APRIL 2015 VOL 6 NO 3
INTEGRATING COST, QUALITY, ACCESS INTO CLINICAL DECISION-MAKING IN ONCOLOGY www.ValueBasedCancerCare.com
NCCN Panel Addresses Value-Based Care in Oncology By Wayne Kuznar
IOM Strategies for Lowering Out-of-Pocket Costs of Cancer Drugs By Rosemary Frei, MSc
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t a June 2014 Institute of Medicine (IOM) workshop on patient access to oncology drugs, several cancer experts discussed various strategies on how to lower out-of-pocket (OOP) costs of oncology drugs for patients with cancer. It is essential for oncologists to engage patients in discussions about the OOP
costs of their medications, suggested S. A. Mark Fendrick, Yousuf Zafar, MD MD, MHS, Associate Professor of Medicine, Duke Cancer Institute, and Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, NC. In an interview with Value-Based Continued on page 9
GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGY HIGHLIGHTS
Hollywood, FL—Value-based decision-making at the bedside can be fraught with obstacles, with no clear agreement on what constitutes value, and for whom. In addition, the myriad insurance plans preclude uniform
treatment strategies, despite clinical pathways and guidelines intended to reduce variation in care. Finally, value is becoming more difficult to achieve in oncology as each benefit becomes more expensive, with the cost of new Continued on page 8
ASCO’s Annual Report: Major Advances in Oncology and the Challenge of ValueBased Care By Eileen Koutnik-Fotopoulos
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ignificant gains in cancer research and prevention have led to longer survival, improved quality of life, and decreased disease burden. The 2015 annual report on “Clinical Cancer Advances” from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) outlines the biggest advances made in oncology, and
for the first time designates one cancer as the Advance of the Year, as well as emphasizing the ongoing challenge of value-based care (Masters GA, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2015;33:786-809). “Clinical Cancer Advances is a comprehensive overview of advances across the cancer care continuum—from preContinued on page 40
© 2015 Engage Healthcare Communications, LLC
Immunotherapy Vaccine Prolongs Recurrence-Free Survival in Advanced Ovarian Cancer By Alice Goodman Chicago, IL—Immunotherapy holds promise for the maintenance treatment of late-stage ovarian cancer, according to results of a phase 2 clinical trial. The vaccine, made from the patient’s own tumor cells, was able to prolong recurrence-free survival compared with standard of care.
Among 20 patients who received immunotherapy, the median time to recurrence has not yet been reached, whereas among 11 patients who received standard of care, the median time to recurrence was 14.5 months. The investigators say that the majority of patients in the immunotherapy arm have gone “well Continued on page 23
INSIDE FDA NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Unituxin approved for high-risk neuroblastoma
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VALUE PROPOSITIONS . . . . . . . . . . 7 Targeted therapies for pancreatic cancer ECONOMICS OF CANCER CARE . . . Sunitinib associated with higher costs than pazopanib in RCC Prolaris test shows substantial cost-savings
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NCCN CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 New smoking-cessation guidelines for patients with cancer Updated prostate cancer guidelines
GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGY HIGHLIGHTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Bevacizumab prolongs survival in ovarian cancer ABSTRACTS . . . . . . . . . 28 Abstracts to be presented at the 5th Annual AVBCC Conference HEALTH POLICY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 ASCO’s report on cancer care in America PATIENT INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . What is a navigator?
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DRUG UPDATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Lenvima approved for differentiated thyroid cancer