Videos

Being able to use minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity to make treatment decisions, such as stopping maintenance therapy, can have savings related to cost and quality of life (QOL) for patients, said Ajay Nooka, MD, MPH, FACP, associate professor, Winship Cancer Institute.

Dr Ajay Nooka Discusses Cost Savings and QOL Benefits of MRD-Directed Treatment Decisions

Articles

Biomarker testing should be done on all patients with an initial diagnosis of advanced nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer, but the testing rates in the real world are lower than they should be, particularly for underserved or minority populations, said Ticiana Leal, MD, associate professor, director of the Thoracic Medical Oncology Program, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine.

Real-world Lung Cancer Testing Rates Are Lower Than They Should Be, Says Dr Ticiana Leal

While commercial payers have been engaged with the shift to biosimilars, they all have their own preferred biosimilar, which makes it challenging for practices, explained Lalan Wilfong, MD, vice president of payer relations & practice transformation at The US Oncology Network.

Practices Have to Grapple With the Logistics of Insurers’ Preferred Biosimilars: Dr Lalan Wilfong

Everyone agrees that minimal residual disease (MRD) is the best prognostic tool for multiple myeloma, but there is disagreement on how to use the MRD results, said Ajay Nooka, MD, MPH, FACP, associate professor, Winship Cancer Institute.

How Should MRD Results Be Used? Experts Don’t Necessarily Agree, Dr Ajay Nooka Says

While initially there was a need for education around biosimilars, now there is a need to keep an eye on the evolving biosimilar marketplace and update the formulary of biosimilar medicines, said Paul Forsberg, PharmD, director of pharmacy, Minnesota Oncology.

The Biosimilar Conversion Journey Went Through 2 Phases at Minnesota Oncology

Minimal residual disease (MRD) testing is used to understand the depth of response, but currently the data at Emory are not used to make treatment decisions, said Ajay Nooka, MD, MPH, FACP, associate professor, Winship Cancer Institute.

Dr Ajay Nooka Discusses Use of MRD Testing in Multiple Myeloma at Emory

The 1-year gap after the end of the Oncology Care Model (OCM) means some practices have to make hard decisions regarding cost of care or the financial health of the practice, explained Lalan Wilfong, MD, vice president of Payer Relations & Practice Transformation at The US Oncology Network.

Gap After OCM May Cause Some Practices to Switch From Biosimilars to Brand Drugs

While the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) was involved in humanitarian work in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, the crisis in Ukraine caused COA to set up a special committee to jump into action, said Ted Okon, MBA, executive director, COA.

Ted Okon Highlights COA Committee to Act on Humanitarian Crises

Results from DESTINY-Lung01 have shown promising progression-free survival and overall survival with ongoing research that may lead to a future FDA approval in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), said Ticiana Leal, MD, associate professor, director of the Thoracic Medical Oncology Program, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine.

HER2m NSCLC an “Exciting Area of Active Investigation,” Says Dr Ticiana Leal

Despite the Hospital Transparency Rule being in effect, the majority of 340B hospitals are not reporting their prices for top services and drugs, and those that have, reported on “egregious” markups, said Ted Okon, MBA, executive director, Community Oncology Alliance.

IVBM Interviews