Articles

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued a report (Wonderling D, et al. Ann Intern Med. 2011;154:758-765) explaining the process and value of cost-effectiveness assessments and how these inform recommendations and decisions regarding clinical questions made by the UK National Clinical Guidelines Centre.

Thalidomide (Thalomid), lenalidomide (Revlimid), and bortezomib (Velcade) have all shown benefit in the maintenance setting, said Steven Devine, MD, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, during the recent National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) 6th Congress on Hematologic Malignancies.

Stockholm, Sweden—The cost of cancer therapies is a growing concern not only for patients but also for providers and payers. Addressing the cost burden for those involved in cancer care is becoming a priority that cannot be avoided with the growing role of targeted therapies in oncology.

Stockholm, Sweden—With recognition of common tumor mutations and a pipeline full of biologic agents that target them, personalized medicine should be all but a fait accompli. But one expert told attendees at the European Society for Medical Oncology’s 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress, “We may be overpromising our patients.”

The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model of care has proved successful in overcoming some of the fragmentation of primary care. Dr Sprandio and his colleagues have now demonstrated the value of applying the principles of the medical home to cancer care, with particular implications for oncologists and for payers and unique reimbursement dilemmas.

The most recent mammography screening recommendations call on women to begin annual screening for breast cancer at age 40 years, regardless of their risk for the disease.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted priority review for the investigational drug ruxolitinib as a potential treatment for patients with myelofibrosis, a blood cancer with few treatment options.

New results from the National Lung Cancer Screening Trial have shown that in individuals at high risk for lung cancer, screening with lowdose computed tomography (CT) significantly reduces mortality in this subpopulation (N Engl J Med. 2011;365:395-409).

In July, the United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) approved the use of thalidomide (Thalomid) for the first-line treatment of multiple myeloma in patients in whom high-dose chemotherapy with stem-cell transplantation is deemed inappropriate.

The immunochemical fecal occult blood test (iFOBT), a new version of the traditional FOBT, has demonstrated 90% specificity in detecting colon growths.