Oncology

Early this week, Novation, a healthcare services company that oversees supply chain management, called on Genentech to reverse its decision to use only specialty drug distributors instead of wholesale distributors for its widely used anticancer treatments, Avastin, Rituxan, and Herceptin.

A new RAND study explores the range of possible causes that might explain observed international variations in the usage of medicines for selected disease areas: dementia, osteoporosis, cancer, diabetes, and hepatitis C.

There are many dimensions to providing quality cancer care, but they're always tied to aligning the best outcomes with the patient's preferences, Peter P. Yu, MD, FASCO, 2014-2015 president of ASCO, said at the Patient-Centered Oncology Care meeting.

The trial, conducted across various tumor types, monitored PD-L1 expression in biopsy samples before and during treatment with the PD-L1 inhibitor MPDL3280A being developed by Genentech.

Following on the heels of the FDA's advice on the risk of using morcellators for treating fibroids, researchers in France have released results of a study that delineates a method that can avoid the risk of morcellating a pre-existing uterine sarcoma.

Physicians who receive higher reimbursements for routine office visits are more likely to perform cancer screening tests on Medicaid beneficiaries, according to a new study in Cancer.

The study, published in PNAS, identified a gene whose expression could be used as a prognostic indicator and could direct treatment in breast cancer patients.

Genentech's decision to use a handful of specialty drug distributors instead of wholesalers for the distribution of the most commonly used anticancer medications has raised concerns of availability and cost.

The large retrospective study, conducted in 9.8 million men, identified a strong association between obesity and the development of an advanced and more aggressive form of the disease.

The monoclonal antibody,a c-Met inhibitor, was being tested in advanced gastric cancer patients following it's revival 2 years back.

In the update, the FDA is now asking the device manufacturers to include a black box warning and contraindications, to warn both providers and patients of possible health risks with the procedure.

This article in The New York Times details the reasons why private oncology practices are being forced to consolidate to stay afloat.

The study, published in Nature Medicine, identified a small molecule inhibitor that increases histone methylation, compensating for the reduced methylation caused by mutation in the H3F3A gene, resulting in gliomas.

Champions Oncology will be presenting data on it's preclinical model at the ongoing EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium in Barcelona. The model proposes to help develop individualized treatments for patients.

Scientists at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center have identified that tumor mutation burden could help predict responders to ipilimumab treatment. The report has been published online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

A recent study published in European Urology highlights quality-of-life benefits with active surveillance in men with prostate cancer.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced a bill that would require generic drugmakers to pay rebates to the federal Medicare and Medicaid programs when prices of their medications outpace inflation.

The study, published in Cell Reports, evaluates the dynamic protein interactions that promote different diseases including cancer. By capturing these interactions, the authors hope to discover new drug targets.

The retrospective study, published in JAMA Surgery, could not necessarily point to the underlying reason for this treatment choice.

According to the report, sofosbuvir for hepatitis C infections and new cancer drugs were the drivers of the high spending costs, a 7% jump over the previous year.

After 4 years of living with inflammatory breast cancer, Amy Berman, RN, BS, senior program officer at the John A. Hartford Foundation, she still felt fine, which she attributed to her care choices, she explained during her speech at The American Journal of Managed Care's Patient-Centered Oncology Care meeting in Baltimore, Maryland.

The study, published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, identified race, insurance status, and the treatment center as variables that influenced treatment received by individuals with early-stage lung cancer.

In a paper published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, medical oncologists have delineated their recommendations to improve cancer care and provide better access to quality care for those patients with financial issues and on Medicaid.

The evolving field of precision medicine is very much reliant on diagnostics, Howard K. Kaufman, MD, FACS, chief surgical officer and associate director for clinical science at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, said at The American Journal of Managed Care's Patient-Centered Oncology Care meeting.