Oncology

One of the criticisms, which came from ASCO, points to the absence of consideration for patient heterogeneity that can result in physicians being penalized for providing patient-centered treatment.

While sunitinib failed as adjuvant treatment in advanced kidney cancer, this phase 2 study presented at the ongoing annual meeting of The Endocrine Society found that in patients with advanced thyroid cancer, sunitinib treatment resulted in median progression free survival of about 8 months. The authors think their results create sufficient evidence to initiate a phase 3 trial of the drug in thyroid cancer patients.

New oncology payment models, 340B pricing and disproportionate share hospitals, and the significant difference in reimbursement rates for cancer care services are just some of the challenges faced by community oncology clinics. How do patients make informed decisions on where to go for care?

The study, conducted at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that the benefits of these personalized cancer products are reported much more frequently than are the limitations.

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that the 5-year survival with ipilimumab (18.2%) was double that with placebo (8.8%) and roughly double the historical survival rate of patients with stage IV melanoma (approximately 10%).

A guideline has been issued that outlines the use of 3-D computed tomography-based radiation therapy planning and volumetric image guidance to more effectively treat pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma and to reduce the radiation dose to normal tissue, thus decreasing the risk of late side effects.

Harold Varmus, MD, who has led the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health for nearly 5 years, announced today that he will step down from his post, effective March 31, 2015.

AbbVie will spend about $21 billion to buy leukemia drugmaker Pharmacyclics in its first major deal attempt since walking away from a $55 billion takeover of Shire last fall.

The FDA announced today that it has approved Opdivo (nivolumab) for use in NSCLC patients who have progressed on or after platinum-based chemotherapy.

Brain tumor patients who are uninsured or use Medicaid stay hospitalized longer and develop more medical complications than those with private insurance, University of Florida Health researchers have found.

While the pharmaceutical industry has always justified the billions spent on developing a candidate drug molecule, the process has definitely seen some important changes. This article evaluates whether these revolutionary changes have influenced drug development for the better.

The technique, L-COSY, monitors biochemical changes in tissue and could improve the management of women at risk of breast cancer, such as those carrying mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2.

The study in Health Affairs published by Samir Soneji, PhD, an assistant professor at Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine and The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice, found that despite a sharp rise in healthcare spending,caner mortality rates are very high in the US compared to Western Europe.

The use of adjuvant systemic therapy for localized gastrointestinal stromal tumors has significantly increased over time, a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Oncology, has found, and patients treated with the therapy have better survival than those treated with surgery alone, researchers say.

The study found that following Genetech's decision to restrict the distribution of it's 3 popular cancer medications through specific specialty distributors, patient access to the drugs has reduced while costs have increased.

Results released by Amgen, who bought the molecule from Onyx, show that Kyprolis yielded better results when used as second-line in relapsed patients.

The Thyroid Cancer Clinical Registry is expected to improve quality of patient care as patient data would be readily available to all physicians involved in the patients care; however former Commission on Cancer chair Frederick L Greene, MD, wonders whether physicians would take the time to enter the clinical data into the system as required.

A simple urine test could help to guide clinicians in the treatment of bladder cancer patients, researchers believe. Being able to reliably identify those patients with the most aggressive cancers early via urine tests, and expediting aggressive therapeutic strategies, may significantly improve outcomes, they say.

BMS announced in a press release today that Opdivo (nivolumab), approved for advanced melanoma, has received priority review from the FDA for treating patients with advanced NSCLC.

Emergency care providers vary in their understanding of a type of medical order intended to communicate seriously ill patients' choices for life-sustaining treatments, according to a pair of studies recently published.

The American Journal of Managed Care convened a discussion of 2 leading clinicians and 2 medical directors for leading payers, all of whom saw some merit in FDA's plans to bring oversight to the diagnostic testing market. The strongest advocate for greater FDA oversight was Daniel F. Hayes, MD, clinical director of the Breast Oncology Program at the University of Michigan, who will be a future president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Ten oncology practices around the nation will initiate their accreditation process this year, which includes an on-site survey bu the Commission on Cancer.

NICE's first guideline on bladder cancer aims to improve the diagnosis and management of the seventh most common cancer in the UK.

The goals of the new CMS Oncology Care Model align very nicely with what payers want, according to Ira M. Klein, MD, MBA, FACP, national medical director, clinical thought leadership, office of the chief medical officer, Aetna.

Following the introduction of adaptive clinical trials, cancer researchers are now working on another revolutionary model, and they have the FDA's support in this effort. Named basket studies because they group different cancers together based on the driver mutation rather than the tumor of origin, these trials do not use the standard treatment as a control group, but look for a "Yes" or "No" response.