Tony Hagen

The use of oncology biosimilars has expanded rapidly in the United States during the past 2 years as providers embraced a growing armamentarium of new products, according to findings from real-world data reported at the 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting.

Although the United States is behind Europe in terms of biosimilars approved and launched, the FDA is adding more approvals each year—29 since 2014—and 73 additional biosimilar candidates are in clinical trials and/or under FDA review.

Providers and health care institutions want more real-world data on how patients respond to various biosimilar products, according to a varied panel of private practice, academic hospital, and group purchasing organization experts in a discussion at the Community Oncology Alliance virtual 2021 Community Oncology Conference in April.

The United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) General Chapter is a good start for improving the protection of healthcare workers exposed to hazardous drugs, but more studies and safety protocols are needed, according to an American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) expert panel that evaluated USP and various other guidelines in a report last year.

Many practices enrolled in the Oncology Care Model were expected to drop out of the value-based model rather than take on 2-sided risk, which would entail upside and downside financial exposure.

CAR T cells are a highly active field of investigation, with many companies at work on formulations they hope to bring to market, but these agents have limitations, particularly with metastasized solid tumors.

Richard Pazdur, MD, set out to be a leader in medicine and a teacher of doctors. He achieved that and more, turning the oncology drugs section of the FDA from a poorly understood and lead-footed division into a fast-moving and patient-responsive entity.

Suresh S. Ramalingam, MD, FASCO, highlights current and emerging therapies for 6 key actionable driver mutations in non–small cell lung cancer.

Based on efficacy, tolerability, and practicality, neoadjuvant therapy in lung cancer offers significant advantages over adjuvant treatment, said Jamie E. Chaft, MD, in a presentation during the 14th Annual New York Lung Cancers Symposium®. However, she added, adjuvant treatment predominantly remains the standard of care at many cancer centers, she said.

With just 2 more years to go in the Oncology Care Model, CMS is proposing a next-generation payment system that would include more private payers and hold practices more accountable for quality and costs of care.

The artificial intelligence system that IBM designed for oncology has demonstrated clinical utility in recent studies, generating excitement that the technology may have a role as a decision support tool.

Co-chairs William K. Oh, MD, Adam M. Brufsky, MD, PhD, and Benjamin P. Levy, MD, preview key topics that will be covered at the 37th Annual CFS®: Innovative Cancer Therapy for Tomorrow symposium.

Andre Goy, MD, MS, discusses cutting-edge CAR T-cell therapy and other groundbreaking investigations, as well as his thoughts on general developments in oncology and hematology.

A 2018 Giants of Cancer Care award for Community Outreach, Education, and Cancer Policy, Richard L. Schilsky, MD, built a scaffolding upon which new trials were launched into emerging areas of oncology investigation. His work has led to new standards in cancer care, particularly in breast cancer, and along the way he has furthered the careers of many successful and talented oncologists and investigators.

Having a late-stage treatment for pancreatic cancer that avoids many of the adverse events associated with chemotherapy would be a boon for patients.

The FDA has unveiled what it describes as a pilot “concierge service” for oncologists and patients seeking information and assistance with expanded access to investigational therapies.

Pre-Medicare-aged women with ovarian cancer were more likely to be diagnosed at an early stage and receive treatment within 30 days of diagnosis after passage of the Affordable Care Act than before.

A consortium of cancer care institutions released details on a prototype system designed to link electronic health record systems to provide a source of real-world patient information to guide research and improve cancer treatment.

Therapy for patients with multiple myeloma encompasses many agents and potential combinations, but truly personalizing care will require knowing how those agents interact for maximum efficacy and incorporating patient preferences for toxicity into the care plan.

In a provisional clinical opinion, an expert panel convened by the American Society of Clinical Oncology has recommended that patients with pancreatic cancer undergo assessment of risk for hereditary syndromes that contribute to higher likelihood of pancreatic cancer.

Higher costs associated with advanced stage pancreatic cancer, are potentially avoidable with screening and earlier treatment. However, the US Preventive Services Task Force in an ongoing draft review has reaffirmed its stance against screening in asymptomatic individuals.

Global use of cancer management guidelines from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network has climbed rapidly in recent years.

New agents in chronic lymphocytic leukemia are significantly strengthening the armamentarium, particularly next-generation BTK and PI3K inhibitors, and although toxicities remain an issue, tolerability may be improving.

More options are available than ever before for treating older patients with acute myeloid leukemia and fresh hopes are resting on combinations of venetoclax plus hypomethylating agents.

Prognostic indices for mantle cell lymphoma are good for classifying patients but do little in the way of guiding treatment, and often the best course of action is to watch and wait.

The day is approaching that chemotherapy may be unnecessary for the treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Real-world data on the use of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy in large B-cell lymphoma bear out the pivotal results from ZUMA-1 and demonstrate not only that the treatment approach is here, but also that it’s time to address issues of efficacy, safety, cost, and moving this approach into earlier lines of therapy.

B-cell maturation antigen-specific chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy is delivering impressive results in multiple myeloma, demonstrating durable responses and acceptable toxicities.

Different patterns of response are associated with the dosages of immunosuppressants used to manage the adverse effects of immunotherapies.

The use of circulating tumor-cell counts demonstrated strong value for selecting endocrine therapy versus chemotherapy for patients with estrogen receptor–positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer.