Oncology

Millions of Americans with serious illness, such as cancer, heart disease, kidney disease, and dementia, continue to have inadequate access to palliative care, according to the 2015 State-by-State Report Card from the Center to Advance Palliative Care.

Tumors caught early have a lower probability of advancing to the lymph nodes and improve patient outcomes, the BMJ study found.

The PD-L1 inhibitor was granted orphan drug status just last month.

Price transparency continues to plague healthcare, as this new report from Castlight Health suggests.

Despite safeguards, opponents of the California law say it will invite abuse of the poor who suffer chronic conditions and face steep medical costs.

As HIV-infected adults live longer, they are increasingly susceptible to specific cancer types. This calls for targeted cancer prevention efforts in this population.

End-of-life care for adolescents and young adults requires an approach that addresses the unique developmental and spiritual issues seen in that population.

A discussion on the challenges of implementing standards for addressing fertility risks associated with cancer and its treatment and describes an interactive training for healthcare providers to help them overcome challenges to implementation.

Suggestions on how to approach a childhood cancer survivor in your practice, several useful resources, and information on what referrals and tests may be indicated.

A multistakeholder approach to patient assistance programs was the topic of discussion at ACCC's first annual ICLIO meeting in Philadelphia.

The evidence of weight-loss improving overall well-being and predisposition to chronic as well as acute conditions is mounting. We now need coverage policies that can help patients take advantage of weight loss procedures.

The use of genetic testing has led to a radical change within certain specialties and hospital departments. And although doctors are being asked to do more, they do it gladly because the work leads to better treatment decisions for patients, said Mark G. Kris, MD, William and Joy Ruane chair in thoracic oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Reimbursement remains a primary concern with the new immuno-oncology agents. Who pays and how do you ensure payment was fervently discussed by oncologists at the recent ICLIO meeting hosted by the Association of Community Cancer Centers.

A study reports that despite the steady growth in hospital-based palliative care programs, access is sketchy and is driven by geographic location and hospital ownership.

A government-funded network of specialized survivor clinics in Ontario, Canada, significantly decreased emergency department visits among adult survivors of childhood cancer.

The study plans to evaluate the impact of a personalized approach to breast cancer screening over an annual mammogram.

This approval marks the first-ever for 2 immuno-oncology agents in cancer treatment.

The result of a multicollaborative effort, the study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that incorporating breast density information in the risk calculator could accurately estimate women's risk for the disease.

Patient access to innovation may be at risk as new payment models emerge in oncology.

The findings come as CMS is poised to finalize a rule to pay doctors to counsel patients about end-of-life treatment options.

A study published in BMJ measured the prevalence, annual compensation, and beneficial stock ownership of directors from publicly traded healthcare companies who had academic affiliations.

The CHHiP trial found fewer high-dose radiotherapy was as effective as more number of low-dose radiotherapy in men with prostate cancer.

An NCI-funded Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium study has found that computer-aided detection and interpretation of mammograms does not add any value to breast cancer screening.

My visit to the gynecologist's office following treatment for breast cancer and a subsequent reconstructive surgery was a rude awakening.

A prospective study that enrolled more than 10,000 women with hormone-receptor—positive, HER2-negative breast cancer has found that their response to a 21-gene test can identify patients who can avoid chemotherapy.