Articles

Patients receiving a diagnosis of cancer are at increased risk for suicide and other adverse health effects that are triggered by the trauma associated with such a diagnosis, according to results of a recent study (Fang F, et al. N Engl J Med. 2012;366:1310-1318).

The 2012 updates to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology™ have elevated several drugs to category 1 recommendation and have changed the algorithm for work-up in some tumors. A synopsis of the key updates presented at the 2012 annual conference is reported here.

Houston, TX—In the past 2 decades, community oncologists have experienced an era of stability (1991-2003) and a time of adaptation (2004-2006), and are now practicing in an era that may best be described as feeling the “squeeze” (2007-present), said Thomas A. Marsland, MD, President of Cancer Specialists of North Florida, Jacksonville, who discussed the current crisis in the community oncology setting at the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care second annual conference.

At the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care (AVBCC) second annual meeting, Winston Wong, PharmD, expressed concerns that the site of delivery of cancer care affects efforts to rein in costs and provide value in cancer care. Wong expanded on this issue in the following interview.

Houston, TX—Jennifer Malin, MD, PhD, Manager and Medical Director of Oncology at WellPoint, described new approaches that can help to align reimbursement in oncology to enhance value and patient outcomes by focusing on episode of care rather than on the drugs, by shifting physicians’ incentives to support patient-centered decision-making.

At the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care (AVBCC) second annual meeting, Ira M. Klein, MD, MBA, maintained that establishing value in cancer care is not just up to healthcare strategists. AVBCC asked Dr Klein to elaborate on this idea in the following interview.

Houston, TX—Defining value in cancer care is like a group of blind men trying to define what an elephant is, by touch: it is described according to one’s own experience and perceptions, said Mark Zitter, MBA, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, The Zitter Group, San Francisco, CA.

In Michigan, 7 oncology practices are now participating in Priority Health’s oncology medical home. At the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care second annual conference, John Fox, MD, MHA, Associate Vice President for Medical Affairs, Priority Health, Grand Rapids, MI, described the key components and goals of this model.

The Mevion S250 Proton Therapy System has received marketing approval in Europe but is still pending clearance by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Injecting antibodies and T cells with cancer stem cells may signal a new paradigm for anticancer immunotherapy, according to a recent study.