Clinical

Opioid-dependent patients treated at an emergency department (ED) who were given buprenorphine were more likely to engage in addiction treatment to reduce their opioid use, according to a study published in JAMA.

Published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, results showed that women who had previously breastfed their babies had a 30% overall decreased risk of their breast cancer recurring.

While lawmakers, payers, and patient advocates are raising a voice against the sky-rocketing costs of the newer breakthorugh agents in cancer, the drug developers can boast a strong start to the year with big sales figures.

A review of 24 trials covering more than 10,000 patients confirmed earlier findings that PCSK9 inhibitors dramatically reduce cholesterol and risk of heart attacks. But an editorial that appeared alongside the meta-analysis in Annals of Internal Medicine said long-term studies are needed on this new drug class.

Published early online in Cancer, the findings suggest that the expansion of coverage through the Affordable Care Act may disproportionally benefit certain patient populations.

The accelerated review, the results of which were made public 2 days prior to a vote by an FDA advisory panel on using T-Vec in melaonma, cited concerns over the design and results of a key study with the viral drug.

More pharmaceutical companies are buying drugs that they see as undervalued, then raising the prices. It is one of a number of industry tactics, driving up the cost of drugs.

A treatment approved for the most common form of hepatitis C in the US was also highly effective in less widespread variants, researchers reported at the European Association for the Study of the Liver annual meeting.

The study found that despite an increase in the armamentarium of drugs to treat multiple sclerosis, the cost of the drugs has skyrocketed and not dropped.

While brachytherapy improved progression-free survival in men with prostate cancer, compared with traditional readiotherapy, the study found that overall survival was not very different between the 2 groups.

Remote monitoring for heart failure patients resulted in fewer hospitalizations and deaths than a similar group of patients receiving usual care during a 4-month study, but the benefits didn't last beyond the study period.

Historically, people talk about pathways as if they are an answer, but they are really just one component to cancer care delivery, said Laura Long, MD, MPH, president at TheLongView, PC.

The panel discussion, "Tackling Advanced Care Planning in Payment Reform: People and Politics" at the 2015 Community Oncology Conference, included a provider who is an active proponent of advanced care planning (ACP), a program director at a nonprofit health insurance company, and a healthcare consultant who until recently worked for a big health plan.

For all their talk about evidence-based medicine, a lot of doctors don't follow the clinical guidelines set by leading medical groups.

With the rising prices of innovative oncology treatments, many of which fall under specialty pharmaceuticals, curbing the cost of care is high on the agenda of healthcare providers.

Results presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2015 show the presence of a known driver of non-small cell lung cancer in small cell lung cancer, implying that promising treatments for the former may be applicable to the latter form of the disease.