Oncology Business Management | Specialty

Tech Coalition Targets Stone Age Privacy Laws

June 2nd 2010

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.

Cancer fundraising gone too far?

June 2nd 2010

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.

FDA Approves First Immunotherapy Vaccine for Cancer

June 2nd 2010

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

ASCO Meeting Highlights

May 28th 2010

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.

ASCO Coverage for Community Physicians

May 28th 2010

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.

Clinical Trial Reports: May 28, 2010

May 28th 2010

Reimbursement and Managed Care News: May 28, 2010

May 28th 2010

Clinical Abstracts From Overseas: May 26, 2010

May 26th 2010

Study Shows Benefit in Prostate Cancer Surgery

May 26th 2010

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.

Biomarker Discoveries Bring New Choices and Challenges

May 26th 2010

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.

Biomarker World Congress Highlights New Opportunities for Clinical Oncologists

May 26th 2010

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: May 26, 2010

May 26th 2010

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.

Physician's Financial News: May 26, 2010

May 26th 2010

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

Clinical Trial Reports: May 25, 2010

May 25th 2010

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

Reimbursement and Managed Care News: May 25, 2010

May 25th 2010

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

Back to the Future: Can Congress Resurrect an Independent Technology Assessment Entity?

May 25th 2010

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.

Do Medicare Patients with a Cancer Diagnosis Disenroll From Managed Care Plans?

May 25th 2010

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.

Clinical Abstracts From Overseas: May 25, 2010

May 25th 2010

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

Sorafenib (Nexavar) Is Effective and Well Tolerated in Asian Patients with Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma

May 25th 2010

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).

Treatment with Gemcitabine (Gemzar) for Six Months After Complete Resection of Pancreatic Carcinoma Significantly Increases Disease-free Survival and Overall Survival Compared with Observation Alone

May 25th 2010

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