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The economic burden faced by patients with cancer who have low income may be more pervasive than previously thought. According to data presented at the 2019 ASCO Quality Care Symposium, even patients enrolled in clinical trials are at high risk for financial toxicity. Read More ›

Diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is often identified at a late stage. Analyzing the tumor-specific mutation profile of a patient with CCA can improve the diagnosis and treatment for the individual patient. The molecular profile of CCA can be done through the use of circulating tumor (ct) DNA sequencing, which may help to target specific mutations and improve treatment selection for this rare type of cancer. Read More ›

New research sponsored by the National Cancer Institute highlights the uphill battle faced by patients with limited financial resources even in clinical trials. According to data presented at the 2019 ASCO Quality Care Symposium, patients with Medicaid or with no insurance had significantly worse overall survival in positive clinical trials compared with privately insured patients. Read More ›

Late-breaking data from 2 clinical trials presented at ESMO 2019 will likely change the treatment paradigm for pre- or postmenopausal women with hormone receptor (HR)-­positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, regardless of menopausal status. The MONALEESA-3 study and the MONARCH-2 study showed an improved overall survival (OS) with the addition of the CDK4/6 inhibitor ribociclib (Kisqali) or abemaciclib (Verzenio) to endocrine therapy as first- or second-line therapy. The results were presented at the Presidential Session of the meeting. Read More ›

With the goal of treating as many patients as possible with the highest level of care and respect, infusion centers often mistakenly operate under the logic that appointments must be scheduled well before they occur—that by booking early and locking things down, schedules will run smoothly and accommodate more patients. In reality, scheduling appointments with significant lead times, often weeks or months before the actual appointment, may actually cause more problems and serve fewer patients. Therefore, it is worth reconsidering how infusion centers schedule appointments. Read More ›

On September 17, 2019, the FDA approved a new indication for apalutamide (Erleada; Janssen Biotech) for the treatment of patients with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (CSPC). Apalutamide was initially approved in 2018 for the treatment of nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. The FDA granted apalutamide priority review for the new indication. Read More ›

On September 17, 2019, the FDA accelerated the approval of a new combination of pembrolizumab (Keytruda; Merck) plus lenvatinib (Lenvima; Eisai) for patients with advanced endometrial carcinoma that is not associated with microsatellite instability high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) tumors in patients whose disease progressed after systemic therapy and who are candidates for curative surgery or radiation. The FDA granted this application priority review and a breakthrough therapy designation. Read More ›

On September 26, 2019, the FDA approved daratumumab (Darzalex; Janssen Biotech), in combination with bortezomib (Velcade), thalidomide (Thalomid), and dexamethasone, for first-line treatment of multiple myeloma in patients eligible for autologous stem-cell transplant (ASCT). In June 2019, the FDA approved the combination of daratum­umab plus lenalidomide (Revlimid) and dexamethasone for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are ineligible for ASCT. The FDA granted this application a priority review. Read More ›

On October 23, 2019, the FDA approved niraparib (Zejula; Tesaro), a poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor, for the treatment of patients with advanced homologous recombination deficiency (HRD)-positive ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who have received ≥3 previous lines of chemotherapy. The FDA used its priority review program for this approval. Read More ›

It’s important for community oncology practices to understand how and when they will be affected by Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC). Here’s what you need to know. Read More ›