August 2020, Vol 11, Special Issue: Payers' Perspectives in Oncology

When ASCO President Howard A. Burris III, MD, FACP, FASCO, chose the theme for the 2020 annual meeting—“Unite and Conquer: Accelerating Progress Together”—early last year, he never imagined that it would take on new meaning just 12 months later.

Oral relugolix given daily is superior to standard androgen-­deprivation therapy (ADT) with leuprolide (Lupron) in men with advanced prostate cancer, according to the results of the phase 3 HERO study, which were reported at the ASCO 2020 virtual annual meeting and published online before the meeting.

Treatment with osimertinib (Tagrisso) in the adjuvant setting significantly improves disease-­free survival (DFS) in patients with localized non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with an EGFR mutation, according to results presented by Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, FACP, FASCO, Chief of Medical Oncology, Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, CT, at the ASCO 2020 virtual annual meeting.

Nationally renowned oncologist Maurie Markman, MD, President of Medicine and Science at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, led a panel of experts in discussing how existing anticancer agents, such as kinase inhibitors and the corticosteroid dexamethasone, may be used for the treatment of patients with COVID-19 in a July webinar of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care (AVBCC) on COVID-19.

As the complexity of cancer care continues to evolve, adhering to evidence-based treatment guidelines is a growing challenge for oncologists.

Cemiplimab-rwlc (Libtayo), a PD-1 inhibitor, has transformed the treatment of advanced ­cutaneous squamous-cell carcinoma (CSCC), significantly extending survival for patients.

New research highlights the importance of germline analysis in the identification of germline alterations for cancer treatment.

An analysis of the Value Framework of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) shows that the Net Health Benefit score of cancer drugs continues to evolve over time after their FDA approval, based on data presented at the ASCO 2020 virtual annual meeting.

Updated results of the phase 3 CASPIAN clinical trial continue to show that durvalumab (Imfinzi) added to standard chemotherapy improves overall survival (OS) for patients with treatment-naïve extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC), according to a presentation at the ASCO 2020 virtual annual meeting.

Capmatinib (Tabrecta), an oral kinase inhibitor, has shown clinical activity in patients with high-level MET-amplified advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to new data presented at the ASCO 2020 virtual annual meeting.