Oncology

The paper, published in the latest issue of the Journal of Economic Perspectives, found that while drug price was related to quality improvement over existing therapies, the price increase surpassed quality.

Developed at the Cancer Therapy & Research Center at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, the technology uses tiny radioactive liposomes, inserted directly into a tumor with a thin catheter. The first-in-human trial was just initiated.

Researchers have discovered one way in which melanoma becomes resistant to a particular form of targeted therapy, and understanding this phenomenon may lead to a new melanoma target or prompt new designs of these treatments, they say. The results were published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.

The Cardio-Oncology Intensive during the Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology reflects the increased need for improved diagnostic tools and cardioprotective strategies as cancer patients live longer. Besides a second malignancy, heart disease accounts for most morbidity and death in cancer survivors.

The report by IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics says countries that use a QALY formula to assess cost-effectiveness have less access to new cancer drugs compared with countries that use an alternative system.

Improved survival without disease progression prompted independent reviewers to unblind the study comparing Imbruvica against a placebo, in combination with bendamustine and rituximab.

The diagnostic test, which has been validated in breast, lung, colorectal, skin, and prostate cancers, requires sample submission to Guardant's CLIA-certified laboratory. The test, currently priced at $4900, maybe covered by payers where genomic profiling is needed and conventional biopsy is not an option.

Hagop Kantarjian, MD, from MD Anderson is at it again. A special publication online, written in collaboration with S. Vincent Kumar, MD, from the Mayo Clinic, highlights the dismal state of the economics behind high oncology drug costs and recommends solutions.

During the session "Principles of Immunotherapy" at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network 20th Annual Conference, Anthony J. Olszanski, RPh, MD, from the Fox Chase Cancer Center, described the complex interplay between the immune system and cancer, and some of the current immunotherapies being used today.

Over the years, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines have become the market leader for clinical guidelines to consult, but with that success comes responsibility and scrutiny, according to Clifford Goodman, PhD.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines bring the practices of cancer care thought leaders out to the community, said Mary Lou Smith, JD, MBA, co-founder of the Research Advocacy Network.

The most recent Surgeon General Report on Smoking and Health initiated the decision to create smoking cessation guidelines for cancer patients, Peter G. Shields, MD, said during his session announcing the new NCCN Guidelines.

Patient-provider dialogue before making treatment decisions affects how satisfied patients are with their overall care, Linda House, RN, BSN, MSM, president of the Cancer Support Community, said at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network 20th Annual Conference.

Resource constraints may confine the ability of physicians to deliver optimal cancer care to all patients across the world, which the National Comprehensive Cancer Network is acknowledging by resource stratifying its Guidelines.

While the cost of introductory cancer drugs is increasing rapidly, there has not been a commensurate increase in benefit, according to Peter Bach, MD, with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

According to Dr Amy Cyr from the Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, while Oncotype DX is both prognostic and predictive, none of the other tests currently available have shown both capabilities.

The findings of this study, conducted in Finland, may prove significant for the assessment of breast cancer prognosis and treatment planning.

Two out of three people with metastatic disease survive 5 years or more, the report shows. The authors hope the data can help researchers develop better cancer control programs.

When the first National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines were developed 20 years ago, even the participating members who were there at the beginning were skeptical they would be able to come to an agreement and build something lasting.

The study, published in JAMA Oncology, found that low risk breast and prostate cancer patients received unnecessary imaging overall, with a higher rate observed in the North East region of the country.

The study, published in the journal Cancer found that increasing screening rates to 80% by 2018 would reduce projected colorectal cancer incidence rates by 17% and mortality rates by 19% during short-term follow-up, and by 22% and 33%, respectively, during extended follow-up. Those reductions would amount to a total of 277,000 averted new cancers and 203,000 averted colorectal cancer deaths from 2013 through 2030.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines may be successful historically, but the network isn't resting on its laurels, Robert Carlson, MD, chief executive officer, said at the NCCN 20th Annual Meeting.

During his keynote speech at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)'s 20th Annual Conference, Chief Executive Officer Robert Carlson, MD, spent the majority of his time discussing the NCCN Guidelines because they are the core of its services.

A new analysis published by the RAND Corporation suggests strategies that the pharmaceutical industry could offer payers as they try to cover the front-loaded cost of newer breakthrough drugs.

The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that while the complete absence of meat in the diet had the most impact on reducing the risk of colorectal cancer, those who added seafood to the vegetarian diet-pescovegetarians-faired better than the nonvegetarians.