ICYMI: Highlights From ASCO 2023

The most-read content from the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting including the latest findings in ongoing clinical trials, a panel discussion on Medicare oncology payment models, and the importance of alignment between clinicians and payers on clinical pathways.

Check out the rest of our ASCO 2023 coverage here.

5. Dr Samyukta Mullangi: To Affect Prescribing Behavior, Payer Incentive Alignment Is Critical

In an interview with The American Journal of Managed Care^®, Samyukta Mullangi, MD, MBA, medical director at Thyme Care, discussed ways for payers to align incentives with practicing oncologists to before implementing programs that may affect prescribing behaviors. Physicians are more likely to prescribe on-pathway regimens when they are more familiar with them, particularly if many of their patients are covered by a particular payer, she explained.

Watch the interview here.

4. ASCO Panel: Do Medicare Oncology Payment Models Measure Value, or Just Savings?

A panel of experts at ASCO 2023 discussed the difficulties of practice transformation and the ways in which efforts to reform oncology payment have succeeded and failed. Commercial and Medicare Advantage plans must be aligned with practices and reduce burdens such as prior authorization and utilization management, and clinical risk adjustment must be appropriate to set practices up for success in alternative payment models spanning disease types. Panelists also discussed the Enhancing Oncology Model , the latest alternative oncology payment model from CMS.

Read the full article here.

3. TRiMM-2: Response Rate of 78% Seen in Patients Who Receive Talquetamab With Subcutaneous Daratumumab for Multiple Myeloma

Patients with multiple myeloma who were treated with a combination of talquetamab and subcutaneous daratumumab experienced an overall response rate of 78%, according to findings presented at ASCO 2023. The TRiMM-2 trial included patients who had undergone at least 3 prior lines of therapy, and lead investigator Bhagirathbhai R. Dholaria, MD, of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, noted that the 2 drugs may be effective when combined due to complementary immunomodulatory effects. In updated results from the phase 1/2 MonumenTAL-1 study, patients treated with subcutaneous talquetamab for multiple myeloma showed a 71.7% overall response rate at a median of 12.7 months of follow-up.

Read the full article here.

2. MIRASOL: Mirvetuximab Soravtansine Improves PFS, OS in Certain Women With Recurrent Ovarian Cancer

In the MIRASOL trial, mirvetuximab soravtansine demonstrated improved overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with platinum-resistant, advanced high-grade epithelial ovarian, primary peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancers with high folate receptor-alpha expression. Compared with standard chemotherapy, an ASCO commentator noted, mirvetuximab soravtansine has fewer side effects, including those leading to treatment cessation, compared with standard chemotherapies among patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.

Read the full article here.

1. NATALEE: Ribociclib With Hormonal Therapy Cuts Recurrence Risk by 25% in Most Common Type of Breast Cancer

Interim findings from the NATALEE trial showed that adding ribociclib, a CDK4/6 inhibitor, to hormonal therapy made cancer 25% less likely to return for patients with hormone receptor (HR) positive, HER2-negative early-stage breast cancer. Pairing ribociclib with hormonal therapy created significant improvement in survival, with findings consistent across subgroups. While the findings are early, the results are promising and may have widespread implications for this patient population.

Read the full article here.