Maggie is an editor for The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) and produces written, video, and podcast content covering several disease states. She joined AJMC® in 2019, and has been with AJMC®’s parent company, MJH Life Sciences®, since 2014, when she started as a copy editor.
She has a BA in English from Penn State University. You can connect with Maggie on LinkedIn.
Navigating Complexity: Understanding Variations in Lung Cancer Screening Decision-Making
This analysis found the complex decision-making process of lung cancer screening among eligible individuals is infused with 3 principal themes that may influence how primary care physicians approach patients with comorbidities.
2024 COA Community Oncology Conference Preview With Dr Emily Touloukian
With the 2024 Community Oncology Conference, from the Community Oncology Alliance (COA), set to kick off this week in Orlando, Florida, The American Journal of Managed Care® spoke with Emily Touloukian, DO, COA board member and 1 of 6 cochairs for this year’s meeting, on highlights from the packed agenda and the power of advocacy.
Homelessness Compounds Hospital Stay Challenges: Study Reveals Prolonged Discharge Struggles
In this investigation, outcomes of interest were morbidity rate and length of hospital stay or a traumatic injury among a homeless population, and whether age and/or injury severity had an influence on that relationship—with implications for improving the discharge process for these patients.
Wearable Activity Tracker Data Enhance Patient Assessment in Lung Cancer
This analysis included 119 patients with advanced lung cancer, who were evaluated on 3 facets of physical activity over 14 days of using the amuelink wearable device from Sony: metabolic equivalent tasks, distance walked, and steps taken.
Poor Well-Being Scores Linked to Early Treatment Stoppage in Multiple Myeloma
Investigators used the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General General Physical Wellbeing Scale to collect data on patient-reported treatment-related adverse effects, to provide clinicians guidance on predicting risk of early treatment discontinuation among ECOG-ACRIN E1A11 trial participants.
Givinostat Receives Full FDA Approval for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
The approval follows fast track, orphan drug, and rare pediatric designations and an original Prescription Drug User Fee Act date of December 21, which the FDA pushed back to March 21 to have more time to review Italfarmaco’s application.
Fracture Risk Lowest for Alendronate, Pamidronate Use During MM Treatment
In this analysis, 3 bisphosphonates (alendronate, pamidronate, and zoledronic acid) and 1 RANK ligand inhibitor (denosumab) were evaluated for their effectiveness at preventing osteoclasts from facilitating jaw degradation and reducing vertebral fracture risk among patients being treated for multiple myeloma.
Low Screening Rates for Lung Cancer Highlight Public Health Priority
Overall rates for lung cancer screening remain low, despite the US Preventive Services Task Force revising its annual screening recommendation in 2021 by lowering the age of initial screening for current or former smokers and their pack-year history.
FDA Approves Arsa-Cel for Metachromatic Leukodystrophy
The approval makes atidarsagene autotemcel (arsa-cel [Lenmeldy]; Orchard Therapeutics) the first approved treatment for metachromatic leukodystrophy, a disease caused by a mutation in the ARSA gene and marked by progressive declines in both the central and peripheral nervous systems.
Dr Joshua Sabari Looks to the Future of Targeted Treatment for NSCLC
March 1 saw the FDA grant full approval to amivantamab plus chemotherapy for first-line use in patients who have non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations, converting the May 2021 accelerated approval for this treatment in the second line.
Navigating the Mental Health Challenges of Cancer Diagnosis, Treatment, and Survivorship
Stress has potential links to worse outcomes in cancer, such as decreased quality of life and greater risks of disease progression and metastasis. There is a complex mix of emotions patients with cancer experience.
SABR Likely Safe, Effective for Patients Who Have NSCLC, ILD
In this study, the 42-patient population was enrolled from 5 sites in Canada and 1 site in Scotland, and data were gathered from March 7, 2019, to January 12, 2022; all had interstitial lung disease (ILD) and early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Case Report Warns of Pneumothorax Risk in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
The authors of this report stress the importance of awareness of COVID-19–related complications in young patients who have Duchenne muscular dystrophy, paying particular attention to a potential higher risk of respiratory infections in these patients.
Dr Joshua Sabari Discusses Amivantamab’s First-Line Approval for NSCLC
The approval converts the May 2021 accelerated FDA approval for second-line treatment of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations to a full approval in the first line following results from the phase 3 PAPILLON study.
Optimizing CAR T for Patients With BCL and CNS Involvement
With little data available on outcomes among patients who have B-cell lymphoma (BCL) and secondary central nervous system (CNS) involvement who were administered CD19-targeting chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, these investigators enrolled 4 male patients in their study.
Smartphone Tech Reveals Gait Differences in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Outside of a gait laboratory, this investigation compared gait pattern differences between children who have Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and their typically developing counterparts to gain more real-world data of DMD-associated gait characteristics.
Nivolumab Continues to Produce Beneficial NSCLC Outcomes
This most recent analysis from the CheckMate 9LA trial provides 4-year follow-up data on patients with stage IV metastatic/recurrent non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) randomized to treatment with nivolumab plus ipilimumab and chemotherapy vs chemotherapy alone.