ASCO

Chicago, IL—Previous trials of maintenance therapy for patients with ovarian cancer have failed to show improved survival. A study presented at the 2013 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting is the first successful phase 3 trial in this setting, showing that the targeted therapy pazopanib (Votrient) extended progression-free survival (PFS) by a median of 5.6 months in women with ovarian cancer.

Chicago, IL—Inappropriate deviation from evidence-based standards of care for cancer raises costs in excess of $25,000 per patient, stated Arlene A. Forastiere, MD, Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs at eviti, Inc, Philadelphia, PA, in a poster presented at the 2013 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting.

San Diego, CA—A real-time performance tracking system that monitors adherence to quality care metrics significantly improved adherence to quality standards over a 4-year period for 64 cancer centers participating in the Rapid Quality Reporting System (RQRS) “beta test,” according to researchers who are pioneering the program.

San Diego, CA—A multidisciplinary team approach for discussing end-of-life issues with patients reduces the use of the intensive care unit (ICU) without shortening survival time, researchers from the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University said at ASCO’s inaugural 2012 Quality Care Symposium.

Cabozantinib (Cometriq; Exelixis) is the second drug ever to be approved by the FDA for the treatment of patients with metastatic medullary thyroid cancer.

San Diego, CA—Adherence to several quality care standards markedly improved in practices participating in ASCO’s Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) over a 4-year period, according to a study presented at ASCO’s inaugural 2012 Quality Care Symposium.

Chicago, IL—The surprising results of a randomized trial on patient preference for one cancer therapy over another show that patient-reported quality-of-life (QOL) differences influence treatment preference far more than physicians had imagined, suggested researchers at the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting.

Chicago, IL—Adverse events (AEs) related to chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer create a substantial economic burden that is primarily explained by increased inpatient, outpatient, and pharmacy costs, said lead investigator Sara A. Hurvitz, MD, Director of the Oncology Breast Can cer Program at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and Assistant Clinical Professor at UCLA School of Medicine, who presented an economic analysis at the 2012 Ameri can Society of Clinical Oncology meeting.

Tivozanib, a potent investigational tyrosine kinase inhibitor with a long half-life, demonstrated significant improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) as first-line targeted therapy for metastatic renal-cell carcinoma (RCC), according to results from a phase 3 randomized, open-label trial.

Chicago, IL—Researchers from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill reported at the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting that endocrine therapy is substantially underutilized among the low-income breast cancer population.