ASCO 2015 Highlights

Los Angeles, CA—IBM Watson computer is changing the face of oncology practice through its massive parallel computing system, utilizing natural language processing and cognitive machine computing. Unlike HAL 9000 from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, the IBM Watson system does not interpret the results but rather builds on information it receives from previous operations and offers possible solutions to new queries, said Mark G. Kris, MD, William and Joy Ruane Chair, Thoracic Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, at the Fourth Annual Conference of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care.

Los Angeles, CA—Targeted therapies have dramatically increased their share of global oncology sales over the past decade. But concerns over value have led to more payer scrutiny of targeted therapies and other oncology drugs, suggested Doug Long, Vice President, Industry Relations, IMS Health, at the Fourth Annual Conference of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care.

Chicago, IL—The upfront addition of docetaxel to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) adds more than 1 year to overall survival (OS) compared with ADT alone in men with newly diagnosed hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, according to findings from a phase 3 study presented at the 2014 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting.

Chicago, IL—Adjuvant exemestane is more effective at preventing breast cancer recurrences than tamoxifen when given with ovarian function suppression (OFS) in young women with hormone receptor–positive early breast cancer, reported Olivia Pagani, MD, Clinical Director, Breast Unit, Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona, at the 2014 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting.

Boston, MA—Across the country, many hospitals have begun to use web-based patient portals in their healthcare delivery, but are these portals improving care?

Approximately 15% to 20% of patients with breast cancer have HER2-positive disease. Brain metastases are relatively common in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, with up to 50% of patients developing metastases over time.

The addition of lapatinib (Tykerb) to trastuzumab (Herceptin) to create dual HER2 blockade was no better than trastuzumab alone in the adjuvant treatment of patients with HER2 breast cancer in the global phase 3 ALTTO (Adjuvant Lapatinib and/or Trastuzumab Treatment Optimisation) trial, reported Martine J. Piccart-Gebhart, MD, PhD, Chair, Breast International Group, Brussels, Belgium, at a plenary session at the 2014 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting.

Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) is implementing value-based care and payment models across the country to reward quality and improve outcomes, and these are amounting to billions of dollars in cost-savings and reduced hospitalizations.

Economists predict that, in less than 3 years, the average household in the United States will use 50% of its income on health insurance and out-of-pocket medical bills. According to Lee N. Newcomer, MD, MHA, Senior Vice President, Oncology, Genetics and Women’s Health, UnitedHealthcare, Minnetonka, MN, creating payment models that can reimburse physicians for cost-effective care is difficult in itself, but demonstrating that the new models are indeed cost-effective involves another set of hurdles.

New payment models that reward cost-effective, high-quality cancer care are needed. An experimental physician payment model that rewards physicians for focusing on best treatment practices and health outcomes rather than the widely used fee-for-service (FFS) model resulted in cost-savings, without affecting the quality of care among patients with 3 types of cancer.