Clinical

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.

The FDA has provided accelerated approval for rupacarib along with the first next-generation sequencing—based companion diagnostic test, for the treatment of women with advanced ovarian cancer.

Here's a look at some of the most popular articles published in Evidence-Based Oncologyâ„¢ in 2016.

This week, the top stories in managed care include President Barack Obama signing the 21st Century Cures Act into law, findings from the CDC that opioid abuse has reduced life expectancy for Americans, and CVS announced a new program to lower costs for patients with diabetes.

At the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) Payer Exchange Summit V, panelists provided insights for successful implementation of payment models in oncology clinics.

What we're reading, December 15, 2016: Democrats won't help repeal the Affordable Care Act, but some may help pass a replacement; drug makers push new opioids despite lack of evidence they reduce overdoses; CDC issues Zika virus travel advisory for Texas town.

The guideline recommends that cancer patients should receive palliative care early and in parallel with their active treatment plan.

Paxman is seeking approval for using its scalp cooling device as an intervention to prevent chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) in women undergoing chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer.

What we're reading, December 13, 2016: 1 in 6 American adults are prescribed psychiatric drugs; veterans groups want Donald Trump to keep the current Veterans Affairs secretary; and the number of drug-affected newborns is rising more in rural areas.