Oncology

Multiple myeloma (MM) occurs 2 to 3 times more frequently in Americans of African descent than in Americans of European descent, and a new study has identified 3 gene types that account for this disparity.

Accountable care organizations (ACOs) have not had a significant impact on cancer care costs and utilization. While cancer care costs did decline from before the introduction of ACOs to after, there was no significant difference in spending decreases between ACO practices and non-ACO practices caring for patients with cancer.

Here are 5 breast cancer risk factors for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Practices in the US Oncology Network received an average positive payment adjustment under the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) of 1.90% for performance in 2017, and 99% of the Network’s physicians were in the top tier of performers. The maximum allowable adjustment is 2.02%. The adjustment based on a clinician’s performance in 2017 impacts the clinician's Medicare reimbursement for 2019.

Major discoveries only happen when there is funding for fundamental science, said James Allison, PhD, chair of the Department of Immunology, the Vivian L. Smith Distinguished Chair in Immunology, director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Research, executive director of the Immunotherapy Platform at MD Anderson Cancer Center, and 2018 Nobel Prize cowinner in Medicine. He explained that he never would have discovered how to use the CTLA-4 protein to treat cancer if he hadn’t been trying to understand the mechanisms of T-cell activation.

Tisagenlecleucel's high price is aligned with the benefit the chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy provides over a patient's life. Approximately 40% of patients treated are expected to be long-term survivors.

This week, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) published new guidelines for patients centered around neuroendocrine tumors.

Last week, the FDA granted approval to immune checkpoint inhibitor cemiplimab-rwlc, to be sold as Libtayo, for the treatment of metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC), or in patients with locally advanced CSCC who are not candidates for curative surgery or curative radiation.

A medical social network for physicians said it has compiled data that pinpoint the top 50 metropolitan areas where shortages of oncologists are expected to occur in the coming years. Doximity said the findings in its 2018 National Oncologists Workforce report are drawn from retirement trends, the percentage of state-trained specialists, and the prevalence of breast cancer.

The development of resistance to immunotherapy is poorly understood and is detrimental to patients who relapse on multiple lines of treatment. Transcriptional downregulation of class 1 human leukocyte antigen (HLA) may contribute to the developed resistance of immunotherapies, including checkpoint inhibitors, and warrants further investigation, according to a study published in Nature Communications.

During a session at the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society annual meeting, held October 4-6 in Seattle, Washington, Thorvardur Halfdanarson, MD, associate professor of medicine and consultant in medical oncology, Mayo Clinic, outlined the biggest news and updates in the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs).

During a session at the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (NANETS) annual meeting, held October 4-6 in Seattle, Washington, Sukhmani Padda, MD, assistant professor of medicine, Stanford University Medical Center, gave an overview of updates made to lung neuroendocrine tumor guidelines.

Thorvardur Halfdanarson, MD, associate professor of medicine and consultant in medical oncology, Mayo Clinic, discusses peptide receptor radionuclide therapy and other new and exciting developments in the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs).

A retrospective analysis of clinical charts across multiple institutions has found that transitioning patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) to receive lanreotide after octreotide can be a potential therapeutic option.

The biggest challenge we have right now is how to sequence all of these therapies and how to pick the right patient to sequence those treatments, explained Scott Paulson, MD, co-director of the Gastrointestinal Research Program for The US Oncology Network, medical director for the Neuroendocrine Research and Treatment Center at Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center, Baylor University Medical Center.

Narrowing in on neuroendocrine skin cancer, a session at the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society annual meeting October 4-6 in Seattle, Washington, took an in-depth look at prognostics and treatment options for Merkel cell carcinoma in the United States.

During a session at the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society annual meeting October 4-6 in Seattle, Washington, panelists debated whether newer targeted agents should be considered for first-line treatment in well-differentiated G3 neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs), and if the standard of care—cytotoxic therapy—should still play a role in first-line treatment.

The type of cancer a provider treats can determine how well he or she performs under the Oncology Care Model (OCM), according to research from Avalere Health that was presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Quality Care Symposium.

During a session at the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society annual meeting October 4-6 in Seattle, Washington, panelists discussed the benefits of integrative oncology and nutrition for patients with neuroendocrine tumors.

Somatostatin analogs have 2 roles in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETS): treating symptoms related to the tumors and controlling tumor growth, explained Heloisa Soares, MD, assistant professor, University of New Mexico Cancer Center-Albuquerque.

An interim analysis of somatostatin analog lanreotide depot presented at the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society annual meeting, held October 4-6 in Seattle, Washington, found that the treatment was effective in disease control and most patients were satisfied with the treatment.

Two studies presented at the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society annual meeting October 4-6 in Seattle, Washington assessed different tools for determining quality of life among patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs).

This week, infectious disease specialists from different organizations are meeting in San Francisco for ID Week, an annual conference focused on many different infectious disease topics and their intersection with cancer, HIV, respiratory diseases, and more. Two abstracts presented results about what is needed to prevent complications in cancer care, one about patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with prolonged neutropenia, and one examining the frequency of antimicrobial complications following initiation of palliative chemotherapy.

The Institute for Value-Based Medicine travels to New York City to learn how technology and trust are key to making the leap to two-sided risk.

The outpatient community oncology setting is consistently less costly for cancer treatment as opposed to the outpatient hospital setting.