Men with particularly aggressive prostate cancers can be treated more effectively by combining an existing targeted medicine, abiraterone, with a new experimental drug to block two of cancer’s growth signals at once, a major new trial shows. The new combination extended the time before prostate cancers progressed and spread further Read more…
A recent study examining the scientific rationale and clinical results of ibrutinib combinations in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) found that the combination of ibrutinib and targeted agent venetoclax may provide high complete response rates and, importantly, high rates of undetectable minimal residual disease (MRD; Blood Cancer J. 2021). Low complete remission rates, Read more…
Rituximab-abbs may have more economic benefits compared to rituximab in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), rheumatoid arthritis, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, and microscopic polyangiitis, according to a study presented at the virtual 2021 ASCO Annual Meeting. These findings were presented by Elizabeth James, MD, Aventine Consulting, LLC, Read more…
Between high-risk and nonhigh-risk patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) initiating first-line chemoimmunotherapy, high-risk patients experience greater risk of next treatment or death, treatment failure, and higher costs, according to a real-world study presented at the 2021 ASCO Annual Meeting. The economic burden for patients Read more…
A real-world study presented at the virtual 2021 ASCO Annual Meeting evaluated prostate-specific antigen pattern progression and its association with overall survival (OS) among patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) who were treated with enzalutamide or abiraterone. In a real-world setting, prostate-specific antigen value is used among practitioners to Read more…
A study presented at the virtual 2021 ASCO Annual Meeting compared the cost-effectiveness of two testing strategies for patients with ovarian cancer. “In 2020 ASCO recommended that all women with epithelial ovarian cancer have germline testing for BRCA1/2 mutations, and those without a germline pathogenic variant should have somatic tumor testing, to Read more…
More than half of patients with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC) did not receiveandrogen deprivation therapy (ADT) plus docetaxel or ADT plus novel hormonal therapies as first-line treatment in 2019, even though these regimens are associated with improved survival compared to ADT alone, according to a study presented at the Read more…
This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of prophylactic cranial irradiation compared with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) surveillance in this patient population. Cost-effectiveness of the treatment approaches were based on currently available evidence and in the context of the proposed Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services alternative payment model. A Markov state Read more…
Multiple myeloma (MM) remains an incurable disease despite incorporation of novel agents. Venetoclax, a B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) inhibitor is approved for some hematologic malignancies but not yet for MM, although clinical trials have shown efficacy in patients with MM particularly those harboring t(11;14). Venetoclax demonstrates encouraging activity in heavily-treated Read more…
Previous literature has explored the beneficial relationship between physical activity and quality of life improvement (QOL) sin patients with MM. A study published in BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care found that physically active MM survivors reported higher health-related QOL (HRQOL), including significant improvements in fatigue (P=0.002) and reduced treatment-related adverse effects (P=0.001), Read more…