October 2023, Vol 13, No 10

Every day, providers and patients struggle with health plan, pharmacy benefit manager, specialty pharmacy, and other intermediary coverage and reimbursement policies that adversely affect individuals with cancer. These challenges may include coverage delays, step edits, prior authorizations, nonmedical switching, high out-of-pocket costs, and/or the intrusion of intermediaries into care or the drug chain, leaving patients confused, frustrated, and reeling from financial, physical, and emotional distress. Read More ›

Specialty pharmacies and prior authorizations are unavoidable aspects of oncology care that often pose challenges for both patients and providers. However, standardization plays a crucial role in simplifying these complex processes, allowing for improved efficiency and optimal patient care, according to Jason Zimmerman, RN, OCN, Clinical Financial Facilitator, Trinity Health Saint Mary’s, Grand Rapids, MI. Standardization also facilitates seamless transitions between healthcare professionals, ensuring continuity of care even when someone is unable to perform their duties. Read More ›

Chicago, IL—Physicians are less likely to work in a private practice than 10 years ago due to economic, administrative, and regulatory burdens that have driven physicians to shift traditional business models for medical practices, according to a newly released biennial analysis of physician practice arrangements by the American Medical Association. Read More ›

Crystal S. Denlinger, MD, FACP, has been named the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). She will succeed Robert W. Carlson, MD, who is retiring after more than 10 years leading the global guidelines organization. Dr Denlinger will assume her new role with NCCN on October 9, 2023. Read More ›

A cancer diagnosis can increase the risk of infertility in young women. Whereas consuming a healthy diet—including whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fatty acids—has been found to improve both fertility and cancer survivorship, more than 90% of young adult cancer survivors do not meet the dietary recommendations and have diets consisting of high fat and low fruit and vegetable intake. Read More ›

It was once thought that after guiding the development of male sex organs in a fetus, the Y chromosome did not do much else. But over the past few years, results from multiple studies have challenged that belief. The most recent evidence comes from a new study that suggests that the Y chromosome may actually protect men from aggressive bladder cancer. Read More ›

Improving clinical outcomes in the second line of treatment in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer remains an important goal, and researchers have been exploring various therapeutic targets, including HER2, an oncogene that creates a protein that encourages cell growth and accelerates the spread of cancers. Read More ›

The following clinical trials represent a selection of key studies currently recruiting patients with breast cancer for inclusion in investigations of new therapies and new regimens of existing treatments for the disease. Read More ›