Clinical

What we're reading: the Obama administration promises swift action on North Carolina's Medicaid expansion plan; FDA approves long-acting opioid; and a look at where President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald J. Trump stand on 5 areas of health policy and science.

The study observed significant shifts in the treatment of advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), accompanied by only modest gains in survival and total Medicare spending.

What we're reading, January 9, 2017: how Meals on Wheels is becoming the "eyes and ears" of the healthcare system; unease brewing among Republicans about repealing Obamacare without a replacement; and a doctor at the Cleveland Clinic faces disciplinary actions after publishing anti-vaccine rhetoric.

Delayed adjuvant chemotherapy, started up to 4 months following resection of non—small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) could still be beneficial to patients, according to a new study published in JAMA Oncology.

As the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease increases, self-management will become increasingly important. However, a new study has highlighted the difficulties of embedding self-management into routine care.

While rapid innovations in the field of oncology have improved treatments, the magnitude and dimension of clinical benefits vary widely.

Researchers in Australia conducted a systematic analysis of several randomized control trials that evaluated weight loss as an intervention for breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancer.

A new single-patient case study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, has raised the possibility of using CAR-T cells in the treatment of glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain tumor.

The first patient has been treated with ruxolitinib (Jakafi), by Incyte Corporation, for steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease, as part of the REACH-1 phase 2 trial. The trial is evaluating ruxolitinib in combination with corticosteroids.

What we're reading, January 3, 2017: Colorado's Affordable Care Act exchange misused more than $9 million in federal funds; an over-the-counter birth control may be coming to the United States; and returning health data to patients could reduce health record breaches.

Caring at home for children with special healthcare needs brings high costs to families. A study by researchers at the University of Southern California, Boston Children’s Hospital, and RAND Corp., placed the uncompensated medical cost at nearly $36 billion annually.

According to a new study published in PLOS Medicine, genetic analysis of the uterine lavage fluid from pre- and post-menopausal women can provide early evidence of endometrial cancer.

Although chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains a leading cause of death around the world, the reason for why patients with COPD lose the ability to repair damage to their lungs is poorly defined. However, researchers at the Helmholtz Zentrium München may now have an idea of why this happens.

Treating patients with rheumatoid arthritis can be difficult because the available drugs do not treat all symptoms. However, the Vectra DA test can help physicians more quickly understand if a patient is responding or needs to switch therapies, explained Grace C. Wright, MD, PhD, clinical associate professor of medicine and attending rheumatologist at New York University Langone Medical Center.

A new clinical study to reduce the unwanted side effects of radiation in patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)—positive oropharynx cancers has found that reducing the dose of radiation can maintain the cure rates but avoid some of the late treatment-associated toxicities.

What we're reading, December 28, 2016: a county in West Virginia is suing 3 national drug distributors for allegedly fueling the opioid epidemic; CDC awards new funding as another Zika case is reported in Texas; and first drug to treat spinal muscular atrophy approved.

FDA’s regulatory science activities are working to advance the field of precision oncology, in part by using predictive analyses to identify patients that may be good candidates for certain therapies, according to Sean Khozin, MD, MPH, senior medical officer at the FDA.

The Lancet study shows addition of bortezomib significantly improves survival in treatment-naïve patients with multiple myeloma.

Using angiogenesis inhibitors in patients with glioblastoma that is highly vascularized could yield much improved outcomes, the analysis found.

A new study has found that women chose not to go ahead with contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) if their surgeon recommended against it.

Adolescents who have “adult-type” cancers should be enrolled in relevant clinical trials to improve access for this population of patients, experts from the FDA write in a recently published perspective.

What we're reading, December 22, 2016: Americans continue to sign up for Obamacare coverage despite Republicans' promise to repeal the law; California is implementing a $3 billion effort to help the state’s neediest individuals; and Zika vaccine shows success.

Researchers at the Moffitt Cancer Center have developed a genomics model called genomic-adjusted radiation dose that can guide the radiation dose to match a tumor’s radiosensitivity.

There is a need in rheumatoid arthritis to be able to individualize treatments, but without credible and reliable biomarkers, it just isn't possible yet, said Allan Gibofsky, MD, professor of medicine and public health at Weill Cornell Medical College and an attending rheumatologist at Hospital for Special Surgery.

Along with the peer-review research, journal articles, and news coverage, The American Journal of Managed Careâ„¢ (AJMCâ„¢) has a robust multimedia component that brings together stakeholders from across the healthcare industry to discuss important topics in the world of managed care and delve deeper into topics.