Managing CRPC: Improving Symptoms, Survival, or Both?
December 16th 2011In addition to endeavors to develop new therapeutics, we should anticipate and prioritize studies that will address questions regarding the efficacy of combination therapy, timing and sequencing strategies, and the development of predictive markers to individualize and optimize therapy.
Are We Trumping Bone Disease in Prostate Cancer?
December 16th 2011We are seeing a new era in drug development with the identification of novel intra- and extracellular targets to which therapies are being directed. Perhaps more exciting is learning how to optimize standard therapies in combination with biologic agents and radiopharmaceuticals in order to target multiple pathways in prostate cancer growth. Stay tuned!
The “Episode-of-Care” Payment Model: One Practice’s Experience
December 15th 2011The episode-of-care project is the first program in which a payer has partnered with the oncology community to reduce costs while paying for the demanding and complex cognitive work of the medical oncologist. The episode-of-care payment system seems to be working smoothly and we have not experienced the same erosion of our income that we have seen with other payers.
Wandering Off the Main Road: Clinical Pathways for Cancer Patients
December 2nd 2011As insurers, clinicians and the U.S. government attempt to slow the increasing rise of health care costs, many experts have identified the tool entitled “clinical pathways” as a solution. Oncologists who adhere to such pathways are thought to improve patient care and reduce expenses.
Integration of Palliative Care Into Comprehensive Cancer Care: Accountable Collaboration
November 30th 2011n their article, Dennis et al call for timely integration of palliative care into standard oncology care and sustained collaboration between these two specialties, to provide comprehensive, individualized care for patients with advanced, incurable cancer and their families.[
Why Oncologists Should Refer Earlier for Hospice Care
November 30th 2011Authors von Gunten, Lutz, and Ferris have provided oncologists, and all physicians with patients who have cancer, an excellent and pithy review of how those with very advanced cancer are currently cared for as they approach the end-of-life
An Oncology Perspective on Preventive Services in the Context of US Healthcare Reform
November 15th 2011This article summarizes some of the most important federal coverage provisions and safeguards that promote access to preventive services for individuals with cancer or individuals who are at risk for cancer
ONC Supplement November 2011 Intro
November 9th 2011The goal of this supplement is to present a comprehensive overview of the major current and emerging treatment options for patients with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma, with particular focus on proteasome inhibitors and immunomodulatory drugs, along with other emerging agents (eg, histone deacetylase inhibitors, heat shock protein inhibitors, and monoclonal antibodies). As the treatment landscape has evolved, it has become readily apparent that the available therapies have different tolerability profiles depending on patient and disease characteristics.
The Complexity of Hereditary Cancer Syndromes
October 19th 2011Counseling women at high risk for ovarian and uterine cancer is a complex process, from genetic diagnosisto the management of at-risk women. Rimes andcolleagues have presented these challenging issues, andsuggested ways to manage them, very well.
Study Finds Different Treatment Responses Between BRCA2- and BRCA1-Mutated Ovarian Cancers
October 11th 2011Women with high-grade serous ovarian cancer who also harbor a BRCA2, but not a BRCA1 mutation tend to have a better chemotherapy response and overall survival compared with those patients who are BRCA wild type.
PSA Screening for Prostate Cancer Put Into Question By the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
October 10th 2011Based on a review of prostate cancer treatment and screening trials, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has stated that prostate-specific antigen (PSA)–based screening may not be necessary, saying that the potential benefits of the screening do not outweigh the potential harm of complications from evaluations and treatments.