Maurie Markman, MD

Articles

Don't Rush to Judgment on Off-Label Drug Promotions

January 6th 2018

Controversy over the FDA’s role in regulating off-label marketing practices of pharmaceutical companies continues to reverberate in the medical community.

Precision Medicine Can Help Reduce "Overdiagnosis" Problem

December 27th 2017

In patients with common solid tumors, it is well-established that those with early-stage cancers have a statistically defined superior prognosis compared with those who present with and are required to be treated at later stages of the disease.

Some Common Oncology Terms Carry Unanticipated Consequences

December 26th 2017

There are certain commonly used terms in the realm of oncology that may result in unintended consequences and should be considered carefully before being employed in conversation or in writing.

Dr. Markman on the Era of Precision Medicine in Ovarian Cancer

December 19th 2017

Maurie Markman, MD, president of Medicine and Science, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, editor-in-chief, OncologyLive, discusses the era of precision medicine in ovarian cancer.

Dr. Markman on Endpoints in Clinical Trials for Ovarian Cancer

November 16th 2017

Maurie Markman, MD, president of medicine and science, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, editor-in-chief, OncologyLive, discusses endpoints in clinical trials for ovarian cancer.

Clinical Impact of Chronic Low-Grade Nausea Is Woefully Underestimated

November 1st 2017

Antineoplastic drug therapy has been delivered by the oral route since the earliest days of the modern chemotherapeutic era.

Clinical Observations Can Change Research Failures Into Successes

October 24th 2017

There are many elegant examples of basic laboratory research or mathematical modeling studies that resulted, through the conduct of clinical trials, in major paradigm changes in how cancer is managed.

Assumptions Regarding Cancer Risk Require Constant Reevaluation

October 1st 2017

Oncologists are well aware that by the time a new antineoplastic drug or regimen first enters the pages of a traditional reference textbook, the data supporting its use, including doses, schedules, and clinical indications, may already be considerably out-of-date.

Through the ASCO Lens: A Perspective on the Present and Future of Oncology

September 23rd 2017

The clinical oncology community, along with patients, families, pharmaceutical companies, investors, and third-party payers, eagerly awaits the plenary session presentations at the ASCO annual meetings as representing the most important and impactful of the thousands of abstracts submitted each year.

There's a Growing Need to Look Under the Hood of the Clinical Trial Model

August 30th 2017

The decades-long argument over whether zinc lozenges can shorten the duration of the common cold is far removed from the arena of cancer medicine, yet the studies conducted to settle the debate help illustrate the shortcomings of the clinical trial model that has dominated the oncology sphere.

Precision Medicine Moves Forward, 1 Validated Biomarker at a Time

August 15th 2017

This commentary from Maurie Markman, MD, highlights a critical required component for the development of effective novel antineoplastic strategies through the process widely known as precision cancer medicine.

Missing the Mark: "Clinical Benefit" Is Often an Empty Term

August 1st 2017

In the cancer management arena, the term “clinical benefit” has unfortunately achieved a problematic status.

Debate Over Randomized Trials: Necessary Versus Optional

July 14th 2017

In the ongoing debate regarding the role of randomized trials in defining the standard of care in cancer management, adherents of this so-called gold standard acknowledge the problems associated with conclusions drawn from prospective nonrandomized studies or retrospective analyses of patients managed with different approaches.

Early Access Programs: Look at the Facts, Not the Rhetoric

July 3rd 2017

The impact of the Trump administration's agenda is being felt in the healthcare arena, prominently in the oversight for drug approvals.

Hidden Baseline Clinical Factors Often Influence Study Results

June 8th 2017

There is an intense and seemingly growing debate within the clinical, research, and regulatory arenas regarding what should be appropriately required to declare that a new or novel strategy be considered an acceptable standard-of-care approach to cancer management within a particular setting.

Fresh Examples of Long Delays Highlight Need for Clinical Trial Reform

May 25th 2017

Randomization designed to isolate the impact of a specific factor has enabled practitioners to understand the value, or lack of value of particular drugs, procedures, or processes in a given clinical setting.

Resistance to Coverage for Molecular Testing Panels Illustrates Need for New Policies

May 12th 2017

It is common for third-party payers to deny payment for N-of-1 molecular testing at the same time they continue to pay for multiple lines of chemotherapy, even though there is often little evidence that the particular patient's cancer will respond or that the quality of life will be improved.

Patient's Role in Oncology Surgical Decisions Is Evolving

May 1st 2017

In general, where surgery is a medically appropriate option, it is the surgeon who takes the leading clinical role in discussions with the patient and her or his family regarding the development of an optimal strategy for that individual.

Clinicians Must Evaluate Evidence Needed in Real-World Practice

April 17th 2017

Research on a scalp-cooling device to help patients with breast cancer avoid hair loss during chemotherapy illustrates this question: what level of evidence might individual clinicians require before they would suggest, recommend, or support the use of a particular approach in treating patients outside the realm of the mandates of governmental agencies or payers?

Simplified Summaries of Trial Data Needed for Patients and Their Oncologists

April 7th 2017

Despite the importance of clinical trial data, there are problems with the way these data are presented. There is a need to simplify what is being discussed so that it can be more easily understood or summarized by patients and their advisers in their decision-making process.