Oncology

The health services research poster session held in the afternoon on the penultimate day of the 50th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) presented different perspectives on issues that determine patient care decisions. This is an important discussion, especially in light of the recent report by The Wall Street Journal on WellPoint's effort to promote oncologist adherence to standardized treatment guidelines.

The discussion on value in cancer care was rekindled today at the 50th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, but this time on a global scale. The session, "ASCO/European CanCer Organisation (ECCO) Joint Session: Value and Cancer Care," saw participation from physicians and economists from around the world, with individual perspectives on defining value and the programs being developed to address the issue.

Velcade (bortezomib), developed by Millenium Pharmaceuticals, is a proteasome inhibitor that is currently approved for the treatment of multiple myeloma and relapsed mantle cell lymphoma. Several abstracts were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology this year for its use in other indications.

The second day at the 50th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology ended with a session entitled "Health Care in America in 2014: Current and Future Implications of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" (PPACA). The presenters provided an overview of the recent and anticipated changes related to the PPACA as well as its timeline.

"The Value of Cancer Care and the Professional and Ethical Obligations of the Practicing Oncologist: A Debate" delved into the ethical issues raised by the economic reality of the rising costs of cancer care for the practicing oncologist.

ABT-199, the result of a collaboration between AbbVie and Genentech, is a selective, potent, orally available BCL-2 inhibitor. The drug is being developed in collaboration by the two companies for acute myelogenous leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

While the incidence of cancer continues to grow, novel and targeted therapies being developed have seen much improved survival for even the deadliest of cancers. New innovations in cancer diagnosis and treatment are associated with high cost. Cancer therapy constitutes nearly 11% of the total healthcare budget, and it is rapidly growing.

On the second day of the 50th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), a session titled, "Targeting EGFR: the next 10 years" provided a progress report on the successful targeting of the protein in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Beginning July 1, health providers can expect to receive incentives for prescribing specific cancer treatments backed by the insurance company WellPoint. The WellPoint's innovative program will pay providers $350 per patient per month each time they choose 1 of the insurer's "preferred" cancer treatment options.

The research headed by Roger Gomis at IRB Barcelona, with the collaboration of Joan Massagué, describes that the loss of the suppressor RARRES3 promotes the colonization of breast cancer cells in the lung.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) today issued an update to its clinical practice guideline on the use of adjuvant endocrine therapy for women with stages I-III hormone receptor positive breast cancer.

BMS, which has a rapidly developing and successful immunooncology pipeline, has entered into a collaboration with CytomX to develop their Probody Therapeutics antibody platform. The Probody technology improves efficacy and safety as the antibodies are activated only in the disease microenvironment and not in normal tissue.

An international study carried out with involvement of the MedUni Vienna is giving hope to patients with advanced prostate cancer. In just a few years' time, Ipilumumab could be approved as a treatment for the world's third-most common type of cancer.

A new chemotherapy drug (alisertib or MLN8237) being investigated for its potency against two types of cancer was found by scientists to be effective in about one-third of the 58 patients who participated in a phase I study.

Vectibix is the First and Only Biologic to Offer Significant Survival Benefit as a First-Line Treatment with FOLFOX Chemotherapy for Patients with Wild-Type KRAS Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Approval Reinforces Amgen Commitment to Personalized Medicine.

Trials conducted at the Abramson Cancer Center among others have identified the potential of an antimalarial agent, hydroxychloroquine, in stabilizing aggressive cancers.

EU's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP)supported the use of Gazyvaro based on the phase III CLL11 study, wherein treatment with Gazyvaro (obinutuzumab) plus chlorambucil significantly reduced the risk of disease worsening or death by 86% and increased survival time for previously untreated CLL patients compared to those who received treatment with chlorambucil alone.

Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) today report a discovery that they hope will lead to the development of a powerful new way of treating an aggressive form of breast cancer.

A research article published in Nature Communications identifies a new mechanism of breast cancer metastasis.

'Encouraging' Period of Stable Disease Suggested in Direct Injection Vaccine Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer. Research from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey to be presented at the Pancreatic Cancer-focused meeting held by AACR in New Orleans.

A new study estimates that it would cost Medicare about $2 billion a year to screen certain current and former heavy smokers for lung cancer.

NICE rejected Celgene's Revlimid again for treating patients with myelodysplastic syndrome, quoting concerns with cost-effectiveness of the drug.

CO-1686 was assigned breakthrough designation by the FDA as monotherapy for the treatment of EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients.

Results presented at the 2014 American Urological Association (AUA) meeting in Florida revealed that Myriad's prostate cancer diagnostic test could predict mortality risk in prostate cancer.

In the new issue of Evidence-Based Oncology, Ellen T. Matloff, MS, CGC, and Rachel E. Barnett, MS, CGC, of the Yale Cancer Center and Robert Nussbaum, MD, of UC San Francisco write that efforts by some genetic testing laboratories to grab market share in the lucrative BRCA testing market may put patients at risk, while violating ethical standards issued by the American Medical Association.