Articles

Researchers in Chicago have developed a financial toxicity grading system based on clinically meaningful changes in health-related quality of life. According to lead investigator Jonas A. de Souza, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Chicago, at the 2016 Cancer Survivorship Symposium, the tool has been validated in 2 separate cohorts of patients with cancer, with plans for a larger, prospective study underway.

A pediatric regimen achieves superior outcomes compared with adult regimens in adolescents and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Several studies have already shown this outcome, and a multicenter phase 2 study presented at ASH 2015 adds further confirmatory evidence in support of this approach.

A new biomarker can identify the subgroup of class 1 uveal melanomas that are most likely to metastasize, according to a new retrospective study (Field MG, et al. Clin Cancer Res. 2016;22:1234-1242).

Differences in 3 recently identified molecular factors in patients with metastatic renal-cell carcinoma (RCC) may explain the inferior survival rates in African-American ­patients versus in Caucasian patients, even in the age of targeted therapy.

The use of cost data to inform infrastructure investments can help cancer centers move toward value-based payment models, improve end-of-life planning, and reduce futile care, according to Kerin B. Adelson, MD, Chief Quality Officer and Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Smilow Cancer Hospital (SCH) at Yale-New Haven, CT.

The United States has the largest biologic drugs market and high prices for biologics, such as monoclonal antibodies, therapeutic proteins, immunomodulators, and growth factors. Cancer treatments utilize traditional chemical-based drugs and, increasingly, biologic-based drugs.

The use of novel agents in multiple myeloma has led experts to question whether autologous stem-cell transplant (ASCT) is warranted upfront, or whether it can be used as effectively after patients relapse.