Oncology Business Management | Specialty

The OncLive Oncology Business Management condition center page is a comprehensive resource for news and expert insights on business-focused updates and topics in oncology practices, including diversity efforts, telehealth, gaps in care, payment models, and more. This page features news articles, interviews in written and video format, and podcasts that focus on updates and best practices with oncology business management.


Merck, ARIAD Restructure Ridaforolimus Collaboration

June 3rd 2010

Merck and ARIAD Pharmaceuticals have announced the restructuring of their collaboration on the effort to bring ridaforolimus�ARIAD�s investigational mTOR inhibitor�to market. The companies, which first entered into the collaboration almost 3 years ago, have been working together to develop the agent in multiple potential cancer indications.

Array BioPharma Has No Shortage of Partners

June 3rd 2010

Array BioPharma Inc released its financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2010, reporting $18.4 million in total revenue for the period but a net loss of $15.2 million, or $0.30 per share.

Pfizer's Innovative Oncology Division Is Right on Target

June 3rd 2010

At the 101st American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, in April, Pfizer presented a broad overview of its current oncology pipeline.

US Oncology's Payer Quality Services Aims High

June 3rd 2010

To help physicians manage the complexities of meeting benchmarks and reporting their compliance to payers, US Oncology recently announced Payer Quality Services. This program will give physicians in the United Network of US Oncology access to a collection of resources and tools, including the Level I Pathways Program.

Drug Interactions With Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors

June 3rd 2010

Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) are indicated for the treatment of a variety of malignancies, due to their ability to interfere with cell communication and growth. This review focuses on interactions that affect TKI metabolism.

Overwhelming Cancer Costs Can Cause Post-Traumatic Stress

June 3rd 2010

A struggle with cancer is often referred to as a battle. Now, a study reveals patients with cancer and caregivers even experience a condition common to soldiers, post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Colonoscopy Recommended for Elderly African Americans and Hispanics

June 3rd 2010

Two studies presented at the 2010 Digestive Disease Week support the use of colonoscopy in elderly African Americans and Hispanics.

Highlights from the NCCN 
15th Annual Conference

June 3rd 2010

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recently held its 15th Annual Conference in Hollywood, Florida. The conference was entitled �Clinical Practice Guidelines & Quality Cancer Care� and included multiple presentations with updates to the NCCN Guidelines. We cover updates to the NCCN Guidelines for breast cancer, acute myeloid leukemia, and multiple myeloma.

Back to the Future: Why Are More Women Having Bilateral Mastectomy for Unilateral Breast Cancer?

June 3rd 2010

Since 2003, the rate of women choosing breast-conserving surgery for the management of early-stage breast cancer has declined, with an accompanying recidivism to mastectomy. Edibaldo Silva, MD, PhD, examines the reasons for the treatment regression.

Advances in Preventing and Diagnosing Cervical Cancer

June 3rd 2010

Advances in screening and the approval of vaccines against the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes 70% of cervical cancer cases, have brought us to a turning point with cervical cancer.

The Missing Piece? Trying to Solve the Skin Cancer Puzzle

June 3rd 2010

PLX4032 is an investigational treatment for metastatic melanoma, which some are calling a �miracle cure� following a 3-part article in the New York Times that discussed promising patient responses. A closer reading of the article makes it clear that PLX4032 does not cure metastatic melanoma, something Keith Flaherty, MD, a lead investigator on PLX4032, has confirmed in an interview with Oncology & Biotech News.

A Riddle, Wrapped in a Mystery, Inside an Enigma

June 3rd 2010

At last year's American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting, the official focus was on seeing personalized cancer medicine translated from a theoretical approach to a practical one. As you will see in this issue of Oncology & Biotech News, success is being realized on this front.

Well-done Meat Found to Increase Bladder Cancer Risk

June 2nd 2010

According to a large study conducted at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and presented at the AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010, eating well-done meat, especially red meat, may increase the risk of bladder cancer, particularly in individuals with genetic variants in their metabolism.

Pre-clinical Study Suggests Nab-paclitaxel Plus Bevacizumab May hold Promise for Treating Triple Negative Breast Cancer

June 2nd 2010

According to a pre-clinical study presented at the AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010, a regimen of nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane) given in combination with bevacizumab (Avastin) may have potential in treating triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive, therapy- resistant, and highly metastatic subtypes of breast cancer.

NO-Naproxen May Protect Against Colorectal Cancer

June 2nd 2010

A study presented at the AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010 by researchers from the Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, provides further evidence that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are promising chemopreventive agents with activity against colorectal cancer.

New Gene Technology Assesses Nine Genes that may Predict Response to Panitumumab

June 2nd 2010

Although KRAS gene mutation is a well-established biomarker for a lack of response to anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (anti-EGFR) antibodies in colorectal cancer, a study presented at the AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010 sought to determine whether mutations in 9 genes known to be mutated in colorectal cancer, including AKT1, BRAF, CTNNB1, EGFR, KRAS (exon 3), NRAS, PIK3CA, PTEN, and TP53, could also predict response to Vectibix (panitumumab) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

Melanoma: Improving Clinical Outcomes Through Advances in Immunotherapeutics and Targeted Therapy

June 2nd 2010

Metastatic melanoma has limited treatment options, but advances in the understanding of the oncogenic mutations that drive this cancer and how the immune system can be better modulated to fight melanoma provide a new generation of active approaches for patients.

Medication Adherence Technologies: Promise or Pitfalls?

June 2nd 2010

Historically, most cancer treatments have been administered in oncology offices or hospitals, but oral medications are becoming increasingly common, and oral formulations of chemotherapy, targeted therapies, and hormonal therapies are available.

WebMD Health Exchange Seeks to Connect Patients

June 2nd 2010

The explosive growth of mainstream social networking sites has encouraged the development of smaller, niche networks designed to connect patients who share a diagnosis; however, no one platform has established itself as a central health-networking hub.

MedWatch Offers Safety Alerts via Text

June 2nd 2010

The FDA has added text messaging to the ranks of e-mail digests, RSS feeds, podcasts, and Websites that comprise MedWatch, the agency's safety information and adverse event reporting program.

NEXT PAGE
PREVIOUS PAGE