April 23rd 2021
The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to uphold the original language of the emergency use authorization for Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccination, and is possible the 1-dose vaccine could resume Saturday.
Isatuximab Combination Improves PFS in Relapsed, Refractory MM
June 15th 2019According to results from a randomized phase 3 trial presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s recent annual meeting, the addition of isatuximab to pomalidomide and low-dose dexamethasone significantly improvement progression-free survival (PFS) and the overall response rate (ORR) in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM).
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Multimorbidity, Insurance Status May Affect Survival Rates of Patients With Multiple Myeloma
June 8th 2019According to 2 abstracts presented at the 2019 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, multimorbidity, insurance status, and income may affect survival rates of patients with multiple myeloma.
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5 Takeaways From ASCO's Annual Meeting
June 7th 2019The American Society of Clinical Oncology recently held its annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois. The meeting brought together oncologists, payers, and other stakeholders to discuss the latest updates and therapeutic advances in cancer care. Here are 5 of the biggest takeaways from the meeting.
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The addition of daratumumab to standard treatment of lenalidomide and dexamethasone for patients with multiple myeloma, who were ineligible for autologous stem-cell transplant, was found to significantly lower the risk of disease progression or death compared with those who only received standard treatment.
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Patients With Prior Hematologic Malignancy at Increased Risk for Head and Neck Cancer, Study Finds
May 31st 2019According to results from a recent retrospective study, patients previously diagnosed with a hematologic malignancy were found to be at a higher risk of developing head and neck cancers compared with patients without a prior hematologic malignancy.
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Lenalidomide Beats Standard of Care in Smoldering MM
May 23rd 2019As a precursor to myeloma, smoldering multiple myeloma (MM) currently has no treatment. In fact, the standard of care is observation until the patient starts to present with symptoms. However, according to new research that will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois, held May 31 to June 4, early treatment of smoldering MM may delay progression to full-blown disease.
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Venetoclax Gains FDA Approval for Previously Untreated CLL, SLL
May 16th 2019Venetoclax (Venclexta) has received FDA approval in combination with obinutuzumab (Gazyva) for the treatment of adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), offering a chemotherapy-free regimen for patients with previously untreated disease.
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Chemo, Then Radiotherapy, May Boost Survival for Patients With Advanced Hodgkin Lymphoma
May 2nd 2019Radiotherapy after chemotherapy is controversial, as evidenced by the fact that doctors for some patients in the study did not follow the protocol for those assigned to radiotherapy and may have affected the results.
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CMS Proposes Increased Reimbursement for CAR T-Cell Therapy, Price Hikes for Rural Hospitals
April 24th 2019As part of CMS’ FY 2020 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System and Long-Term Acute Care Hospital Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule and Request for Information, the agency is proposing an increase in how much it reimburses hospitals for chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, as well as wage index hikes for rural hospitals.
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Peripheral Neuropathy Significantly Adds to Cost Burden of Multiple Myeloma
April 16th 2019Among patients with multiple myeloma treated with older proteasome inhibitors, those who developed peripheral neuropathy (PN) had significantly higher costs, suggesting that newer therapies may maintain effective treatment while lowering the economic and disease burden of PN in these patients.
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Experimental Cancer Vaccine Shrinks Tumors in Form of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
April 13th 2019A preliminary study discussed how a vaccine regimen stimulated dendritic cells to attack tumors, which could point to a new way of making immunotherapy effective in cancers that have proved resistant to treatment thus far.
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Carfilzomib Regimen Safe, Effective in Newly Diagnosed, Transplant-Eligible Multiple Myeloma
April 11th 2019Assessing 4 dose levels of carfilzomib, researchers have determined that the drug, in combination with thalidomide and low-dose dexamethasone, is highly safe and effective in transplant-eligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.
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Step Therapy in Medicare Advantage Hurts Patients, Providers, Says Schwartzberg
April 6th 2019Step therapy, which requires that patients try the payer’s preferred treatment before the one a physician recommends, is harmful to both sides of the doctor-patient relationship, according to Lee B. Schwartzberg, MD, medical director of the West Cancer and Research Institute, who spoke at the 2019 Community Oncology Conference, held in Orlando, Florida.
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Genomic Analysis of High-Risk Leukemia Finds Nearly Half of Cases May Respond to Precision Therapy
March 30th 2019A comprehensive genomic analysis of acute erythoid leukemia (AEL) found that 45% of patients had mutations in signaling pathways that drive uncontrolled cell growth, and evidence shows these leukemias may respond to existing precision treatments.
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FDA Stops Enrollment in Phase 3 MM Trial Due to 2-Fold Increase in Mortality
March 22nd 2019This week, the FDA sent out an alert to various healthcare professionals and the public to warn about the risks associated with the investigational use of venetoclax (Venclexta) for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma (MM). The alert is based on data from the ongoing phase 3 BELLINI trial evaluating the drug for this treatment.
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NCCN Panel Digs Into Reality of CAR T-Cell Reimbursement
March 21st 2019A panel during the opening day of the 2019 National Comprehensive Cancer Network Annual Conference examined the recent process for National Coverage Determination for chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy and what it means for the future of innovative treatments.
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Once-Weekly Carfilzomib as Safe, Effective as Twice-Weekly Treatment in Newly Diagnosed MM
March 13th 2019Pooled data from 2 studies revealed that once-weekly administration of 70 mg/m2 of carfilzomib is as safe and effective in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) as twice-weekly administration of 36 mg/m2 of the treatment while also providing a more convenient treatment schedule.
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Carfilzomib Regimen Results in Longer Time to Next Treatment, Improved Survival in RRMM
March 6th 2019Compared with other drug regimens, a carfilzomib-based regimen resulted in longer time to next treatment, as well as longer overall survival and improved 24-month survival, among patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM).
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