Clinical

Precision medicine has demonstrated clinical utility and cost-effectiveness, which is why many believe this approach will be key to value-based cancer care in the future, said Jonathan Hirsch, founder and president of Syapse.

This week, the top managed care stories included Republicans releasing an outline for replacing the Affordable Care Act, pharmacy benefit managers and pharmaceutical companies pointing fingers over drug costs, and findings on engagement for patients with chronic conditions.

Using body composition metrics to guide the dose in patients receiving anthracyclines-taxane—based chemotherapy for breast cancer can reduce treatment-related toxicity.

Population-level judgements on the value of therapies to treat multiple sclerosis don’t adequately depict the differences between how providers and payers view value compared with patients and how patients view value different from one another.

Including anti-cholesterol agents during adjuvant endocrine treatment can prevent breast cancer recurrence in hormone receptor—positive early-stage breast cancer.

Pam Mangat, MS, associate director for the TAPUR study in the research and analysis division of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, offered an update on the study at the 5th annual Patient-Centered Oncology Care® meeting.

David L. Porter, MD, kicked off the 5th annual Patient-Centered Oncology Care® (PCOC®) meeting in Baltimore on November 17, 2016, with an update on chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy.

At the 5th annual Patient-Centered Oncology Care® meeting, hosted by The American Journal of Managed Care®, experts discussed the contradiction presented by immuno-oncology agents in the world of precision medicine.

The trial successfully improved progression-free survival and also tested a BRCA diagnostic test in patients with ovarian cancer.

Surrogate endpoints could eventually add to or replace clinical endpoints in determining a cancer treatment’s effectiveness, according to Pam Mangat, MS, associate director TAPUR study at the American Society of Clinical Oncology. She also said that a deeper understanding of a patient’s genetic makeup and tumor biology in conjunction with new technologies will drive improvements in oncology care.

An oncologist provides insight on his experience with using CAR-T therapy in the clinic and his prediction for the future of this revolutionary treatment.

A new treatment option using stem cell transplants was shown to induce sustained remission of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). More than two-thirds of participants had no signs of progression of disability, relapse of MS symptoms, or new brain lesions after 5 years.

Observational findings from the Women’s Health Initiative study found that an intentional weight loss regimen by postmenopausal obese women can slash their risk of endometrial cancer by 29% to 56%.

A new study published in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network dives deeper into understanding the major roadblocks to coverage of hereditary cancer panels.

An update on immunotherapies and the potential impact of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells on oncology care.

A new study to be presented at the 2017 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium has found that some patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma had a durable response after treatment discontinuation.

A new study has identified key mutations that can direct the conditioning regimen prior to an allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (SCT) in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), leading to a better response.

Does an FDA approval guarantee clinical benefit of a drug? How does it influence drug price?

The Health Care Working Group of the Personalized Medicine Coalition (PMC) has published a new report that provides a framework for the successful integration of personalized medicine in the clinic.

In the latest Managed Care Cast, Mandi Bishop, MA, CEO of Aloha Health, interviews Christopher A. Snider, a patient community advocate for Symplur, creator of patient community site My Disease Secret, host of the Just Talking podcast, and social media strategist for Smart Patients.

A treatment for juvenile Batten disease has been tested in a mouse model and the results have shown reduced in symptoms and improved longevity. The results of the study were published in Nature Communications.

Lung cancer screening rates in the United States remained low and unchanged in 2015 despite recommendations that high-risk current and former smokers be screened.

The FDA has been willing to explore the utilization of surrogate endpoints like tumor response in clinical trials, but it is unclear whether these endpoints correlate with overall survival, said David Fabrizio of Foundation Medicine, Inc. However, he emphasized that overall survival does not necessarily benefit the patient if the additional days gained are not quality days.

Amgen's Repatha was shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events, such as cardiovascular death and myocardial infarction, in phase 3 of the FOURIER study. Full results will be presented in March 2017 at the American College of Cardiology 66th Scientific Sessions.

A review of 15 disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for the treatment of relapsing-remitting and primary-progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) has found that prices for most of these drugs are not well-aligned with added value for patients.