During this segment, Daniel J. George, MD, and Jeffrey Weber, MD, PhD, explore recently approved immunotherapy agents for the treatment of cancer.
Dr George briefly explains how sipuleucel-T and ipilimumab utilize the body’s immune system to fight disease. Dr George continues by explaining how these agents have demonstrated improvements in survival for patients with prostate cancer and melanoma. Furthermore, when looking at the expensive costs of treatment, the benefits make therapy more of an “investment” than an expense.
Dr Weber explains that sipuleucel-T is a vaccine, while ipilimumab is a checkpoint protein inhibitor. Then, he discusses the differences between these agents and how they work.
As Dr George and Dr Weber examine the safety profiles of each of these treatment options, the doctors address the importance of managing corresponding treatment side effects and adverse events, and recognize the need to control the high costs of treatment.
California Aims for Equity by Redefining Cancer Care
December 8th 2023Authors 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.
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Oncology Onward: A Conversation With Thyme Care CEO and Cofounder Robin Shah
October 2nd 2023Robin Shah, CEO of Thyme Care, which he founded in 2020 with Bobby Green, MD, president and chief medical officer, joins hosts Emeline Aviki, MD, MBA, and Stephen Schleicher, MD, MBA, to discuss his evolution as an entrepreneur in oncology care innovation and his goal of positively changing how patients experience the cancer system.
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Research Reveals the Role of Structural Racism in Lung Cancer Risk
December 7th 2023Spanning 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.
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Insufficient Data, Disparities Plague Lung Cancer Risk Factor Documentation
September 24th 2023On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the senior author of a study published in the September 2023 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® on the importance of adequate and effective lung cancer risk factor documentation to determine a patient's eligibility for screening.
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Data analysis showed that 40% of patients who filled a prescription for Wegovy in 2021 or 2022 were still taking it a year later; both Democrats and reproductive rights organizations are pressuring the Biden administration to ensure health insurers fully cover contraception; CMS implemented Medicare changes in March that limited access to blood tests that help transplant recipients ensure their organs remain healthy.
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