ASCO 2015 Highlights

Differences in 3 recently identified molecular factors in patients with metastatic renal-cell carcinoma (RCC) may explain the inferior survival rates in African-American ­patients versus in Caucasian patients, even in the age of targeted therapy.

The use of cost data to inform infrastructure investments can help cancer centers move toward value-based payment models, improve end-of-life planning, and reduce futile care, according to Kerin B. Adelson, MD, Chief Quality Officer and Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Smilow Cancer Hospital (SCH) at Yale-New Haven, CT.

The United States has the largest biologic drugs market and high prices for biologics, such as monoclonal antibodies, therapeutic proteins, immunomodulators, and growth factors. Cancer treatments utilize traditional chemical-based drugs and, increasingly, biologic-based drugs.

The use of novel agents in multiple myeloma has led experts to question whether autologous stem-cell transplant (ASCT) is warranted upfront, or whether it can be used as effectively after patients relapse.

A study of state-specific costs of care and survival among Medicare beneficiaries with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) shows no correlation between the cost of care and patient outcomes.

The job of the oncology medical team is to put out the fire, stop the emergency, and save the patient’s life, said Diane Heditsian, Researcher and Patient Advocate, Breast Oncology Program, University of California, San Francisco, during the 2016 Cancer Survivorship Symposium.

On January 16, 2016, President Barack Obama promised a “moonshot” to accelerate national progress to combat cancer, but delivering on that promise faces many challenges.