June 2013, Vol 4, No 5

Chicago, IL—For years, the cancer research community has pushed for the use of surrogate end points in clinical trials as a means of hastening the drug approval process. At the 2013 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting, the speakers discussed the potential implications for researchers, providers, and patients.

At the Third Annual Conference of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care, 2 oncologists representing opposite corners of the oncology care landscape discussed the current trends in the delivery of patient care, and the challenges that are facing oncologists.

Oncology practices need to transform the way they deliver cancer care, said John D. Sprandio, MD, FACP, Chief of Oncology at Delaware County Memorial Hospital in Drexel Hill, PA, and Medical Director of ION Solutions.

Hollywood, FL—The cost of cancer care or cancer cure means different things to different stakeholders. Finding a consistent definition may be impossible, but in today’s environment “it is probably unfair to focus on costs without incorporating value.

Pathways continue to be refined toward value-based care, adapting to the challenges of a rapidly shifting oncology landscape, as 2 speakers at the Third Annual Conference of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care described.

A novel study offers a new explanation for the geographical differences seen in Medicare costs across the nation.

Neuroendocrine cancer, a rare type of cancer (that became well known after Steve Jobs was diagnosed with and died from a neuroendocrine cancer of the pancreas), may have a new lease on life, if Swedish researchers of Uppsala University in Sweden find a way of obtaining £1 million (approximately $1.5 million) to support their research.