August 2011, Vol 2, No 5

Ongoing efforts to screen asymptomatic persons for pancreatic cancer have been unsuccessful, but targeting persons at high risk for the disease appears to be clinically effective as well as cost-effective.

An analysis of payer and provider responses to key clinical information presented at the ASCO 2011 annual meeting offers a glimpse of the oncology landscape shared by oncologists and health plans.

Widespread adoption of information technology (IT) is now regarded as a pathway to improving healthcare and achieving the highly regarded goals for redesigning care.

Dose-monitoring programs for oral chemotherapy drugs can reduce wastage and reduce the risk of serious adverse effects associated with these drugs.

ACOs are believed to hold the potential for addressing variation in quality and costs of cancer care, but their impact will depend on buy-in and leadership among oncologists, according to David Miller, MD, MPH, a urologic surgeon and health services researcher at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He addressed this topic during the recent annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncologists.

On August 2, 2011, President Obama signed the Budget Control Act of 2011 into law, the result of a month-long partisan battle over raising the federal debt ceiling and, in the long-term, reducing the federal deficit (Budget ControlAct of 2011. Pub. L. No. 112-25).

Chicago, IL—Two agents are vying to be the preferred option for bone protection in patients with cancer—the blockbuster drug zoledronic acid (ZA; Zometa, Reclast) and the newer drug denosumab (Prolia), which was approved last year for the prevention of skeletal-related events (SREs) in patients with cancer.

Chicago, IL—Results from a phase 3 clinical trial presented at a plenary session at ASCO 2011 could lead to prolonged treatment with adjuvant imatinib for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST).

Studies presented at the 2011 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) suggest that patients with metastatic mel anoma or with non– small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)—2 disease states with very high rates of mortality—may soon have new treatment options.

Chicago, IL—A series of studies presented at this year’s ASCO annual meeting suggest that the use of unwarranted high-cost imaging procedures, a surge in the use of innovative treatment technologies, and off-label use of supportive cancer agents are helping to escalate Medicare costs, leading researchers to suggest that further regulation may be needed to rein in unnecessary expenses.