Oncology Business Management

According to a pre-clinical study presented at the AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010, a regimen of nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane) given in combination with bevacizumab (Avastin) may have potential in treating triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive, therapy- resistant, and highly metastatic subtypes of breast cancer.

A study presented at the AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010 by researchers from the Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, provides further evidence that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are promising chemopreventive agents with activity against colorectal cancer.

Although KRAS gene mutation is a well-established biomarker for a lack of response to anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (anti-EGFR) antibodies in colorectal cancer, a study presented at the AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010 sought to determine whether mutations in 9 genes known to be mutated in colorectal cancer, including AKT1, BRAF, CTNNB1, EGFR, KRAS (exon 3), NRAS, PIK3CA, PTEN, and TP53, could also predict response to Vectibix (panitumumab) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

Metastatic melanoma has limited treatment options, but advances in the understanding of the oncogenic mutations that drive this cancer and how the immune system can be better modulated to fight melanoma provide a new generation of active approaches for patients.

Historically, most cancer treatments have been administered in oncology offices or hospitals, but oral medications are becoming increasingly common, and oral formulations of chemotherapy, targeted therapies, and hormonal therapies are available.

The explosive growth of mainstream social networking sites has encouraged the development of smaller, niche networks designed to connect patients who share a diagnosis; however, no one platform has established itself as a central health-networking hub.

The FDA has added text messaging to the ranks of e-mail digests, RSS feeds, podcasts, and Websites that comprise MedWatch, the agency's safety information and adverse event reporting program.

The Life Beyond Cancer Foundation, formerly known as the US Oncology Foundation, has launched its new Website.

Enacted in 1986, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) was designed to protect the electronic documents of private citizens from undue interference by law enforcement officials.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure's partnership with KFC to raise funds and spread breast cancer awareness and educational messaging by selling chicken in specially designed pink buckets has generated considerable controversy, with some wondering what message this partnership is sending.

Provenge, an immunotherapy for patients with advanced prostate cancer, has become the first therapeutic vaccine for cancer ever approved by the FDA.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) held its 44th Annual Clinical Meeting in Chicago. Leading oncologists and cancer researchers at centers from around the world presented new basic and clinical research findings to advance the care of cancer.

This issue of Oncology & Biotech News presents significant sessions and posters from the 44th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) plus stories on drive-through breast cancer surgery centers, cancer patients' out-of-pocket costs, and more.

According to a randomized controlled trial, men with early prostate cancer who have their prostate glands surgically removed are less likely to die from the disease than those who take a wait-and-see approach.

The ability to predict how the course of cancer will likely play out in an individual patient based on genetic factors is already changing the way certain cancers are approached. As highlighted at the recent Biomarker World Conference in Philadelphia, clinical oncologists have an increasingly integral role.

This year's Biomarker World Conference in Philadelphia heralded exciting new advances in cancer care and emphasized the opportunities and challenges facing oncologists seeking to integrate these new predictive tools into practice.

The Academy delivers the latest news on biotech and oncology research, providing a link between the clinical world of cancer care and the university researchers who are pushing the envelope of knowledge and discovery.

Physicians' Financial News focuses on newsworthy and/or notable companies in the oncology/biotech sector.

Clinical trials covered include: 1) Phase III: Quality of Life with Sunitinib or Interferon Alfa for Patients with Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma 2) Phase II: Children%u2019s Oncology Group Pilot Study, and more

The topics covered in this issue include: 1) NICE Ruling on Kidney Cancer Drugs Stirs Outrage, 2) Watchful Waiting Versus Surgery for Prostate Cancer? Question Has Yet to be Settled, 3) Bone Mineral Density Predictive of Breast Cancer Risk, and more

A bill sponsored by Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), is circulating through the legislature to fund a new center, the Health Care Comparative Effectiveness Research Institute. The Institute would perform largely the same function as the former Office of Technology Assessment.

Managed care organizations tend to shy away from rigid management of patients with cancer, owing to the number of acceptable regimens for various tumors, the difficulty in controlling the use of oncologic (particularly biologic) agents, and the fact that prior authorization requests are rarely denied in these patients.

Abstracts include: 1) Norway: Preoperative Chemoradiotherapy Improves Outcomes in Advanced Rectal Cancer, 2) Japan: Does CD55 Expression Have Prognostic Significance in Breast Cancer?, and more

In an oral presentation, Ann-Lii Cheng, MD, PhD, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, highlighted the results of a phase III study evaluating the efficacy and safety of sorafenib in patients from the Asia-Pacific region with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Although gemcitabine-based chemotherapy is standard in advanced pancreatic cancer, the role of adjuvant chemotherapy is still incompletely defined.

Clinical investigations of tremelimumab in melanoma were the focus of several presentations at ASCO.

In an oral presentation, Jeffrey A. Zonder, MD, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Karmanos Cancer Center, Wayne State University School of Medicine,Detroit, Michigan, reported updated results of SWOG 0232, a study of lenalidomide (Revlimid) plus dexamethasone compared with dexamethasone alone in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM).