Interviews

At the recent regional Institute for Value-Based Medicine® event in Boston, Anasuya Gunturi, MD, PhD, Lowell General Hospital, was a panelist for the discussion, “Evolving Breast Cancer Care: Addressing Unmet Needs Across the Patient Journey.”

Michael Hassett, MD, MPH, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, reflects on the impact of HER2 identification on the breast cancer treatment continuum.

Rebecca Chacko, MD, discussed exciting advancements in breast cancer care and the future role of emerging therapeutic strategies for early recurrence detection, as part of her panelist role at the Detroit Institute for Value-Based Medicine.

Rebecca Chacko, MD, discusses key breast cancer care challenges, including treatment access delays and the importance of open patient communication, as highlighted at the Detroit Institute for Value-Based Medicine session on unmet needs.

David Nguyen, MD, medical oncologist with Tufts Medicine and Lowell General Hospital, discusses the evolving landscape of advanced cancer treatments like chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy and bispecific antibodies

Amir Fathi, MD, discusses one of the biggest nonfinancial barriers to bispecific therapies: the expertise required to safely administer and manage them.

There is a great need to streamline the process from the tissue sample to the diagnostic lab, whether it's genomic or immunohistochemistry, Robert Kratzke, MD, says.

Caroline Vovan, PharmD, CDE, emphasized the expanding role of ambulatory clinical pharmacists in value-based care.

Ambulatory clinical pharmacists improve patient outcomes and reduce health care costs by providing hands-on chronic disease management, patient education, and medication cost oversight, according to Caroline Vovan, PharmD, CDE.

Caroline Vovan, PharmD, CDE, highlights how ambulatory clinical pharmacists contribute to value-based care by managing chronic conditions, improving medication adherence, and reducing costs.

Robert Kratzke, MD, urged insurance providers to prioritize fast biomarker testing in non–small cell lung cancer, saying it’s both cost-effective and life-saving.

Tyler Sandahl, PharmD, a clinical pharmacist at Mayo Clinic, explains that sequencing novel multiple myeloma therapies with CAR T-cell therapy is generally prioritized first for eligible patients, while bispecific antibodies are reserved for later lines or for patients unable to tolerate CAR T.

Tyler Sandahl, PharmD, a clinical pharmacist at Mayo Clinic, discussed the complexities of alternative payment models for chimeric antigen receptor T-cell and bispecific therapies and the need for improved data sharing in cancer care.

Nicolas Ferreyros, managing director, Community Oncology Alliance, discusses key components of health equity and social determinants of health that need to be addressed in cancer care.

Jody Agena, PharmD, MBA, director of pharmacy operations, Virginia Cancer Specialists, discusses the various responsibilities of the pharmacist within community oncology settings.

Financial, family, and logistical challenges often lead patients to choose ongoing therapies over stem cell transplantation, says Mansi Shah, MD.

Mansi Shah, MD, explains how treatment sequencing and patient eligibility guide the use of these therapies in multiple myeloma.

Eric Lander, MD, discussed the difficulty that clinicians and pharmacists face in getting insurance coverage for category 2B treatments in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines, which could affect how patients are treated for cancer.

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing changes occur nearly every year, making consistent updates to National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines important for clinicians to make decisions on the use of these methods of testing, says Eric Lander, MD.

Patients can benefit both financially and clinically by enrolling in ongoing clinical trials, said Eric Lander, MD.

Making clinical trials easier to find for clinicians and making protocols for entering clinical trials more lenient can help to improve access to clinical trials on a national and local level, explains Eric Lander, MD, of Minnesota Oncology.

The role that artificial intelligence (AI) and other technology can play in care delivery is growing, said Coral Omene, MD, PhD, of Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas Health.

Effective toxicity management in oncology requires pharmacists to document interventions clearly and collaborate closely with multidisciplinary teams, says David Awad, PharmD, BCOP.

Mansi Shah, MD, discusses the role of stem cell transplant in multiple myeloma (MM) and the logistical barriers to wider adoption of bispecific therapies.

Collecting comprehensive patient data, including social determinants of health, is crucial for equitable value-based cancer care, yet administrative burdens could worsen existing disparities, said Coral Omene, MD, PhD, of Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas Health.

Defining "value" in cancer care goes beyond survival and should encompass patient quality of life metrics, said Coral Omene, MD, PhD, of Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas Health.

David Awad, PharmD, BCOP, says pharmacists play a growing role in managing access, safety, and toxicity for these therapies, ensuring treatments are appropriate and sustainable in real-world oncology practice.

Insurance hurdles in value-based cancer care create delays and anxiety for patients and providers, complicating access to essential treatments, explained Coral Omene, MD, PhD, of Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas Health.

Pharmacists enhance value-based care by selecting cost-effective treatments, managing adherence, and preventing hospitalizations through collaborative multidisciplinary teamwork, said Eileen Peng, PharmD, of Astera Cancer Care.

Cathy Eng, MD, FACP, FASCO, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, speaks about the clinical and operational priorities that academic medical centers make front-and-center when caring for underserved populations receiving treatment for cancer.