December 2015, Vol 6, No 11

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States among men and women. The most common type of the disease, non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 85% of all lung cancer cases.

Two related studies have documented significant deficiencies in the way the FDA approves expanded or new indications for drugs, using its expedited approval processes with limited evidence.

Washington, DC-An evolving knowledge of cancer biology and the availability of comprehensive genetic testing engender a need for tools that help oncologists integrate these data and select therapy, said Gary Palmer, MD, Chief Medical Officer, NantHealth, Los Angeles, CA, in delivering his keynote address at the Fifth Annual Conference of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care.

Barcelona, Spain—Locoregional therapies for hepatocellular carcinoma and for colorectal cancer (CRC) metastases to the liver continue to demonstrate promising outcomes in clinical trials, according to findings presented at the 2015 European Society for Medical Oncology World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer.

Sexual dysfunction is prevalent in women with breast cancer, a consequence of treatment that affects pre- and postmenopausal women. However, the safety and efficacy of available treatments remain understudied, according to Shari B. Goldfarb, MD, Medical Oncologist, Breast Medicine Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), NY.

Fertility and early menopause after cancer can pose challenging emotional and medical issues for patients and their clinicians. Survivors who become infertile because of their cancer treatment are at an increased risk for emotional distress and are often affected by unresolved grief and depression, according to Ann H. Partridge, MD, MPH, Medical Oncologist, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston.

Boston, MA—In a first-of-its-kind study, aprepitant (Emend), a centrally acting neurokinin (NK)-1 antagonist indicated for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), led to a reduction in cough frequency and an improvement in the objective and subjective measures of cough in patients with lung cancer.

San Antonio, TX—An innovative care model program for end-of-life care for patients with cancer improved symptom management, reduced hospitalizations and in-hospital deaths, and increased the use of hospice care.

At the Fifth Annual Conference of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care in Washington, DC, Grant Lawless, RPh, MD, FACP, of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, moderated a multidisciplinary panel on value-based care for patients with multiple myeloma.