Oncology

Patient access to innovation may be at risk as new payment models emerge in oncology.

The findings come as CMS is poised to finalize a rule to pay doctors to counsel patients about end-of-life treatment options.

A study published in BMJ measured the prevalence, annual compensation, and beneficial stock ownership of directors from publicly traded healthcare companies who had academic affiliations.

The CHHiP trial found fewer high-dose radiotherapy was as effective as more number of low-dose radiotherapy in men with prostate cancer.

An NCI-funded Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium study has found that computer-aided detection and interpretation of mammograms does not add any value to breast cancer screening.

My visit to the gynecologist's office following treatment for breast cancer and a subsequent reconstructive surgery was a rude awakening.

A prospective study that enrolled more than 10,000 women with hormone-receptor—positive, HER2-negative breast cancer has found that their response to a 21-gene test can identify patients who can avoid chemotherapy.

Palliative care should enter into the discussion with patients with cancer as early as possible as it can manage symptoms from therapy or it can provide comfort to patients who cannot afford or choose to forgo therapy, said Amy Davidoff, PhD, MS. Plus, she discusses the impact biosimilars may have on therapy costs.

Data presented at the ongoing European Cancer Congress has identified a different epigenetic profile in the tumors of younger colorectal cancer patients, information that can help improve treatment options in this population.

Although CMS has introduced a strict timeline to move to value-based payments, its new Oncology Care Model is partially relying on fee-for-service, and that's a good thing in the case of oncology, said Ira Klein, MD, MBA, senior director of quality, Strategic Customer Group at The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.

Top managed care stories this week include the follow up to the National Academy of Medicine's groundbreaking "To Err Is Human" report, findings on the sharp increase in deductibles, and discussing costs in cancer care.

Developed by Inovio Pharmaceuticals, the vaccine has shown the potential to impact precancerous cervical lesions.

Posters focus on next-generation sequencing ovarian cancer and identify candidates for treatment with PARP inhibitors.

The trial, conducted in France, was a proof-of-concept study to evaluate the efficacy of targeted agents in patients, based on their tumor's molecular profile.

Innovative trials offer the promise that patients can be treated in their own communities instead of traveling to faraway cancer centers.

In a letter to Pathway Genomics, the FDA has expressed interest in discussing the company's validation strategy as well as evaluating data on clinical sensitivity and specificity of the CancerIntercept Detect test.

The fourth annual meeting of Patient-Centered Oncology Care, set for November 19-20, 2015, in Baltimore, Maryland, will feature a premiere multi-stakeholder lineup where leading payers, providers, and leaders from pharma will discuss how to deliver value-based care as cost of breakthrough therapies continues to climb. Julie Vose, MD, MBA, FASCO, the president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, will give the keynote address.

A study published in The Journal of Urology suggests the Grade D recommendation for PSA-based screening may place those with intermediate and high-risk prostate cancer at risk.

Julie Vose, MD, MBA, FASCO, president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and keynote speaker at Patient-Centered Oncology Care 2015, explains the importance of the meeting and how patients benefit when a diverse set of stakeholders come together in one room.

A JAMA Internal Medicine study found the terms "breakthrough" and "promising" raised people's expectations on the drug's performance as opposed to when the drugs were described as having met the breakthrough criteria.

Hillary Clinton unveiled a plan in Iowa that features a $250 per month cap on drug costs for patients with chronic conditions. This comes 2 weeks after her chief rival for the Democratic nomination, US Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, introduced a bill aimed at reining in drug costs. In the summer, The American Journal of Managed Care said polling showed that rising drug costs were poised to become a major issue in the 2016 campaign.

A white paper released by QuantiaMD has identified a lack of awareness and education about biosimilars among prescribing physicians.

Lonsurf (TAS-102) is an oral 2-drug combination pill that is intended for metastatic colorectal cancer patients who have failed on chemotherapy and biological therapy.

AstraZeneca hopes to harness the open source platform of the DREAM challenge, releasing preclinical data to discover synergistic cancer drug combinations.

Among other challenges faced by cancer care centers, reimbursement for providing patient-centered care services remains at the top, a survey by The Association of Community Cancer Centers found.