May 2013, Vol 4, No 4

Using data-sifting algorithms developed by computer scientists at Brown University, researchers are beginning to untangle the complex genetics of cancer. In a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, investigators have outlined the most complete genetic profile of acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Endometrial cancer is the fourth most common malignancy among American women. The National Cancer Institute estimates that close to 50,000 women will be diagnosed with endometrial cancer in 2013; for a majority of women with aggressive, high-grade tumors, the 5-year survival rate is approximately 16%.

After a decade of developing molecular diagnostics for lung cancer, 3 organizations have issued the first guidelines for testing for the EGFR mutation and ALK rearrangement in patients with lung cancer, the number one cancer-related killer worldwide, providing a valuable new tool to fully utilize the benefits of targeted therapies for this patient population.

Involving patients in the cost discussion has been suggested as a way to begin to curb the rising costs of care. A new study investigated the inclination of Americans with health insurance to discuss their willingness to have cost as part of the decision-making in their care (Sommers R, et al. Health Aff [Millwood]. 2013;32:338-346).

Concerns for the cost implications of clinical decision-making by providers and health plans have increased significantly in the recent past, as well as the advice to consider cost in addition to efficacy as a part of the treatment paradigm.

The role of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) mutations in the pathogenesis of the disease has not been fully understood, and many genomic mutations in AML remain unknown. A team of researchers has recently analyzed large databases of genetic mutations and has selected 200 adult cases of de novo AML for their new study, using a variety of methods of genomic sequencing (The Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network. N Engl J Med. 2013 May 1. [Epub ahead of print]).

Hollywood, FL—Panelists at the 2013 National Comprehensive Cancer Net­work (NCCN) annual conference view the oncology world as rapidly changing, and the impact of this, for better or for worse, will be felt by healthcare providers, payers, and patients alike.

Washington, DC—More than 50% of patients with difficult-to-treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) had tumor shrinkage during 6 months of treatment with ibrutinib, results of a phase 2 clinical trial showed.

Hollywood, FL—For the first time, the Annual Conference of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care (AVBCC) was addressed by a member of Congress.