients, he acknowledges that a barrier to widespread use of cancer vaccines is that they don't show an immediate response.

There are 2 main ways big data has helped to advance cancer care, but the lack of interoperability in the United States limits some of the data that can be analyzed for quality purposes, explained Bobby Green, MD, MSCE, senior vice president of clinical oncology at Flatiron Health.

According to a new study, socioeconomic disparities in mammography rates among Medicare beneficiaries decreased after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but the same pattern was not observed for colonoscopies.

Researchers have identified specific characteristics that can help identify responsiveness of patients with soft tissue sarcomas to immunotherapy.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and Representative Robin Kelly emphasize need to increase healthcare workforce diversity to improve patient outcomes.

The Samfund is primarily known for its grant funding programs that help young adults with financial struggles after having cancer, but founder and CEO Samantha Watson discussed how the organization has expanded into providing financial literacy education and other tools to support the community of cancer patients.

Midostaurin (Rydapt) has been approved by the FDA, in combination with chemotherapy, for the treatment of adult patients newly diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with a mutation in the FLT3 gene.

Negotiations among House Republicans have led to a compromise that would amend the American Health Care Act and the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) is concerned the amendment would undermine patient protections that are important for people with cancer, said Leah Ralph, director of health Policy at ACCC.

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.

Is rubber meeting the road with big data in cancer care? “No…rather, not yet,” Green said at the 2017 Community Oncology Conference, April 26-27, held at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.

This week, the top managed care stories included President Donald Trump's nominee passing a Senate committee; community oncologists meet to discuss the Cancer Moonshot; and a study finds obesity shortens more lives than cigarettes.

As MACRA pushes physicians toward value-based reimbursement, how can the needs of cancer patients be served? The current issue of Evidence-Based Oncology,ââ€

Christian Downs, MHA, JD, executive director of the Association of Community Cancer Centers, explains how the oncology workforce shortage needs to be addressed by both bringing talented doctors from abroad and raising the next generation in the United States.

Community oncologists believe that they are in a very good position to lead the way to achieve the goals of Cancer Moonshot.

At the 2017 Community Oncology Conference, practice administrators from 2 community clinics discussed the changes they made to their practice to accommodate the reporting requirements of the Oncology Care Model (OCM), and the follow-up planned as they work to implement changes.

When the COA Patient Advocacy Network converged on Capitol Hill on April 26, 50 advocates were able to discuss their concerns with a number of issues facing patients with cancer, including 340B and clinic consolidation, explained Rose Gerber, director of patient advocacy for the Community Oncology Alliance (COA).

At the 2017 Community Oncology Conference, participants discussed the impact of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) on oncology drug prices and patient access to much needed treatments.

The playing field regarding Medicare reimbursement and drug pricing has to be leveled between hospitals and community oncologists in order for physicians to compete for patients on the basis of the quality of care they provide,

Patients receiving care for advanced non—small cell lung cancer in small, independent oncology practices are more likely to receive chemotherapy in the last 30 days of life.

Second primary malignant neoplasms (SPMs) are a well-known late effect after cancer, and a new study has found that they are more deadly among children and young adults than older adults.

A study evaluating a patient-reported outcomes measure tool in patients who had undergone colorectal surgery recommends using the tool for preoperative counseling prior to surgery.

The FDA announced yesterday it had issued warning letters to 14 companies peddling a total of over 65 products falsely claiming to cure or treat cancer. The agency’s forceful stance seemed intended to raise awareness among vulnerable consumers as well as discourage other potential instances of fraud.

A new report published by the Urban Institute suggests that CMS’ Oncology Care Model could be substantially improved by incorporating a formal framework for shared decision making between patients and oncologists.