Meg Barbor, MPH

Authored Items

NEXT Study: Biosimilar Filgrastim an Effective Alternative for Chemotherapy-Induced Neutropenia

October 2015, Vol 6, No 9 - Emerging Therapies

Copenhagen, Denmark—Biosimilar filgrastim (Nivestim; Hospira), which was approved earlier this year by the European Commission but not yet by the FDA, showed effectiveness for the treatment of neutropenia and febrile neutropenia (FN) in patients undergoing cytotoxic chemotherapy for solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, according to a study presented at the 2015 Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer/International Society of Oral Oncology meeting. [ Read More ]

ASCO/AAHPM Guidance Statement Could Standardize Palliative Care in Oncology

December 2015, Vol 6, No 11 - Clinical Guidelines

Boston, MA—A new guidance statement from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) provides the first formal, consensus-based recommendations regarding high-quality primary palliative care in oncology, according to Kathleen E. Bickel, MD, MPhil, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH. [ Read More ]

Managing Delirium in Patients with Cancer

November 2016, Vol 7, No 10 - Symptom Management

Delirium is an exceedingly prevalent syndrome among patients with cancer, but is underrecognized and undertreated, according to Alan Valentine, MD, Chair, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, and Darryl Etter, PsyD, Clinical Psychologist, VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, Denver, at a webinar hosted by the American Psychosocial Oncology Society in July 2016. [ Read More ]

SGX942 Decreases Duration of Severe Oral Mucositis in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer

November 2016, Vol 7, No 10 - Symptom Management

Adelaide, Australia—SGX942, a novel agent that is first in its class, decreased the incidence of severe oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing chemoradiation, according to new research led by Oreola Donini, PhD, Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, Soligenix, Princeton, NJ, and Mahesh R. Kudrimoti, MD, Professor of Radiation Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington. [ Read More ]

Certain Measures Can Lower the High Cost of USP 800 Compliance

November 2016, Vol 7, No 10 - USP 800 Compliance

Chicago, IL—Maintaining a clean room compliant with US Pharmacopeial Convention Chapter 800 (USP 800) can come with a significant price tag, but noncompliance can drive up costs to oncology practices and institutions. However, certain measures can contribute to the successful construction, renovation, and maintenance of hazardous drug sterile compounding spaces in an oncology setting, according to Ryan A. Forrey, PharmD, MS, FASHP, Director of Pharmacy, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, GA. Dr Forrey provided practical tips related to USP 800 compliance in clinical practice at the 2016 Annual Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA) Oncology Pharmacy Practice Management Program. [ Read More ]

Leveraging Financial Advocates to Improve Patient Care

April 2017, Vol 8, No 2 - Value in Oncology

St Louis, MO—Financial counselors can help patients find assistance with the often-prohibitive costs of cancer treatment. According to Jordan Karwedsky, a financial counselor at HSHS St Vincent Regional Cancer Center and Green Bay Oncology, Green Bay, WI, patients at these organizations saved more than $1 million on intravenous and oral chemotherapy in 2015 through copay assistance. [ Read More ]

Comparing the Current Value Frameworks in Oncology

April 2017, Vol 8, No 2 - Value in Oncology

Chicago, IL—Escalating drug prices have put value frameworks in the spotlight, and the identification of the key questions and the audience addressed in each value framework is vital to understanding the value landscape, said Kasia Shields, PharmD, MBA, BCOP, BCPS, Director, Medical Communications, Xcenda/AmerisourceBergen, at the 2016 Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association Oncology Pharmacy Practice Management Program. [ Read More ]

Oral Toxicities Associated with Cancer Therapies: What’s Old Is New Again

October 2018, Vol 9, No 3 - Cancer Drugs

Vienna, Austria—New cancer therapies have significantly improved survival outcomes, but have brought with them a wide range of oral toxicities, many of which are class-specific and otherwise new to the field of oncology, according to Nathaniel S. Treister, DMD, DMSc, Division Chief, Division of Oral Medicine and Dentistry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA. [ Read More ]

CAR T-Cell Therapy: Can We Afford the Cure?

December 2018, Vol 9, No 4 - Value-Based Care

Chicago, IL—So far, 2 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies have been approved by the FDA for some types of relapsed or refractory lymphoma and leukemia. Although CAR T-cell therapy has shown promise in many ­patients who have run out of standard treatment options, it is incredibly ­resource-intense: the complexities of its administration ­require an interdisciplinary approach for success, the side effects can be severe, and its high cost can reach upward of $1 million per course of treatment. [ Read More ]

Oral Cancer and Sex in the Era of HPV Infection

October 2019, Vol 10, No 5 - Head and Neck Cancer

San Francisco, CA—The increasing rate of infection with the human papilloma­virus (HPV) in the United States has changed the field of head and neck cancer, or oral cancer, and HPV infection now causes a growing majority (70%-90%) of oropharyngeal squamous-cell carcinomas. As its incidence is rising, so is patients’ curiosity about what sets this cancer apart from other malignancies. [ Read More ]

Biosimilars Are Key Components of Oncology Today: Brush Up on the Basics

December 2019, Vol 10, No 6 - NCCN 2019 Hematologic Malignancies

San Francisco, CA—An increasing number of biosimilars have been approved in the United States, but many clinicians are still poorly informed about what constitutes a biosimilar, and what is involved in their unique pathway to approval, said Andrew D. Zelenetz, MD, PhD, Medical Oncologist, Division of Hematologic Malignancies, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City. He discussed this topic at the NCCN 2019 Hematologic Malignancies meeting. [ Read More ]

Genetic Profiling and Personalized Medicine in Myelodysplastic Syndromes

December 2019, Vol 10, No 6 - NCCN 2019 Hematologic Malignancies

San Francisco, CA—Personalization of therapy in the treatment of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is focused primarily on risk classification of patients. Once clinical risk has been established, treatment considerations should be informed by features such as disease subtype, prognostic somatic mutations, chromosomal abnormalities, targetable somatic mutations, immunologic features, and patient factors, according to Rafael Bejar, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA. [ Read More ]