Oncology

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

Using data gathered from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, the authors of a JAMA Internal Medicine study identified a significant decrease in PSA testing referrals by primary care physicians compared with urologists.

A quirk in California law means the law that Governor Jerry Brown signed with much fanfare last fall hasn't taken effect yet, even though its passage is having ripple effects.

A deeper understanding of the interdependencies among the patients, family caregivers, and service providers revealed that if general practice teams intervene early, they may be more likely meet patients’ needs in the end-of-life care process.

The novel molecule lipegfilgrastim has been shown to be relatively equivalent to pegfilgrastim in the management of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia among patients with breast cancer.

Scientists at the FDA have provided their recommendation to be submitted to an independent medical advisory panel that will decide the fate of Remsima.

The paper in Cancer Medicine finds that cancer has a devastating and age-specific impact on the finances of young adult survivors.

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.

Data from 2 large studies of patients with metastatic disease who underwent myelosuppressive chemotherapy found that febrile neutropenia occurred in approximately 13% to 21% of patients. Associated costs of febrile neutropenia were found to range from $16,000 to $19,000 per episode for most hospitalized patients.

The annual Clinical Cancer Advances report from the American Society of Clinical Oncology highlights the accomplishments made in the last year in the fight against cancer.

On World Cancer Day, The American Journal of Managed Care would like to acknowledge the determination of cancer survivors and the support provided by various organizations to patients and their families.

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.

Rising drug prices, the effect on the healthcare system, consumer push-back, and possible solutions were debated by the expert panel.

Assessment of the timing of histologic and molecular testing indicates that testing occurred prior to treatment initiation for most patients with metastatic non—small cell lung cancer.

Pediatric oncologists from across the country covened a task force to develop an ethical framework that guides decisions on allocation based on curability, prognosis, and the incremental importance of a drug to a patient’s outcome

Among 7 developed countries, the United States has the lowest proportion of deaths that occur in the hospital and the lowest number of days spent in the hospital during the last 6 months of life.

The generic manufacturer may try to maximize profits during the initial exclusivity period, says an expert from a leading health plan.

With increasing evidence of comparable efficacy and reduced toxicity of proton beam therapy, payers may have to reevaluate coverage policies.

What we're reading, February 1, 2016: some medical researchers disagree with sharing raw data used in their research; the medical community is torn on whether or not the annual checkup is worthwhile; and Donald Trump vows to extend healthcare coverage to the lower class.

Providing cancer patients with multiple life-threatening conditions with earlier palliative care consultation can be helpful in bringing down healthcare spending in enormous proportions, according to a new study published in Health Affairs.

Top managed care news of the week includes new recommendation to screen all adults for depression, new issue of The American Journal of Managed Care places attention on mental health care, and Donald Trump calls for Medicare to negotiate drug prices.

A study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology concluded that tbo-filgrastim is similar to filgrastim for ASCT mobilization in patients with MM or NHL.

Mortality in adolescent and young adult Hodgkin lymphoma patients is significantly affected by ethnic and socioeconomic factors, as well as insurance status, according to a new study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

At the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology, physicians gathered to discuss the impact of alternate payment models on clinical practice.