Articles

Increasing Copays Causing Physicians to Expand Their Roles

When it comes to copays, cancer patients shoulder an unfair burden compared with other disease states. Dr. Bosserman talks about this need for a solution and the idea that a true, value-based system would help to make care more affordable for patients.

By Linda D. Bosserman, MD, FACP

Benefits of the Single Payer Perspective

Increasing costs of copays are causing oncologists, such as Dr. Bosserman, to learn and understand more about the options (both coverage and treatment) available to patients.

By Andrew Stainthorpe, PhD

Finding Value in Healthcare

Dr. Stainthorpe explains that the single payer perspective allows for negotiated terms and equality of access; however, they do not necessarily drive down costs the way multiple payers can.

By C. Daniel Mullins, PhD

Cyramza (Ramucirumab) Approved for the Treatment of Advanced Gastric Cancer and Metastatic Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Dr. Mullins confirms that value in healthcare is incredibly important to both patients and insurance companies. The development of many new treatment options in the field of oncology makes it a prime place to look for value. Value can be determined by comparing evidence of cost and evidence of improved health outcomes.

By Loretta Fala

Drug Updates

A Conversation with Alberta Hickman, a Lung Cancer Survivor Who Benefited from Cancer Prehabilitation

Gastric cancer and lung cancer impose a substantial burden on patients. In light of the high mortality rate and quality-of-life issues associated with these 2 types of cancer, there is a marked need for additional therapeutic options to improve outcomes for patients with gastric or lung cancer.

By Julie K. Silver, MD

Cancer Rehabilitation

More Bad News for Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents in Chemotherapy-Induced Anemia

Timothy Sherwood, MD, the thoracic surgeon who was featured in Part 2 of this series, referred Alberta Hickman for prehabilitation before operating on her after she was diagnosed with lung cancer. Alberta received her care at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, VA, which recently adopted the STAR Program, a best practices cancer rehabilitation model of care. The medical team published Alberta’s story as a case report, because she did so well and her physical function improved after surgery compared with her baseline status before the operation. Moreover, she had a shorter-than-usual hospital length of stay for this type of surgery. This is Alberta’s perspective about cancer prehabilitation in her own words.

By Charles Bankhead

Breast Cancer, Solid Tumors

Lowering Dietary Fat Increases Long-Term Survival in Women with Hormone-Negative Breast Cancer

San Antonio, TX—Adding an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) to best supportive care failed to demonstrate noninferiority for progression-free survival (PFS) compared with best supportive care alone in patients with metastatic breast cancer, in a clinical trial known as EPO-ANE-3010 that was requested by the FDA.

By Alice Goodman

Breast Cancer, Solid Tumors

Monitoring Response to TKI Therapy by PCR Improves Outcomes in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

San Antonio, TX—Results of a new nutrition study show that women who reduced their intake of dietary fat for 5 years after being diagnosed with early breast cancer had significantly lower rates of death from all causes compared with controls, at 15 years of follow-up; this reduction was seen specifically in women with hormone receptor (HR)-negative breast cancer. No long-term effect of dietary fat reduction on mortality was observed in women with HR-positive breast cancer. The results of the study, called Women’s Intervention Nutrition Study (WINS), were presented at the 2014 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

By Wayne Kuznar

Hematologic Malignancies, Leukemia