Articles

A mutation in any 1 of a suite of DNA repair pathway genes may predict not only the risk for familial prostate cancer, but also indicate the presence of a particular aggressive form of the disease, according to results of a new UK study from the Institute of Cancer Research in London.

Results of a new study investigating the probability of a cervical cancer diagnosis among women aged 65 to 83 years using data from the UK Cervical Screening Call/Recall System indicate that the current practice may need to be changed.

The promise of big data–driven personalized healthcare mandates reform of the oncology reimbursement system, suggested Jeffery C. Ward, MD, Medical Oncologist, Swedish Cancer Institute, Edmonds, WA, in a recent commentary.

Hollywood, FL—The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is in its infancy, but it is already changing oncology practice, said panelists at the 2014 National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Conference roundtable discussion. The consequences of the ACA include the changing composition of oncology patients, the risk pool of the exchanges, new payment and reimbursement models, acquisition fever, and oncology workforce demands, the panelists said.

In early clinical studies, bevacizumab (Avastin) showed clinical activity in patients with recurrent glioblastoma. A new randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigated whether the use of bevacizumab would improve the OS and PFS of patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma (Gilbert MR, et al. N Engl J Med. 2014;370:699-708).

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a monoclonal disorder characterized by progressive accumulation and proliferation of functionally incompetent B-cells, is the most frequently diagnosed leukemia in the United States.

Among adult survivors of childhood cancer, the lack of health insurance is a major obstacle to obtaining the recommended follow-up care. The goal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) enacted in 2010 was to broaden insurance coverage for all Americans. A new commentary by Mueller and several health policy experts addressed the questions regarding how several provisions in the ACA could help adult survivors of childhood cancers overcome insurance-based barriers to receiving the recommended follow-up care for patients with cancer (Mueller EL, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2014;32:615-617).

Currently, the US Food and Drug Administration–approved second-line treatments for non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) include monotherapy with docetaxel (Taxotere), erlotinib (Tarceva), or pemetrexed (Alimta). A recent phase 3 clinical trial explored the safety and efficacy of nintedanib (Vargatef)—a potent oral angiokinase inhibitor—in combination with do­cetaxel, as a second-line treatment in patients with NSCLC (Reck M, et al. Lancet Oncol. 2014;15:143-155).

Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) who are not fit to undergo stem-cell transplantation (SCT), typically receive melphalan (Alkeran) plus prednisone in combination with either thalidomide (Thalomid) or bortezomib (Velcade). Recent studies are exploring the clinical benefit of the 4-drug induction regimen of melphalan, prednisone, bortezomib, and thalidomide, followed by maintenance with bortezomib plus thalidomide (VMPT-VT). In a recent phase 3 clinical trial, a total of 511 patients with newly diagnosed MM who were not candidates for SCT were randomized to receive VMPT-VT (N = 254) or bortezomib, melphalan, and prednisone (VMP; N = 257). The patients’ median age was 71 years, and 27% of the patients were aged >75 years (Palumbo A, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2014;32:634-640).

Boston, MA—Biomarker development and validation are essential for the rational use of emerging cancer treatments, said presenters at the second Global Biomarkers Consortium annual conference.