Latest Conference Articles

Ongoing shortages of common oncology chemotherapies have compelled physicians to substitute more expensive drugs, delay or suspend clinical trials, or even skip doses of chemotherapy, according to survey results gathered by a team from the University of Pennsylvania.

Michael Kolodziej, MD, National Medical Director for Oncology Strategies, Aetna, discusses the financial challenges associated with the combination of newer novel agents in breast cancer treatment.

Over the 20 years I've been treating breast cancer, I think this is the one area where we've really lagged behind in terms of making progress, said Andrew Seidman, MD, attending Physician, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY.

Ovarian cancer survivors could have an option for treatment after chemotherapy, based on the outcome of a phase III study of an approved oral therapy for kidney cancer and soft tissue sarcoma.

Two-thirds of the metastatic myeloma patients in a phase II study were still alive a year after receiving a new combination therapy, compared to slightly more than half of patients receiving a standard monotherapy for the cancer, according to results presented today at the 49th Annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago.

In this video, Jennifer Martin, PhD, Assistant Professor, UCLA, David School of Medicine, shares her thoughts on how non-pharmacologic treatments for the management of insomnia has evolved over the past few years and how the increased use of behavioral treatments might affect insurance coverage.

Sleep disorders are common in patients with epilepsy; approximately 70% of patients with epilepsy experience problems with sleep. In his presentation, Dr Erik St. Louis discussed the impact of sleep on seizures, as well as the effects of comorbid sleep disorders on epilepsy.

In his presentation, Gary H. Gibbons, MD, director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health, described the functions of his organization and discussed the potential for improvements in the understanding of disease states in the digital age.

Michael Kolodziej, MD, National Medical Director for Oncology Strategies, Aetna, says that in regard to payers impacting the use of immunotherapies, most payers have decided they will respect the judgment of the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

The importance of prompt empiric therapy is clear: it leads to better survival among patients with both community- and hospital-acquired infections. Tools such as antibiograms are used to help guide antibiotic selection. However, broad-based antibiograms may not always be appropriate for all areas of an institution.

In this video, Daniel George, MD, Director, Prostate Clinic, Genitourinary Oncology, Duke Cancer Institute, shares his thoughts on the most exciting data to be presented on immunotherapies at the ASCO Annual Meeting 2013.

Although medication safety in hospitals has improved in the past decade, substantial issues persist. This presentation by representatives of the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) reviewed the top 10 issues and presented strategies for improving outcomes.

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a common hospital-acquired infection that is associated with a high clinical and economic burden. Because of this management of CDI is quickly becoming a part of institutional quality measures.

An ongoing phase I study of patients who have experienced relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma has found that this population was largely able to tolerate a new oral 20S proteasome inhibitor after receiving other prior treatments.

This finding makes it clear that patients should be advised that they need to achieve a certain fitness level, and not just be told that they need to exercise. Unlike patient-reported exercise behavior, Lakoski said, fitness can be objectively and accurately measured in a clinical setting.

Half the patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who were treated with idelalisib in a phase I study experienced rapid and prolonged tumor shrinkage, a promising finding given the limited treatment choices for this group.

Results detailed today offer hope that a new form of immunotherapy will propel the bodies of some cancer patients to fight tumors, not be overrun by them, according to a study outlined at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncologists (ASCO) in Chicago.

Patients in a phase III trial lived longer and experienced fewer treatment-related deaths from locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after receiving the standard dose of radiotherapy, compared to those receiving a high dose, according to a study presented today at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncologists (ASCO).

Imaging spotted relapses for just a tiny fraction of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) before symptoms appeared, according to a new multi-institutional study, prompting recommendations that the radiation exposure of follow-up scans may not be worthwhile for all patients.

Highlights from The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy's 25th Meeting & Expo, which took place on April 2“5, 2013, in San Diego, CA, are available in a newsletter published by The American Journal of Managed Care.

In "What Does the Affordable Care Act Actually Do?," presented by Ivor Douglas, MD, Associate Professor, University of Colorado Denver, Chief, Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine Director, Medical Intensive Care, Denver Health Medical Center, at the ATS 2013 International Conference, Dr Douglas noted that fundamental issues driving the Affordable Care Act (ACA) include access, quality, and cost.

Richard Channick, MD, Director, Pulmonary Hypertension and Thromboendarterectomy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, spoke at the 2013 American Thoracic Society International Conference as part of a session featuring the Clinical Trials in Pulmonary Hypertension.

In this video, Richard Channick, MD, Director, Pulmonary Hypertension and Thromboendarterectomy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, speaks about the use of Macitentan for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

Colin Cooke, MD, MSc, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, says that hospitals with higher readmission rates that treat patients with acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and pneumonia will be penalized due to healthcare reform.

The panel at the American Thoracic Society 2013 International Conference continued discussions that suggested high rates of hospital readmissions may be an indicator of poor initial treatment, or failure to coordinate care. Further, these rates, which varied dramatically from hospital to hospital, were often excessively expensive.

Scott Halpern, MD, PhD, discussed the Choosing Wisely campaign with his opening presentation on The History of and Rationale for the Choosing Wisely Campaign. As most healthcare providers know, healthcare spending per capita in the United States is significantly higher than most other countries.

David Au, MD, Professor, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, says that hospital systems represent only one aspect of care delivery for patients who have been hospitalized.

In this video, Gulshan Sharma, MD, MPH, Associate Professor, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, addresses the hospitalist movement, which has resulted in shorter hospital stays and lower costs of care.