Oncology

The evolution of the navigator role has been an important development in cancer care, according to panelists who offered various perspectives on helping patients along the cancer journey.

November 18th 2017

NQF and CAPC Team Up to Set Quality Standards for Community-Based Serious Illness Care

With the growing shift to community-based and patient-centered care, the National Quality Forum (NQF) and the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) have launched initiatives to ensure that patients with serious illness receive safe, effective, and high-quality care. At the same time, professionals in the healthcare industry are highlighting the importance of integrating this type of care into the oncology practice.

November 17th 2017

ASCO's TAPUR Study Expands to Enroll Patients Receiving Immunotherapy

With an expansion that includes immunotherapy combination treatments, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)’s Targeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry (TAPUR) Study has now grown to 500 participants and 16 therapies.

November 17th 2017

Oncologists Can Save Oncology If They Take Ownership of Costs, Kolodziej Says

High chemotherapy costs are only one reason for the rising cost of cancer care. End-of-life care and hospitalizations are within an oncologist's control and must be better managed given new reimbursement structures.

November 17th 2017

Study Finds Oncology Care Is Cheaper in Community Settings Than Hospital-Based Practices

Authors of the study found that the mean total, chemotherapy, and physician costs were all lower in community settings compared with hospital-based settings for patients with breast, lung, and colorectal cancer. There were also fewer emergency department visits both 3 and 10 days following treatment.

November 17th 2017

FDA Action on MSK Tumor Profiling Assay Breaks Ground on Multiple Fronts

FDA on Thursday authorized a faster approval path for a next-generation sequencing assay developed at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) that represents both a scientific and regulatory breakthrough at the agency.

November 16th 2017

Predicting Which Patients Will Benefit From Immunotherapy

A mathematical model may help providers better understand which patients will benefit from certain immunotherapy.

November 15th 2017

Hematological Toxicities and Febrile Neutropenia Resulting From CDK 4/6 Inhibitors

Cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors may have proven benefits for treating metastatic breast cancer, but the therapies are associated with hematological toxicities and febrile neutropenia.

November 14th 2017

Dr Amy Abernethy on Improving Patient Access to Oncology Clinical Trials

As oncology moves toward more deep diagnostic testing and as standard of care continues to quickly evolve, technology advancements are necessary to continue to improve patient access to clinical trials, explained Amy Abernethy, MD, PhD, the chief medical officer, chief scientific officer, and senior vice president of oncology at Flatiron Health.

November 14th 2017

Do Oral Parity Laws Reduce OOP Spending for Patients?

Surabhi Dangi-Garimella, PhD

According to a new analysis by Stacy Dusetzina, PhD, and colleagues, state oral parity laws—devised to equate out-of-pocket (OOP) spending for patients, irrespective of whether their treatment is an oral agent or an infusion—are not consistent with reducing patient OOP costs for oral anticancer agents.

November 14th 2017

The Influence of Provider Characteristics and Market Forces on Response to Financial Incentives

Brock O&rsquo Neil, MD Mark Tyson, MD Amy J. Graves, SM, MPH Daniel A. Barocas, MD, MPH Sam S. Chang, MD, MBA David F. Penson, MD, MPH Matthew J. Resnick, MD, MPH

We determine a specialist physician phenotype responsive to financial incentives that may be leveraged to identify physicians and markets well-suited for participation in alternative payment models.

November 12th 2017

NEHI Recommends Implementing Value-Based Contracts With High-Cost Oncology Treatments

Smita Jaggernauth, PharmD

A new white paper from the Network for Excellence in Health Innovation encourages the use of outcomes-based contracting for novel oncology drugs.

November 11th 2017

Podcast: This Week in Managed Care—Healthcare on Election Day 2017, and Other Health News

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.

November 10th 2017

This Week in Managed Care: November 10, 2017

This week, the top managed care stories included a vote in Maine to expand Medicaid and other election day 2017 results; CMS issued final rules for the DIabetes Prevention Program; and a report from the American Society of Clinical Oncology highlighted the link between alcohol consumption and cancer.

November 8th 2017

Mutation May Be Associated With Resistance to NSCLC Immunotherapy

Smita Jaggernauth, PharmD

A specific mutation has been linked with acquired resistance in immunotherapy drugs used to treat non–small lung cancer (NSCLC).

November 8th 2017

The American Journal of Managed Care® Announces Dr Michael Kolodziej as the Keynote Speaker for the Patient-Centered Oncology Care® Meeting

Leading healthcare innovation officer to share information about digital health, managed services, and provider sectors in the healthcare arena.

November 8th 2017

Tesh Khullar: Community Oncologists Need to Understand Impact of Biosimilars on Their Business

November 8th 2017

Roche Gets Drug Approvals for First Treatment for a Rare Blood Disorder and NSCLC

Roche had 2 drugs approved by the FDA—one that is the first approved treatment for a rare blood disease and the other is approved as a first-line treatment for anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive metastatic non–small cell lung cancer.

November 8th 2017

ASCO: Alcohol Linked to Several Types of Cancer

According to evidence gathered by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), alcohol consumption is linked with an increased risk of cancer and can negatively impact cancer treatment.

November 7th 2017

Study to Explore Link Between Diabetes, Pancreatic Cancer

Rising rates of diabetes and obesity have been cited in the fact that pancreatic cancer is expected to be the second-leading cause of cancer death by 2020.

November 7th 2017

Incidence Rates of Early-Stage Breast and Colorectal Cancer Increased Following Enactment of ACA

With the ACA putting emphasis on preventive care, there has been an immediate increase in breast and coloreactal cancer screenings. A recent study found that incidence rates of early-stage breast and colorectal cancer increased in 2014, but did not vary for late-stage breast and colorectal cancer.

November 5th 2017

3D Mammograms and Breath Test Represent Advances in Breast Cancer Detection Technology

Alison Rodriguez

Recent advancements in technology, specifically in detection methods, have demonstrated significant improvement in how early patients are diagnosed with breast cancer and treated.

November 4th 2017

Managing Neutropenia Toxicity With CDK 4/6 Inhibitors Used to Treat Metastatic Breast Cancer

Laura Joszt, MA

In a pair of interviews, experts discuss neutropenia resulting from treatment of metastatic breast cancer with CDK4/6 inhibitors.

November 3rd 2017

This Week in Managed Care: November 3, 2017

This week, the top managed care news included the first day of open enrollment; data from CMS that indicate the progress accountable care organizations are making; and findings that most people with obesity aren't get screened for it or getting care.

November 3rd 2017

Fiber Intake Associated With Lower Mortality in Patients with Colorectal Cancer

Increased fiber, especially from cereal, intake after the diagnosis of non-metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) is associated with lower CRC-specific and overall mortality.

November 1st 2017

FDA Approves New Treatment for Adults With Mantle Cell Lymphoma

Mantle cell lymphoma is an aggressive type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Acalabrutinib (Calquence) is a kinase inhibitor that works by blocking an enzyme the cancer needs to multiply and spread.

November 1st 2017

FDA Grants Priority Review for Lilly's Verzenio for Metastatic Breast Cancer

Alison Rodriguez

The FDA has granted Priority Review designation for Eli Lilly and Company’s New Drug Application (NDA) for Verzenio (abemaciclib), a cyclindependent kinase 4 and 6 inhibitor for metastatic breast cancer. The decision was based on the MONARCH 3 study, which examined abemaciclib as an initial endocrine-based therapy.

November 1st 2017

Evidence-Based OncologyTM Highlights Role of Pharmacist in Cancer Care

As cancer care becomes more expensive and complex, the role of the pharmacist is expanding, from managing the shift to greater use of oral therapies to navigating the revenue cycle, as explored in the new issue of Evidence-Based Oncology™, a publication of The American Journal of Managed Care.®

October 31st 2017

Educating Patients About Risk of Febrile Neutropenia Associated With Strong Chemotherapy

Strong chemotherapy may be part of the treatment plan for patients diagnosed with cancer, but it also comes with risks. A new campaign will empower patients with cancer to better understand and navigate risks such as febrile neutropenia that are associated with strong chemotherapy.

October 31st 2017

70-GS Influences Physician Treatment Guidance for Patients With Early Breast Cancer