Oncology

A study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, found that patients who have access to the prices charged by a testing laboratory, as well as reference pricing, choose lower-cost laboratories, a move that results in overall cost savings.

A collaborative pilot that involves the California Department of Public Health, St. Joseph Health in Orange County, and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland is studying whether near—real-time reporting of cancer diagnoses by pathologists, using standardized electronic forms, will permit providers to make more informed and timely treatment decisions.

The monoclonal antibody daratumumab (Darzalex) has been granted Breakthrough designation, the second for this drug, for use in combination with either lenalidomide (Revlimid) and dexamethasone or bortezomib (Velcade) and dexamethasone for patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least 1 prior therapy.

Adrenal gland tumors that are defined as being nonfunctional may not really be so, and the hormones that these tumors secrete could increase an individual’s risk of cardiometabolic irregularities, according to a new study.

Results from the CheckMate 066 study found that the checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab, which has proven highly efficient in the treatment of melanoma, also performs well in improving the patient’s long-term quality of survival benefit in patients with advanced melanoma.

Loss-of-function mutations in Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) or Janus kinase 2 (JAK2), deletion of the wild-type allele of JAK1 or JAK2, and truncation in the antigen-presenting protein beta-2-microglobulin (B2M) gene have been found responsible for lack of response to interferon gamma in patients with melanoma.

Maximizing the utility of technology platforms and making them meaningful to ensure quality cancer care was the underlying theme of Emerging Issues and Opportunities in Health Information Technology, a National Comprehensive Cancer Network Policy Summit, held June 27, 2016, in Washington, DC.

Gregory C. Simon, executive director, White House Cancer Task Force, spoke at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Policy Summit in Washington, DC. “Just like the original moonshot, the Cancer Moonshot is about using technology and the resulting information,” he said.

At the Emerging Issues and Opportunities in Health Information Technology Policy Summit hosted by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, on June 27, 2016, an afternoon panel discussed the role of technology and its importance in promoting dissemination of data.

Survival in patients with early-stage lung cancer, particularly those with adenocarcinomas, may be shortened by air pollution, according to a study published in the journal Thorax.

The key in making coverage decisions about the integration of immuno-oncology agents into payment plans is being able to identify the patients who are most likely to benefit while also considering the long-term need for the acceptance of innovation in cancer care when faced with economic constraints, said Michael Kolodziej, MD, national medical director for oncology strategy at Aetna.

A new health services study in JAMA Oncology evaluated the impact of clinical evidence on routine surveillance in ovarian cancer, and found none.

One in 12 people who survive a common cancer will develop a second, unrelated malignancy, the most common of which was lung cancer.

The USPSTF recently sought to update it's screening recommendations for skin cancer and evaluate the harms this type of test poses to the patient, and whether this tool leads to earlier detection of skin cancer than other care means.

Private insurance coverage and living closer to a plastic surgeon’s office encouraged women who had a mastectomy to undergo breast reconstruction, according to a recent study.

A commentary accompanying the study assets there's no question that targeted retail advertising makes it more likely that children will start smoking and less likely that adults will quit.

New research published in JAMA discovered that patient-oncologist discordance was common among the cases studied, and patients were unaware that their opinions differed from their physician’s.

This week, the top stories in managed care include news on how Medicaid expansion improved health outcomes of low-income individuals, a report on how physical activity lowers risk of 5 common chronic conditions, and findings on how insurance type impacts health outcomes in cancer.

A recent study led by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital discovered that cancer survivors who underwent the same or similar therapies displayed the same symptoms of mental health.

An expert panel convened by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has issued a new clinical practice guideline on management of chronic pain in adult cancer survivors.

Computed tomography (CT) scans, a common imaging modality, can increase a person's risk of developing cancer later in life.

Higher levels of activity were associated with a significantly lowered risk for outcomes in 5 common chronic diseases; however, the largest gains were made at lower levels of activity with diminishing gains as activity levels increased.

At the 2015 Patient-Centered Oncology Care meeting, Julie M. Vose, MD, MBA, FASCO, president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, gave the keynote speech and discussed the burden facing providers today to reach the goal of the triple aim.

Health insurance status can have a big impact on a person’s health outcomes after they are diagnosed with cancer, according to 2 new studies published in CANCER.

Researchers at the Thomas Jefferson University have developed an online decision-support tool called the Decision Counseling Program that can help for men diagnosed with localized, low-risk prostate cancer make treatment choices.