Interviews

A tool to measure chemotherapy toxicity from the Cancer and Aging Research Group can help determine emergency department visits or hospitalization risk, especially for elderly patients, says Alonso V. Pacheco, MD, medical director and medical oncologist/hematologist, Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers.

The assistant professor of neurology at the University of Virginia spoke at the 2022 American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting about clinical outcomes of patients with dementia who experience seizures.

Adetunji T. Toriola, MD, PhD, professor of surgery at Washington University School of Medicine, explains how breast cancer prevention campaigns for premenopausal women have changed and how RANK ligand inhibition could influence screening accuracy.

Michael Paull, MD, medical director of primary/urgent care and continuous improvement at the Vancouver Clinic (TVC), explained how TVC was able to improve its hypertension metrics to align with CMS' targets.

Hilary Tindle, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine, Vanderbilt University, discusses the nicotine metabolite ratio (NMR) is and how it's used to help identify vulnerable individuals for lung cancer and heart disease.

Moving screening and prevention care more upstream can help make an impact by getting patients diagnosed with cancer earlier, said Susan Sabo-Wagner, MSN, RN, OCN, executive director of clinical strategy for Oncology Consultants of Houston, Texas.

Ken Cohen, MD, director of translational research for Optum Care, speaks on the future of more biosimilars hitting the market, and how they will influence value-based care.

The FDA’s approval of lecanemab for Alzheimer disease is very important, but there will remain significant challenges around pricing and access that will need to be addressed to deliver on the promise the therapy actually represents, said Alvaro Pascual-Leone, MD, PhD, of Harvard Medical School.

We want to make it easy for our patients to manage and navigate the financial toxicity they encounter from their cancer care, noted Mike Koroscik, MBA, MHA, vice president of oncology, Allina Health and the Allina Health Cancer Institute.

Michael Thompson, president and CEO of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions (National Alliance), addressed the current state of health equity strategies in the workplace and how employers can better address inequities in their benefit designs, programs, and policies in the near future.

Susan Sabo-Wagner, MSN, RN, OCN, executive director of clinical strategy for Oncology Consultants of Houston, Texas, spoke about the effects of isolation on patients with cancer who need help at home but have no one to provide it.

M. Hossein Kazemi, MD, medical oncologist and hematologist, Astera Cancer Care, discusses the benefits of de-escalating treatment for patients with multiple myeloma.

This year’s top 5 most-viewed videos include topics on eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), cancer screening awareness, and racial/ethnic and socioeconomic barriers to care.

Patrick Reville, MD, MPH, instructor, Department of Leukemia, MD Anderson Cancer Center, explains the implications of the longer-term follow-up of venetoclax in combination with the chemotherapy regimen cladribine, high-dose cytarabine, idarubicin (CLIA) and how age is a factor when considering chemotherapy options.

Throughout 2022, expert interviews on clinical topics covered cytogenetics in multiple myeloma, access to better treatments in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and challenges with devices in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Hilary Tindle, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine, Vanderbilt University, spoke about the use of precision medicine approaches, such as the nicotine metabolite ratio (NMR), to improve outcomes for patients with lung cancer.

Susan Sabo-Wagner, MSN, RN, OCN, executive director of clinical strategy for Oncology Consultants of Houston, Texas, discussed how housing conditions can impede positive outcomes for patients with cancer who are receiving cancer care support at home.

Patrick Reville, MD, MPH, instructor, Department of Leukemia, MD Anderson Cancer Center, elaborates on how certain patients responded to the updated treatment regimen.

Biosimilars are a wonderful option for patients, but the growing number available can be challenging to manage when different payers prefer different agents, said Susan Sabo-Wagner, MSN, RN, OCN, executive director of clinical strategy for Oncology Consultants of Houston, Texas.

Paul Thurmes, MD, medical oncologist and hematologist, Minnesota Oncology, spoke on key responsibilities and approaches that are often lacking in cancer care.

Cemiplimab with chemotherapy appears to offer value comparable to other options and may be "an important tool to use" in first-line treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), said Davey Daniel, MD, chief medical officer for OneOncology, lung cancer specialist.

Jessica Allegretti, MD, MPH, medical director of the Crohn's and Colitis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, explained the mechanism of action for Rebyota, the first fecal transplant therapy approved by the FDA for the prevention of recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in individuals 18 years and older, following antibiotic treatment for recurrent CDI.

Susan Sabo-Wagner, MSN, RN, OCN, executive director of clinical strategy for Oncology Consultants of Houston, Texas, talked about the importance of having adequate support not only from clinical staff, but also emotional and moral support at home.

Hilary Tindle, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine, Vanderbilt University, spoke on increased rates of smoking and lung cancer within a particular region of the United States called "Tobacco Nation."

Kyle Lamb, MD, associate medical director of population health at Vancouver Clinic, discusses how super-utilization trends have changed since the start of COVID-19, the necessity of transitional care in implementing value-based medicine, and how technology can decrease super-utilization.

Martin Levine, MD, MBA, chief medical officer at the PolyClinic at Optum Washington, describes why caregivers need more resources to adequately manage patients with Alzheimer disease and what clinics can do to ensure access to those resources.

Our current health care reimbursement system rewards procedures and undervalues the time spent talking with patients and learning their history, which speaks to the need for primary care redesign, according to Vineet Arora, MD, MAPP, dean for medical education at UChicago Medicine.

Tom Robinson, vice president of global access at JDRF, talks about how the community and people living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) have contributed to the T1D Index, from development to publication and going forward.