Latest Conference Articles

Physicians on the Offense: Get Organized to Thrive in This Payment Arena

The keynote address at the 2015 LUGPA Annual Meeting urged physicians to band together and create an offensive strategy when it comes to the nation's healthcare system.

Dr. Kapoor on LUGPA's Legislative Advocacy

Deepak A. Kapoor, MD, chairman and CEO of Integrated Medical Professionals and Large Urology Group Practice Association's (LUGPA's) chairman of health policy, discusses LUGPA's legislative advocacy efforts.

Deliver Androgen Blockade at Prostate Cancer Cells to Achieve Castrate Levels

Hormone therapies for prostate cancer aimed at reducing serum androgens are trained on the wrong target: the testes and the adrenal glands. Rather, they should attack the prostate cancer cells themselves.

Dr. Concepcion Discusses Healthcare's Transition Away From Fee-For-Service

Raoul S. Concepcion, MD, FACS, director of Advanced Therapeutics at Urology Associates, PC, discusses healthcare's movement away from fee-for-service reimbursements.

Novel Combinations Hold Promise in Treatment-Resistant mCRPC

Thomas E. Keane, MD, ChB, discussed combination approaches in treatment-resistant mCRPC at the 2015 LUGPA Annual Meeting.

BRAF/MEK Combination Highly Effective in Melanoma

Adding the MEK inhibitor trametinib to the BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib significantly improves long-term outcomes while lowering certain adverse events associated with either agent alone for patients with BRAF-mutated metastatic melanoma.

Crawford Questions ADT Standards, Approaches in Prostate Cancer

E. David Crawford, MD, discussed issues with FDA standards for ADT agents and current treatment approaches to androgen deprivation in prostate cancer at the 2015 LUGPA Annual Meeting.

Dr. Weber on Dabrafenib/Trametinib Approval for Melanoma

Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, deputy director, Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center, co-director of its Melanoma Program and Head of Experimental Therapeutics, NYU Langone Medical Center, discusses the significance of the FDA approval of the combination of dabrafenib and trametinib for patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma who harbor a BRAF V600E or V600K mutation.

Dr. Blackwell on Emerging Therapies in TNBC

Kimberly L. Blackwell, MD, medical oncologist, Duke Cancer Institute, discusses emerging therapies for patients with triple-negative breast cancer.

Dr. Philip on Olaratumab for Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Tony Philip, MD, medical oncologist, Monter Cancer Center of the North Shore-LIJ Cancer Institute, assistant professor of Medicine, Hofstra-North Shore LIJ School of Medicine and NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine, discusses approved and emerging agents for soft tissue sarcomas.

Dr. Goldfischer on Integrated Medical Groups

Evan R. Goldfischer, MD, MBA, FACS, director of the Research Department at Premier Medical Group of the Hudson Valley, discusses the benefits of integrated medical groups.

Targeted Therapies Improve Outcomes in Advanced Thyroid Cancer

The kinase inhibitors sorafenib and lenvatinib have significantly altered the treatment paradigm for patients with advanced radioactive iodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer in both older and younger populations.

Dr. Borgen on Surgical Versus Medical Treatment of Breast Cancer

Patrick I. Borgen, MD, chair, Department of Surgery, head, Brooklyn Cancer Center, Maimonides Medical Center, compares the efficacy of surgical versus medical treatment of patients with breast cancer.

In Pursuit of Less Toxic Treatments for HPV+ Oropharyngeal Cancers

While the prognosis remains good for individuals with HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancers, the incidence of these cancers continues to rise, and researchers are currently seeking less intense treatment options that are equally effective but not as toxic for patients.

Is Neoadjuvant Chemo Justified in Ovarian Cancer?

The use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced ovarian cancer continues to increase, even though the practice has not been shown to improve survival versus primary cytoreduction.

Dr. Muggia on Current Status of Intraperitoneal Therapy for Gynecologic Cancers

Franco Muggia, MD, professor of Medicine, NYU Langone Medical Center, discusses the current status of intraperitoneal therapy for patients with gynecologic malignancies.

Immunotherapy Not Ready for Prime Time in Ovarian Cancer

Early promising responses seen with immune checkpoint inhibitors for patients with ovarian cancer still need to be validated in larger randomized trials before a conclusion is made regarding their true efficacy.

Dr. Wu on Efficacy of Approved Agents in Colorectal Cancer

Jennifer Wu, MD, assistant professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Langone Medical Center, discusses the efficacy of regorafenib and TAS-102 for the treatment of patients with colorectal cancer.

Novel Antibodies Arrive in ALL

Monoclonal antibodies are poised to revolutionize the treatment of adult patients with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, specifically blinatumomab and inotuzumab ozogamicin.

Combinations Key to Optimizing Novel Antibodies in Myeloma

Optimizing outcomes with novel antibodies in multiple myeloma will involve combination regimens with established agents.

Individualizing Care for Patients With Polycythemia Vera

The landscape for the diagnosis and treatment of polycythemia vera (PV) is changing, and that's good news for patients and practitioners who can look to improvements ahead.

Dr. Landgren Discusses MRD Detection for Multiple Myeloma

C. Ola Landgren, MD, PhD, hematologic oncologist, chief, Myeloma Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses minimal residual disease detection for progression-free survival and overall survival for patients with multiple myeloma.

B-cell Pathway Inhibitors Show Clear Benefit in CLL

B-cell pathway inhibitors have shown impressive survival benefits for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, but require careful monitoring and possible suspension to control adverse events.

LUGPA Meeting Focuses on Business and Clinical Challenges

Independent urology practices are at a crossroads as they face substantial Medicare payment change, shifts in physician employment and autonomy, and cutting edge developments in clinical care.

John Copland on Patient-Derived Xenografts in Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer

John Copland, PhD, faculty member in the department of cancer biology, Mayo Clinic, explains his research on patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models in anaplastic thyroid cancer.

Dexamethasone Lessens Bone Pain Flare in Metastatic Disease

The oral corticosteroid dexamethasone significantly decreased flares of bone pain when added to radiation therapy in patients with metastatic cancer.

Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation Demonstrates Efficacy in Low-Risk Breast Cancer

Rates of overall survival, disease-free survival, and local control were found to be comparable in select patients with early-stage breast cancer who underwent accelerated partial breast irradiation using multicatheter brachytherapy versus conventional whole breast irradiation.

Combining Radiotherapy With Anti-Androgen Improves Prostate Cancer Survival

The additon of hormonal therapy to salvage radiotherapy demonstrated a significant survival benefit in patients with prostate cancer recurrence after radical prostatectomy, according to long-term follow-up data from a randomized trial.

Enhanced Immune Response Seen With Radiation/Ipilimumab Combo in Melanoma

Proinflammatory cytokines were elevated in patients with melanoma undergoing the combination treatment of radiation therapy and the systemic anti–CTLA-4 immunotherapy, ipilimumab.

Mayo Study Characterizes Pembrolizumab-Induced Thyroiditis

Abnormal thyroid function tests were reported in up to 15% of patients treated with the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab.