Oncology

Especially during shortages, Kirollos S. Hanna, PharmD, BCPS, BCOP, FACCC, director of pharmacy services at Minnesota Oncology, says practices should carve out areas where going to a different therapeutic approach isn't considered off-pathway.

Biosimilars offer substantial promise for a new era of accessibility and affordability for patients and the broader health care industry, but better understanding of these products from payers and providers is necessary for biosimilars to reach their full potential in the US.

Health insurance coverage is a strong determinant of cancer care access and survival, and the observed variations are despite a significant increase in coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

Edward "Ted" Arrowsmith, MD, MPH, medical director for pathways at OneOncology and managing partner at Tennessee Oncology, talks about challenges and changes in clinical pathways and the importance of keeping them updated.

Cancer incidence fell by 8.7% across all cancer sites during the first year of the pandemic, according to a new study.

Margaret Liang, MD, MSHPM, gynecologic oncologist and health services researcher and director, Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship Program, Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center, discusses financial toxicity in cancer care and how institutions can help alleviate the financial burden for patients.

Amy Laughlin, MD, MSHP, of Orlando Health commented on at-home cancer care costs and shared her predictions on how at-home cancer care will evolve.

The most-read content from the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting including the latest findings in ongoing clinical trials, a panel discussion on Medicare oncology payment models, and the importance of alignment between clinicians and payers on clinical pathways.

In 2023, there were 18 oncology and 7 population health Institute for Value-Based Medicine® events cohosted with organizations such as Optum, OneOncology, Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Duke Health, Cleveland Clinic, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Our most-read oncology content of 2023 included meeting coverage, research on an algorithm using patient-reported outcomes to predict hospital visits, and the launch of an National Comprehensive Cancer Network pilot project aiming to measure health equity.

“Unfortunately, limited access to these therapies worldwide appears to be a major challenge,” the researchers wrote.

Justin Bekelman, MD, director of the Penn Center for Cancer Care Innovation, sat with our hosts Emeline Aviki, MD, MBA, and Stephen Schleicher, MD, MBA, for our final episode of 2023 to discuss the importance of collaboration between academic medicine and community oncology and testing innovative cancer care delivery in these settings.

Our most-read coverage from the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) 2023 Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit highlighted ongoing issues in oncology policy and practice.

The approval of belzutifan, an oral hypoxia-inducible factor-2 alpha inhibitor, provides a new option for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) following treatment with a programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) or programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor and a vascular endothelial growth factor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (VEGF-TKI).

Our top coverage from this year’s Community Oncology Conference, hosted by the Community Oncology Alliance, included discussions around alternative payment models, shifts in the community oncology landscape in recent decades, and the need for reform in several areas.

Authors highlight key aspects of the California Cancer Care Equity Act, including its focus on Medi-Cal beneficiaries, the requirement for managed care plans to contract with specialized cancer centers, and the definition of complex cancers.

Spanning 22 studies, the analysis illuminated housing disparities, occupational hazards, unequal health care access, economic inequality, and discriminatory industry practices and how they collectively contribute to heightened lung cancer risks.

Positive data from the phase 3 EV-302 trial of enfortumab vedotin with pembrolizumab in locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer have shifted the landscape.

Researchers found that core oncology services were less likely to be available at hospitals serving racial and ethnic minority groups compared with other hospitals in the United States.

A new report from IQVIA provides an overview of current US drug shortages, shedding light on major areas of concern, such as medications to address pain, cardiovascular conditions, obesity and diabetes, and multiple forms of cancer.

The US Oncology Network now has more than 2400 providers who treat over 1.4 million patients annually at approximately 600 sites of care in 30 states.

The centers for research are named for Anthony Greco, MD, and John Hainsworth, MD, who founded Sarah Cannon in 1993 as Tennessee Oncology physician researchers.

“The silencing of Black cancer patient voices impacted patients’ health care utilization and had implications for their physical health,” the authors wrote.

In an interview with The American Journal of Managed Care®, Grant Andres, BSc, DC, BSN, MSN-RN, senior director of clinical operations at Arizona Oncology, discussed the nuances of successfully implementing value-based care initiatives across a large organization.

Coverage of the Institute for Value-Based Medicine session with Zangmeister Cancer Center, Columbus, Ohio.