Articles

Philadelphia, PA—Over the next 15 years, up to a 50% increase is projected in the number of breast cancer cases, according to a study from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The incidence of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancers, diagnosed mostly by mammography, is projected to increase, whereas cases of ER-negative cancers, the more-difficult-to-treat cancers, are projected to decrease. ER-positive in situ cancers are expected to increase by approximately 50% and ER-negative cancers are expected to decrease by approximately 50% by 2030.

Philadelphia, PA—High levels of KRAS mutations in plasma circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) predict worse overall survival (OS), whereas low levels of KRAS mutations in plasma ctDNA indicate improved OS in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

Philadelphia, PA—Combination immunotherapy with ipilimumab (Yervoy) plus nivolumab (Opdivo) was superior to ipilimumab monotherapy in previously untreated patients with advanced melanoma in a phase 2 randomized clinical trial, according to lead investigator F. Stephen Hodi, MD, Director of the Melanoma Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, who presented the study at the 2015 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting.

A reevaluation of the value of cancer care between 1982 and 2010 in the United States versus Western Europe (Soneji S, Yang JW. Health Aff [Millwood]. 2015;34:390-397) paints an entirely different picture from a similar analysis published in 2012 (Philipson T, et­ al. Health Aff [Millwood]. 2012;­­31:667-675). The earlier study found significant improvements in breast and prostate cancer survival in the United States relative to Western Europe, concluding that the high costs in the United States were worth it.

Hollywood, FL—Targeted therapy in B-cell lymphoma is rapidly expanding beyond anti-CD20 antibodies. Some of the emerging therapies are conjugated antibodies, treatments that target signaling pathways or apoptosis, immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs), and immune checkpoint inhibitors, said Andrew D. Zelenetz, MD, PhD, Vice Chair, Medical Informatics, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, at the 2015 National Comprehensive Cancer Network conference.

Philadelphia, PA—As new immunotherapies become available for the treatment of melanoma and other cancers, head-to-head trials of these agents shed more light on how best to use them. In the phase 3 KEYNOTE-006 trial, pembrolizumab (Keytruda) outperformed ipilimumab (Yervoy)—a current standard of care—as upfront treatment for patients with unresectable advanced melanoma. The data were presented at the 2015 American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting.

Washington, DC—The Fifth Annual Conference of the Association for ­Value-Based Cancer Care (AVBCC), held May 3-6, 2015, launched 3 days of presentations by US oncology stakeholders, including physicians, pharmacists, nurses, payers, policymakers, and drug/diagnostics manufacturers.

Orlando, FL—An independent review of the literature suggests that 3 biomarker tests developed for prostate cancer have yet to justify their utility in randomized clinical trials. The 3 tests in question—Prolaris, Decipher, and Oncotype DX for prostate cancer—are being used in practices around the country, cost approximately $3500 per test, and are reimbursable by Medicare depending on the state.