Maurie Markman, MD

Articles

Technological Advances Come With a Cautionary Note

September 30th 2020

In the realm of medicine, we see enormous opportunities for truly novel technologies to revolutionize the health and welfare of all members of society.

Scramble Over COVID-19 Clinical Trials Holds Lessons for Oncology

September 12th 2020

Because it is likely that COVID-19 will be around for a considerable period of time, it is hoped that all involved in the clinical research establishment can view this experience as a process that needs substantial improvement.

It’s Time to Modernize Genetic Counseling in Oncology

August 14th 2020

Several developments emphasize the increasing clinical relevance of germline testing within the oncology arena and the need for associated genetic counseling.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Academic Medicine in the Spotlight

July 29th 2020

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has raised the public profile of experts in infectious disease, epidemiology, and public health.

Public Mistrust May Undermine HPV and COVID-19 Vaccines

July 14th 2020

These are disquieting times for clear and decisive messaging regarding vaccines.

Precision Medicine Should Play a Role in Population-Based Health Care

July 1st 2020

Precision medicine should be seen as being synergistic―or at a minimum additive―to population medicine.

Profusion of New Drugs Prompts Need for Pragmatic Clinical Trials

June 15th 2020

The explosion of COVID-19 studies illustrates questions that have plagued oncology research.

Pandemic Poses a Crucial Moment for Science and the Public Trust

June 2nd 2020

At this moment, we should consider what it will take for the scientific community as a collective entity to self-regulate far more forcefully so that the actions of a limited number of its members do not squander the well-deserved awakening of public trust in the entire scientific enterprise.

Oncology Clinical Trials Should Reflect Molecular Advances, Real-World Patients

May 11th 2020

From the earliest moments of medical school instruction, through residency and fellowship training, physicians are taught the primacy of the randomized phase 3 trial in the hierarchy of evidence-based medicine.

Oncology Clinical Trials Should Reflect Molecular Advances, Real-World Patients

May 11th 2020

COVID-19 Pandemic Exposes Faults in System, But May Prompt Advances in Telehealth and Research

April 21st 2020

What was simply unimaginable just a few weeks earlier regarding the potential impact of an infectious illness in the United States on jobs, schools, the economy, and personal and family safety has become a stream of daily pronouncements about the severity of the pandemic and how best to respond.

Unique Aspects of Cancer Surgery Make Clinical Trials Challenging

April 7th 2020

The conduct of randomized trials in surgical oncology, although highly appealing in concept, may be problematic, especially in complex settings where the skills, experience, and clinical judgment of individual surgeons and their institutions may vary greatly.

Public Health Sector Groans Under Burden of Multiple Epidemics

March 27th 2020

This has been a difficult time for public health policy and regulatory organizations struggling to deal with rapidly changing and unquestionably serious societal health-related issues and concerns. The list of problems these agencies must tackle is growing, and so are the questions about the strategies that should be used to address these threats.

Vaccines Show Promise and Pitfalls of Public Health Strategies

March 13th 2020

Segments of the population have apparently rejected the well-documented clinical utility of vaccination for protecting individual and public health. An immediate specific concern is the contentious matter of measles vaccination, which has been well-reported in the lay press.

Can Pragmatic Trials Bend the Antineoplastic Therapy Cost Curve?

February 26th 2020

Clinical trials in oncology serve several purposes; these efforts ultimately help define and, potentially, modify the "standard of care" in routine cancer management.

If Only That Phase III Oncology Trial Had Been Designed Differently

February 19th 2020

The cancer treatment community's ultimate perception of a successfully completed phase III randomized trial depends in large part on how well the trial was conceived and structured. To permit adequate accrual in a timely manner and optimize the chances for a study to achieve success, the question it poses must be relevant to ensure interest by clinical investigators, referring clinicians, and potential research subjects. Further, the initiative must have adequate funding for data collection and analysis, translational laboratory investigations, and other trial components.

Germline Testing Holds Promise But Demands a Cautious Approach

January 23rd 2020

A better understanding of how unique germline variants affect the metabolism or elimination of individual agents or drug classes could lead to a truly revolutionary change in the way cancer is treated.

Patient Input Should Inform Oncology Trial Design and Interpretation

January 13th 2020

Even the most basic investigation into fundamental mechanisms of the development and progression of cancer in an in vitro system may generate data that, ultimately, prove vital to developing new approaches to prevent, diagnose, and treat malignant disease.

Success Breeds a Need for Oncology Trials That Tackle Real-World Questions

December 30th 2019

Placing the results of a single trial in the context of real-world, everyday practice is increasingly difficult because of the number of available options and the absence of studies that directly compare individual strategies.

The Dividing Line for Germline Mutation Testing Is Often Arbitrary

December 18th 2019

Although hereditary cancer risk was defined solely by family history in the not-so-distant past, today increasingly robust data may help define an individual’s heightened lifetime risk based on the presence of specific molecular findings within the germline