February 2016

Carfilzomib, a proteasome inhibitor, has been approved by the FDA for use in combination with dexamethasone or lenalidomide, in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma who have previously received 1 to 3 lines of therapy.

A summary of updated breast cancer screening guidelines, MEDPAC recommendations for 340B, and disparity in survival of young patients with Hodgkin lymphoma.

At the annual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, Patrick Soon-Shiong, MD, introduced Cancer MoonShot, his vision for a coalition to improve cancer outcomes. His claims on federal support for the project, however, stirred some controversy.

While the number and diversity of immunologically-based anticancer agents have increased dramatically, a number of challenging questions persist: sequencing with existing regimens, selection of best responders, cost, and patient access.

An overview of patient assistance programs at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven, including their innovative hospital-based explanation of benefits form, which can eliminate patient responsibilities and help expedite the turnaround times for payment processing with copay assistance.

The cost issues with immuno-oncology agents are real, but so is the value that they bring to the table. How can we improve access to these agents at a reasonable cost?

Ensuring rapid, appropriate, and sustainable access to immuno-oncology therapies for patients in Europe: what role can policies play?

To address the nationwide concern of costly immunotherapy agents, this article features health system inpatient and outpatient strategies that can help mitigate their costs.

Advances made in the field of immuno-oncology (I-O) in 2015 have greatly expanded our understanding of I-O and added more complexity to its value assessment.

Supporting, funding, and protecting the research and development of new medicines and new treatments is more critical, now than ever, to provide better treatments and better outcomes to all cancer patients.

The translation of immuno-oncology agents from the research to the practice arena may provide significant clinical benefit to patients with difficult-to-treat malignancies. The further development and marketing of these agents could escalate the discussion on care equity in a time of constrained resources.