Oncology

Peter B. Bach, MD, MAPP, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, writes in the Journal of the American Medical Association that cancer drugs could be charged different prices by indication, since the value for patients varies. His article appeared days before an appearance on 60 Minutes to discuss the high price of cancer drugs.

Combining nivolumab, an immuno-oncology molecule, with 1 of 3 targeted agents from Novartis is expected to improve patient response in NSCLC.

Chemotherapy drugs, which could be poisons, can result in adverse health outcomes in healthcare workers who administer them to patients without adequate safety measures.

Sunesis Pharmaceuticals announced the failure of a phase 3 study Monday morning. The company's experimental drug vosaroxin did not extend survival of elderly patients with advanced acute myeloid leukemia compared to a placebo.

A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that lack of awareness resulted in women over 65 and those who had undergone hysterectomy routinely undergoing a Pap test.

ASCO has been working in parallel with various other institutions to generate a patient-centered oncology payment reform model.

The study, published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, evaluated the influence of NSAIDs and statins on PSA levels in men with a high prostate cancer risk.

The molecule is being evaluated in crizotinib-resistant ALK-positive NSCLC patients. The results from the phase 1/2 trial with AP26113 were presented at the 2014 European Cancer Congress.

The study by Kaiser Permanente found that prescription practices were not much influenced by the decrease in fee-for-service payments for outpatient chemotherapy, due the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003.

The Cigna-NCCN collaboration will benefit about 12.5 million members.

The study, conducted in Austria, evaluated the potency of the 9-valent vaccine in preventing the development of cervical precancer in women infected with HPV.

A study published in a supplement to the Journal of Women's Health looks to the widespread impact of newer screening technologies to improve outcomes.

Following Kadcyla, NICE has now rejected another drug from Roche: Gazyvaro for CLL, citing ambiguities in the company's filing and the high cost.

The study, published online in JAMA Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, found a significant increase in the rate of head and neck cancers in individuals carrying a BRCA mutation.

A review published in Neuro-Oncology provides insight into some of the molecules being developed to target IL13Rα2 in brain tumors.

ASCO has called for raising awareness to control obesity, as it is not just a risk factor for developing diabetes but also for cancer.

Results from 2 phase 3 trials showed better response rates, progression-free survival, and overall survival when a BRAF inhibitor was combined with a MEK inhibitor, compared with a BRAF inhibitor alone.

The panelists offer their closing remarks regarding immuno-oncology's promises and challenges.

Michael Kolodziej, MD, considers the benefit of combination therapy vs sequential and whether the increased toxicity of combination therapy is worth it.

Although the oncolytic virus therapy being used in the OPTIM trial has been modified in a way that there should be minimal safety concerns, it should still be handled in a way to limit adverse effects and mutations, according to Kimberly Shafer-Weaver, PhD.

While it would be nice to think that one and only one therapy would be effective at combatting cancer, combination therapy is needed, Kimberly Shafer-Weaver, PhD, said.

People are now viewing cancer as a kind of chronic disease that can be held at bay, if it cannot be eliminated entirely, according to Kimberly Shafer-Weaver, PhD.

Although there are some efforts to marry progression-free survival benefits to clinical benefits defined by the patients, the approach is still in the early stages and needs to be moved forward more quickly, according to Michael Kolodziej, MD.

Michael Kolodziej, MD, explains, the benefit of using biomarkers from a payer perspective to ensure that the right patient gets the right treatment.

Although animal models have shown the anti-CTLA-4 antibodies boost the immune system, the human body is not so simple, Jianda Yuan, MD, PhD, said.