Loretta Fala
Authored Items
By Loretta Fala
August 2021, Vol 11, No 8
Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) represents a group of heterogeneous cancers that originate in the bile ducts that connect the liver and gallbladder to the small intestine. Although the exact prevalence of CCA is unknown, CCA is a rare cancer; approximately 8000 new cases of CCA are diagnosed annually in the United States. Read More ›
By Loretta Fala
2021 Oncology Drug Coding and Updates
Ovarian cancer—including epithelial cancer, fallopian tube cancer, and primary peritoneal cancer—often affects women aged 55 to 64 years, with nearly 70% of all cases occurring in women aged ≥45 years. In 2020, an estimated 21,750 women will be newly diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and approximately 13,940 women will die from this disease in the United States. Read More ›
By Loretta Fala
2021 Oncology Drug Coding and Updates
Lung and bronchus cancer is the second most prevalent form of cancer in the United States.1 Representing 12.7% of all new cancer cases, lung cancer was diagnosed in 228,820 individuals in 2020. It is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in men and women, accounting for 22.4% of all cancer deaths. Read More ›
By Loretta Fala
2021 Oncology Drug Coding and Updates
Epithelioid sarcoma is a rare subtype of soft-tissue sarcoma that most often occurs in the soft tissue of the fingers, hands, and forearms, but that can occur in other areas of the body. In 2005 in the United States, the incidence of epithelioid sarcoma was approximately 0.04 cases per 100,000 people. Epithelioid sarcoma predominantly affects young adults; however, it can affect individuals at any age and is more prevalent in males than in females. Characterized by slow tumor growth and benign manifestations at early stages, epithelioid sarcoma can be challenging to diagnose. Read More ›
By Loretta Fala
2020 Oncology Drug Coding and Updates
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is one of the most common types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and the most common blood cancer. DLBCL accounts for approximately 33% of all lymphomas. DLBCL is an aggressive cancer that may start in the lymph nodes or outside the lymphatic system and may affect the bone, bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract, brain, breast, testes, liver, spleen, or other organs. Read More ›
By Loretta Fala
2020 Oncology Drug Coding and Updates
Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), a group of heterogeneous cancers that originate in the bile ducts that connect the liver and gallbladder to the small intestine, affects 2000 to 3000 individuals annually in the United States. The disease most often affects older people aged ≥65 years and occurs slightly more frequently in men than in women. Read More ›
By Loretta Fala
2020 Oncology Drug Coding and Updates
Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women in the United States, accounting for 15.3% of all new cancer cases. In 2020 alone, 276,480 women are estimated to be diagnosed with breast cancer and an estimated 42,170 women will die from this disease. Overall, the 5-year relative survival rate for women with breast cancer is 90%; however, the 5-year survival rate drops to 28.1% for patients with metastatic disease. Read More ›
By Loretta Fala
2019 Fourth Annual Oncology Guide to New FDA Approvals
Lung and bronchus cancer, the second most common form of cancer, accounts for 13.5% of all new cancer cases in the United States. In 2018 alone, lung cancer was newly diagnosed in 234,030 individuals and accounted for 154,050 deaths. In fact, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in men and women, and is responsible for more than 25% of all cancer deaths. The 5-year survival rate for patients whose lung cancer has spread regionally (to regional lymph nodes) is 29.7%, but that survival rate is only 4.7% for patients with distant metastases. Read More ›
By Loretta Fala
2019 Fourth Annual Oncology Guide to New FDA Approvals
Prostate cancer is the third most common type of cancer in the United States, after breast cancer and lung cancer. In 2018 alone, 164,690 individuals were diagnosed with prostate cancer, accounting for nearly 10% of all new cancer cases, and 29,430 deaths were attributed to the disease. Prostate cancer is most frequently diagnosed in men aged 65 to 74 years (median age, 66 years). More than 98% of patients with prostate cancer survive ≥5 years; however, the 5-year survival rate drops to 30% for patients with metastatic disease. Read More ›
By Loretta Fala
2019 Fourth Annual Oncology Guide to New FDA Approvals
Lung and bronchus cancer is the second most common form of cancer in the United States. In 2018, lung cancer was newly diagnosed in 234,030 individuals, representing 13.5% of all new cancer cases. Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer mortality in men and women, accounting for more than 25% of all cancer deaths, which translated to 154,050 deaths in 2018. The relative 5-year survival rate for metastatic lung cancer is only 4.7%. Read More ›
By Loretta Fala
2019 Fourth Annual Oncology Guide to New FDA Approvals
Cutaneous squamous-cell carcinoma (CSCC) is a type of nonmelanoma skin cancer that affects the squamous cells in the middle and outer layers of the skin. CSCC occurs most frequently on sun-exposed areas, such as the scalp, ears, lips, face, neck, and backs of the hands. Less often, CSCC can be in the skin of the genital area. Read More ›
By Loretta Fala
2019 Fourth Annual Oncology Guide to New FDA Approvals
Prostate cancer, the second most common type of cancer in men, is expected to affect 11.6% of all men during their lifetime. In fact, more than 3 million men in the United States are living with prostate cancer. It is estimated that in 2017, 161,360 men were newly diagnosed with prostate cancer, and 26,730 men died from the disease. Read More ›
By Loretta Fala
2019 Fourth Annual Oncology Guide to New FDA Approvals
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow that is characterized by the production of abnormal myeloblasts, red blood cells, or platelets. AML originates in the bone marrow, but it often spreads into the blood and to other parts of the body, including the lymph nodes, liver, spleen, and central nervous system. Read More ›