Oncology

Rising costs in cancer care, especially for new therapies, have gained attention in recent years. However, a study just published in The American Journal of Managed Care finds about half of patients are interested in discussing cost on the front end, but only a minority actually have a cost discussion with their oncologist.

As the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) celebrates 20 years, Clifford Goodman, PhD, takes a look at how NCCN will evolve after another 20 years, including constant streaming of real-time data and more patient involvement.

The top stories in managed care include the nomination for the next FDA commissioner, a report reveals cancer drugs are driving growth in the 340B program more than initially thought, and nearly half a billion in ACA funds are made available to health centers.

A collaborative team of researchers have been able to identify a gene signature that can predict how HER2-negative breast cancer patients would respond to treatment with bevacizumab.

The path to President Obama's Precision Medicine Initiative has been paved as is evident from a report released by a Working Group convened by the National Institutes of Health.

Scientists in Spain have identified gene mutations that trigger bone metastasis in breast cancer patients.

At the recently held NCCN healthcare policy summit in Washington, DC, experts delved into various models being evaluated to reduce healthcare utilization in oncology care.

Healthcare policy makers, payers, medical centers, and patient representatives shared the dais as they discussed The Value Proposition in oncology.

Metastatic melanoma patients treated with pembrolizumab responded better if their T cells had a higher level of Bim expression.

The report, commissioned by the Community Oncology Alliance, finds that Medicare Part B cancer drug spending rose 123% in 340B hospitals from 2010 to 2013, but only 31% in non-340B hospitals; it fell 5% in community practices in the same period.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology has urged Congress to recognize the impact of barriers to interoperability of electronic health records on patient outcomes.

The American Journal of Managed Care spoke with Bruce J. Gould, MD, medical director of Northwest Georgia Oncology Centers on the impact of the 340B drug pricing program on private oncology practices.

The study, published in the journal Cancer, found that non-biological factors are as important as biological variables in shaping outcomes in young patients with leukemia.

The ability to charge increasingly higher prices for drugs that already have competition on the market is stifling innovation and wasting resources and human subjects, according to Peter Bach, MD, MAPP, director of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's Center for Health Policy and Outcomes.

Supporters say the bill would bring choice and dignity to those suffering, while opponents say the poor will be pressured by family members and heirs to take their lives because healthcare is too expensive.

Healthcare policy experts gathered in Washington, DC, to discuss access, cost, and the definition of value in oncology care.

Healthcare practitioners are well aware that the rising cost of medical advances may affect their ability to deliver great care to all their patients, but there are ways they can address the issue, said Joseph Alvarnas, MD, the editor-in-chief of Evidence-Based Oncology.

An abstract presented at the 16th World Conference on Lung Cancer presented results from a study that monitored irAEs resulting from treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Presented at the ongoing World Conference on Lung Cancer, the trial has identified 7 actionable genomic alterations in lung cancer patients under 40 years of age.

Kim Thiboldeaux, chief executive officer of the Cancer Support Community, discusses the importance of providing strong community support, the misconceptions of clinical trials, and creating a tailored care plan.

At the end of CMS' comment period, the American Society of Clinical Oncology submitted its comments and recommendations for the proposed changes.

The California Public Employees' Retirement System saved $7 million on screening colonoscopies during a 2-year period following implementation of reference pricing.

The drug, approved in Japan last year, had been granted Breakthrough Therapy designation by the FDA.

With a new dosing schedule, low toxicity and a PD-L1 expression-driven response was observed.