Oncology

Increasing levels of CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes are associated with prolonged survival in patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer, endometrioid ovarian cancer, and mucinous ovarian cancer, according to a study published in JAMA Oncology.

December 19th 2017

Tesh Khullar on the Importance of Community Oncology Patients Being Involved in Clinical Trials

Community oncologists face a challenge in getting patients into clinical trials, but new technology could help them get access to those trials, explained Tesh Khullar, senior vice president of provider solutions at Flatiron Health.

December 19th 2017

New Drug Approvals in Leukemia and Lymphoma Presented at ASH 2017

The FDA was busy in 2017, with a number of notable approvals, including the first chimeric antigen receptor T-cell treatment. In a session at the 59th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia, employees from the FDA presented data on 5 new drug approvals in leukemia and lymphoma in 2017.

December 19th 2017

Sarcopenia and Inflammation Associated With Increased Risk of Death in Patients with Colorectal Cancer

A study published in JAMA Oncology found that prediagnosis inflammation was associated with at-diagnosis sarcopenia, and the combination of the 2 nearly doubled the risk of death in patients with nonmetastatic colorectal cancer. Because the 2 biomarkers are commonly collected and potentially modifiable, there is potential for clinical use in prognostication and guiding intervention.

December 18th 2017

The Most-Read News Stories of 2017

The top 5 most-read news stories included clinical content, such as an FDA approval, and policy news, such as Medicare reimbursement coverage.

December 16th 2017

Podcast: This Week in Managed Care—CAR T Treatments 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.

December 16th 2017

Diagnosing Non-Chemotherapy Drug-Induced Neutropenia

In a session at the 59th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia, Brian Curtis, PhD, of the BloodCenter of Wisconsin Blood Research Institute, highlighted drugs other than chemotherapy that may cause neutropenia in patients.

December 16th 2017

Average Profit Margin on Oncology Drugs for 340B Hospitals Nears 50%

"The Oncology Drug Marketplace: Trends in Discounting and Site of Care," commissioned by the Community Onoclogy Alliance and conducted by Berkley Research Group, found that 340B hospitals have a clear financial incentive to expand oncology services; 340B hospitals receive over one-third of all Part B oncology drug reimbursement; a disproportionate share of the shift in site of care is attributable to 340B hospitals; and between 2010 and 2015, statutory discounts and rebates paid by manufacturers have almost tripled and put upward pricing pressure on drugs.

December 15th 2017

Majority of Women With Breast Cancer Surgery Did Not Feel Fully Informed of Treatment Options

The majority of women who underwent a lumpectomy or a mastectomy reported not feeling fully informed of their treatment options, but the use of Web-based decision aids can help patients become informed, according to results of 2 new studies published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

December 15th 2017

5 Key Takeaways From ASH 2017

Discussions at the 59th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) included progress reports on genetically modified immunotherapy treatments, a new treatment paradigm for advanced Hodgkin lymphoma, possibility of treatment-free remission in chronic myelogenous leukemia, and challenges with hospice utilization for patients with leukemia.

December 15th 2017

This Week in Managed Care: December 15, 2017

This week, the top managed care news included coverage from the 59th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition; recommendations on the use of diabetes drugs with cardiovascular indications; and a new study found that despite changes in insurance plans to give consumers more clout, unnecessary medical spending remains a problem.

December 15th 2017

Navigating the Quality Landscape in Oncology: Pitfalls and Lessons Learned

The conclusion drawn by panelists participating at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s Oncology Policy Summit on Redefining Quality Measurement in Oncology was that ensuring access to appropriate data and using that information to improve healthcare outcomes remains an ongoing challenge.

December 15th 2017

Lending the Patient Voice to Oncology Quality Measurement

Speaking at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Oncology Policy Summit on Redefining Quality Measurement in Oncology, Ronald Walters, MD, MBA, MHA, MS, associate vice president of medical operations and informatics at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, emphasized the need to focus on the patient’s preferences and values in cancer care delivery.

December 14th 2017

Report Highlights Increase in Premature Deaths in the United States

An analysis of behaviors, community environment, policy, clinical care, and outcomes data has found a disturbing trend in mortality in the United States, with premature deaths, drug deaths, and cardiovascular deaths all increasing.

December 14th 2017

Q&A With Dr Thomas LeBlanc: The Value of ePROs in Oncology

The FDA has recognized the need to include the patient's voice in the drug development process. The question is: what is the best way to do this?

December 14th 2017

FDA Announces Public Education Campaign to Encourage Smoking Cessation

The FDA has announced its launch of the “Every Try Counts” campaign, which will encourage smokers to quit by advertising messages of support underscoring the health benefits of quitting. The campaign will also focus on celebrating each quit attempt as a step towards success.

December 13th 2017

Halt and Catch Fire: Can the Digital Revolution Empower the Move Toward Value-Based Cancer Care?

Joseph Alvarnas, MD

There is no shortage of academic, industry, and government sources that identify value as equaling cost/outcomes; there is far less uniformity of opinion when it comes to defining what that means for a particular patient affected by cancer.

December 13th 2017

How Technology, Social Media Are Changing the Way Clinical Trials Connect With Patients

Mary Caffrey

New companies are finding patients for clinical trials in remote locations and trimming months off the enrollment process.

December 13th 2017

Dr Stephen Schuster Outlines CAR T Results Seen in Leukemia, Lymphoma, and Myeloma

Stephen Schuster, MD, of the Perelman School of Medicine, provides a summary of results seen with CAR T treatments in leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma.

December 13th 2017

New Treatment Paradigm Supersedes ABVD in Advanced Hodgkin Lymphoma: The ECHELON-1 Study

Including the modified brentuximab antibody in the treatment regimen improved modified progression-free survival by 5%, although the rates of neutropenia and infections were higher in patients administered the brentuximab-containing regimen.

December 12th 2017

Dr Julie Wolfson Highlights Different Outcomes in AYAs With ALL Compared With Children

Adolescents and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) tend to have worse outcomes than children with ALL, and new research published at the 59th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting delved into the reasons why, explained Julie A. Wolfson, MD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine.

December 12th 2017

Dr Joshua Richter Discusses Patient Financial Burden of New Treatments and Cures

Right now is a critical time for the healthcare industry to evaluate how patients are financially burdened by novel treatments that can provide tremendous outcomes, said Joshua R. Richter, MD, of the John Theurer Cancer Center.

December 12th 2017

EHR Documentation and the Patient–Physician Visit

Sheree Starrett, MD, MS

The need for physicicans to gather information for electronic health records has changed the nature of the patient visit.

December 12th 2017

CAR T Progress: Global Submissions for Kymriah, 42% Ongoing Response With Yescarta in ZUMA-1 Patients

A much-anticipated session on the second day of the 59th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Society of Hematology provided long-term updates on trials evaluating 2 chimeric antigen receptor-T (CAR T) treatments: tisagenlecleucel or CTL019 (Kymriah) for the treatment of adult relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta) evaluated in patients with refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

December 12th 2017

Racial Disparities Prevalent in Survival of Patients With Ovarian, Colon, and Breast Cancer

Findings from 3 analyses published in CANCER highlight racial disparities in the survival of patients with ovarian, colon, and breast cancer from 2001-2003 and 2004-2009.

December 11th 2017

Clonal Expansion and Aging Fuel the Development of Neoplasms, Say Experts at ASH

Clonal hematopoiesis and selection pressures associated with aging can together lead to the development of neoplasms. Two hematologists presented US and European updates on the potential to develop a predictive model, and an appropriate intervention, in these individuals.

December 11th 2017

CTL019 More Cost Effective in Pediatric Patients With Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma

Two abstracts at the 59th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology in Atlanta, Georgia found that CTL019 shows promising potential in providing significant benefit and cost effectiveness for pediatric and young adult patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

December 10th 2017

Dr Derek Raghavan Outlines Challenges to Implementing Evidence-Based Guidelines

Physician belief in the art of medicine is running up against the challenge of costs being shifted to patients and health systems and the desire of payers to have less variation in care, said Derek Raghavan, MD, PhD, FACP, FRACP, president, Carolinas HealthCare System's Levine Cancer Institute.

December 10th 2017

Dr Kerry Rogers: Ibrutinib's Impact on Vaccine Response

Ibrutinib has the potential to improve vaccine response for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and an ongoing trial will help provide a better understanding, explained Kerry Rogers, MD, assistant professor, internal medicine, Division of Hematology, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center.

December 10th 2017

Single-Agent Ibrutinib Promising in MCL and CLL, Improves Patient Well-Being