Oncology

When to screen and how to screen remain controversial issues in prostate cancer.

This week in managed care the top stories include pivotal results from the SPRINT study on blood pressure, an analysis on how states successfully enrolled consumers in the insurance marketplace, and experts discuss value-based care.

Panelist discuss early referral to palliative care, enduring misconceptions, culture considerations, and more at the Fall Managed Care Forum 2015.

According to the CDC, while smoking rates are seeing a steady decline, rates for uninsured and adults on Medicaid are more than twice those for adults with private health insurance.

A study in The European Journal of Public Health finds conversation on preventive vaccination against HPV can motivate participation in preventive screening for cervical cancer.

A retrospective study conducted at the Mayo Clinic found improved OS and PFS in ovarian cancer patients with a history of oral contraceptive use.

A forced closing of Health Republic Insurance of New York has left many in need of immediate coverage.

Historically cancer survivorship programs have not emphasized cardiac follow-up and there is not a lot of long-term data on cardiac toxicity in patients who received certain drugs, but that is changing as patients live longer and fuller lives after treatment, explained Crystal S. Denlinger, MD, from the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.

The approval comes after a priority review of the combination that blocks activity of 2 MAPK proteins: BRAF and MEK.

Published in JAMA Oncology, the trial found an association between loss of heterozygosity and cancer-free survival in patients who had been diagnosed with oral premalignant lesions.

Heterogeneity in quality of care and cancer patient survival based on insurance coverage are the highlight of a report by researchers at the Institute for Population Health Improvement at the University of California Davis.

Treatment of a recurrent brain tumor harboring a BRAF mutation with an inhibitor approved for melanoma resulted in dramatic tumor shrinkage.

Democratizing the complex field of cancer care is not easy. We are providing patients with key information that their own cancer is unique and needs to be treated as such, but there is a great deal of work to be done in putting that knowledge to work.

This week in managed care Kentucky elected a new governor who could bring big changes to the state's Medicaid program, researchers reported that costs of dementia in the last 5 years of life surpass even cancer, and the latest Hospital Safety Score report was released.

The FDA's meta-analyses, following results of the DAPT trial in 2014, have found no association between treatment with the blood thinner clopidogrel (Plavix) and increased incidence of, or death due to, cancer.

From CMS to private health plans, professional healthcare organizations to patients and advocacy groups, the discussion nowadays seems to end up with value.

As patients with cancer live longer and the disease becomes a chronic disease for many, it becomes important for providers to understand how the needs of the patient change from being newly diagnosed to active therapy to long-term therapy, explained Linda House, president of the Cancer Support Community.

A blood test that can detect mutations in the androgen receptor can predict response to abiraterone in prostate cancer.

New research, published in JAMA Oncology, presents evidence of how the use of disease-specific hashtags on Twitter can help those with common interests collectively share information.

Published in the journal Cancer, the study evaluated the short-term and long-term costs of treating patients with low-risk prostate cancer across the entire care spectrum.

According to a study published in The International Journal of Cancer, tubal ligation can reduce the risk of serous, endometrioid, and clear cell ovarian carcinoma.

Departing Governor Steve Beshear's full embrace of the Affordable Care Act brought health coverage to 500,000 people in Kentucky, including many who had never had insurance. Preventive services increased by more than 100%.

A new research study published in the Journal of Dermatology has found that propranolol, a commonly used antihypertensive agent, could substantially reduce proliferation of angiosarcoma.

Fifty organizations, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology, have expressed their confidence in Robert Califf, MD, to lead the FDA.

After melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer, the FDA has granted Breakthrough Therapy status to pembrolizumab in advanced colorectal cancer patients with mismatched repair deficiency.