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.

Can Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 Protect Against Chemo Brain?

May 20th 2010

Chemotherapy recipients have long complained of decreased mental function during and after treatment, yet the medical community has only recently acknowledged the reality of chemo brain, the term for chemotherapy's degenerative effect on normal cognitive function.

Digital Ink: Leaving a Mark on Medicine

May 19th 2010

The Ancient Indians were the fi rst to use pens around 5000 BCE. While these writing implements were primitive, typically consisting of hollowed out reeds that could hold a small amount of ink, which was generally soot in water with a plant gum binder, they were used for thousands of years and are still used today in certain parts of Pakistan.

Hedgehog Signal Inhibition Hope or Hype?

May 19th 2010

Once a human malignancy metastasizes, currently available cytotoxic chemotherapy is usually palliative. While conventional chemotherapy regimens are associated with objective tumor regression, this only occurs in a minority of patients.

Update on the Third Annual Interdisciplinary Prostate Cancer Congress

May 19th 2010

The Third Annual IPCC: "Translating Advances into Clinical Practice," is to be held in New York City on Saturday, March 27, 2010. Recent developments in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of prostate cancer most relevant to community-based physicians will form the core areas of discussion.

A New Year, A New OBTN

May 19th 2010

Oncology & Biotech News (OBTN) starts its fourth year of publication with a new look and an even stronger focus on bringing you the latest developments in clinical trial research, practice guidelines, and regulatory information.

Genomic Research Fuels Innovation at Johns Hopkins

May 19th 2010

The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins is one of only 40 cancer centers in the country designated by the National Cancer Institute as a Comprehensive Center. The physician researchers at the institution have been characterizing the acquired genome defects in cancers for the better part of the past few decades.

Radient Pharmaceuticals: New Name, New Focus

May 19th 2010

Executives at Radient Pharmaceuticals Corporation may one day look back on 2009 as the year when the coming-out party for the two-decades-old firm located in Tustin, California, began.

Pipeline and Collaborations Could Propel Seattle Genetics

May 19th 2010

If there is such a thing as a business trifecta, Seattle Genetics is nearly there. The Washington state biotechnology company is focused on the development and commercialization of monoclonal antibodyâ€“based therapies for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune disease. And with a potent pipeline of potential products and numerous technology and marketing collaborations in place, the opportunities for growth are in the air.

Will 2010 Be the Year that Ariad Closes the Gap?

May 19th 2010

When companies talk about "narrowing the gap," they typically mean closing the distance that separates them from their leading competitor. At Ariad Pharmaceuticals, however, that expression has taken on a new meaning: narrowing the distance from development to market for its two most promising compounds.

Oncotype DX Independent Predictor of Stage II Colon Cancer

May 19th 2010

At the 2010 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, researchers from two studies reported that the Oncotype DX colon cancer test, combined with extended lymph node assessment,helped identify patients at high risk of recurrence for stage II colorectal cancer after surgery.

Palonosetron Prevents Delayed CINV in Patients with AML

May 19th 2010

A study presented at the 51st American Society of Hematology Meeting and Expedition reported that 5 days of palonosetron (Aloxi) was significantly more effective than ondansetron at preventing delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML).

Sunitinib Likely New Option for Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors

May 19th 2010

Sunitinib malate (Sutent)doubled progression-free survival (PFS) in a phase III trial involving patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). Data were presented at the 2010 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium in January.

Updated CRYSTAL Data Support Effectiveness of Cetuximab (Erbitux) in Wild-Type KRAS Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

May 19th 2010

At the 2010 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, new data from the CRYSTAL trial identified BRAF gene mutations as a poor prognostic indicator in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) but not predictive of response to therapy.

Healthcare IT Still Seeks a Security Blanket

May 19th 2010

August has traditionally been a sleepy month for government regulatory agencies, but this year, Washington's usual summer torpor was interrupted by a rush of new initiatives, as more than three-quarters of a trillion dollars from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act surged into a mind- boggling range of projects.

Medicaid Directors Say Program Teetering on a "Fiscal Cliff

May 19th 2010

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 designated $87 billion for state Medicaid programs, enacting major increases in federal matching rates. Despite the boost from ARRA, state budgets have been groaning under the weight of the economic downturn, with 29 of them planning to make Medicaid cuts in 2010.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Pitfalls in Its Application to Breast Disease

May 19th 2010

Advances in diagnostic imaging have led to general improvement in treating patients for various maladies. Recently, advances in breast diagnostic imaging with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in unselected patient populations have exposed a number of pitfalls that threaten well-established, data-proven medical practice.

Giving Patients Better Access to Oral Anticancer Drugs

May 19th 2010

The use of oral oncolytics is increasing, with 14 approved already and nearly one-quarter of the oncology pipeline consisting of oral therapies. Despite this, the Community Oncology Alliance (COA), a nonprofit organization that advocates for patients and providers in the community oncology setting, said many patients still have difficulty getting access`to targeted oral oncolytics.

By The Numbers; End-of-Life Discussions with Patients

May 19th 2010

The potential federal healthcare overhaul engendered a bitter debate over rumored "death panels" making end-of-life decisions for patients. Although the claims were never substantiated, the furor directed the nation's attention to the important issue of end-of-life care.

ASH Interview Series

May 18th 2010

The December issue of Oncology & Biotech News featured highlights from the 51st American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition. We wrap up our ASH coverage this month with interviews on multiple myeloma with Brian G.M. Durie, MD, medical director and co-founder of the International Myeloma Foundation; chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) with Robert J. Kreitman, MD, from the National Cancer Institute; and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) with Francis J. Giles, MD, Cancer Therapy and Research Center at The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.

Are Your Patients in Clinical Trials? US Oncology Surveys Oncologists

May 18th 2010

Participation in clinical trial research is essential to continued improvement in cancer care. Yet, fewer than 10% of U.S. adults enroll in trials. A recent US OncologyÃ¢ï¿½ï¿½sponsored survey found that most oncologists remain optimistic about the future of clinical trial research. We discuss obstacles to clinical trial enrollment with Nicholas Vogelzang, MD, and Matthew Galsky, MD, of the Comprehensive CancerCenters of Nevada.