NCCN: National Comprehensive Cancer Network Annual Conference

At the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) 21st Annual Conference, Alan P. Venook, MD, professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, provided insight into lessons learned by oncologists in the treatment of colorectal cancer.

Now that 1 biosimilar has made it to market in the United States, Pamela S. Becker, MD, PhD, professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, expects more to follow and that, hopefully, biosimilars will help achieve cost savings for healthcare.

Robert W. Carlson, MD, CEO of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), discussed calculating value in cancer care and the dimensions of NCCN's value assessment framework, Evidence Blocks.

At the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)'s 21st Annual Conference, Robert Carlson, MD, chief executive officer, NCCN, provided a flavor for their value framework, the Evidence Blocks.

At the National Comprehensive Cancer Network 21st Annual Conference, John A. Thompson, MD, presented an update on where the field of melanoma treatment stands today.

Palliative care should be introduced as early as possible, even as early as diagnosis, so patients hear about it early and not during a late stage of their disease when they might need hospice, Sophia K. Smith, PhD, MSW, associate professor at the Duke School of Nursing, said at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Annual Meeting.

High-quality cancer care must include palliative care in addition to the more traditional care, such as oncology, radiology, surgery, and imaging, Toby C. Campbell, MD, MSCI, associate professor of medicine, hematology-oncology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and chief of Palliative Care and program director of the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Training Program, said at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Annual Conference.

During the opening session at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network 21st Annual Conference, healthcare providers came together to discuss palliation from the provider and the patient perspective.

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.

The roundtable discussion on the second day of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network 20th Annual Conference spent a long time defining value in cancer care and how it can be incorporated into healthcare decision making.

Patients are looking for more transparency when it comes to their treatment options so they can make informed decisions and "take control of their journey," Kim Thiboldeaux, chief executive officer of the Cancer Support Community, said at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network 20th Annual Conference.

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 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 more individualized view of what drives the onset of non-small cell lung cancer is raising treatment hopes as new therapies emerge and are under development, said Leora Horn, MD, MSc, of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, who presented an overview Friday at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network's 19th Annual Conference: Advancing the Standard of Cancer Care, held in Hollywood, Florida.

The title of the talk by Celestia S. Higano, MD, New Developments in the Treatment of Hormone Refractory Prostate Cancer, was notable in the use of a term that has been replaced over the past decade with castration resistant. It was a change that Dr Higano, of the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington, admits she did not support at the time.

Advances in treating multiple myeloma have transformed the field over the past decade, giving clinicians more effective therapy options for newly diagnosed patients who are candidates for stem cell transplant and those who are not.

Friday's session of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network's 19th Annual Conference: Advancing the Standard of Cancer Care, featured a well-attended roundtable, The Affordable Care Act: Where Are We Now? Moderated by Clifford Goodman, PhD, of The Lewin Group, the wide-ranging discussion featured panelists Christian G. Downs, JD, MHA, Association of Community Cancer Centers; Liz Fowler, PhD, JD, Johnson & Johnson; Michael Kolodziej, MD, Aetna; Lee H. Newcomer, MD, MHA, UnitedHealthcare; Mohammed S. Ogaily, MD, Henry Ford Health System; W. Thomas Purcell, MD, MBA, University of Colorado Cancer Center; and John C. Winkelmann, MD, Councillor, American Society of Hematology, Oncology Hematology Care, Inc.

Fox Chase Cancer Center's Crystal Denlinger, MD, presented Optimal Post-Treatment Surveillance: Is More Really Better?, addressing a topic that challenges not only patients and their physicians, but also payers as the nation moves toward a healthcare system defined by the maxim "better quality at a lower cost."

On Friday, new prostate cancer screening guidelines that seek to balance overtreatment concerns with the need to preserve gains in curbing prostate cancer mortality were unveiled at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network's 19th Annual Conference, Advancing the Standard of Cancer Care, held in Hollywood, Florida.

In his talk, Melanoma Guideline Update: New Agents and Opportunities for Treatment, John A. Thompson, MD, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington, first showed the preferred list of treatments for advanced or metastatic melanoma: ipilimumab, vemurafenib, dabrafenib, dabrafenib plus trametinib, high-dose interleukin-2, and the drugs-to-come in the category: clinical trials.

Who should receive genetic counseling and screening for colorectal cancer (CRC)? And how early should annual colonoscopies happen once those at risk are identified? These are important questions with equally important and complex answers.

Life-saving therapies that halt cancer can take a toll on the skeletal system, leaving survivors with bone loss or more serious injuries such as broken wrists, ribs, or hips. Watchful attention, screening, and therapy are needed to prevent these outcomes.