Oncology Times - Ot Broadcasts From The Ipad Archives

Lowell E. Schnipper, MD, Chair of ASCO’s Cost of Care Taskforce and Chief of Hematology/Oncology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, explains which procedures made ASCO’s “Top Five” list of unnecessary oncology services—part of the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation’s “Choosing Wisely” campaign. Hear his discussion with OT Contributing Writer and “Practice Matters” blogger Lola Butcher.

Richard L. Schilsky, MD—who’s led ASCO’s charge in urging Congress to take notice of the increasing scarcities of needed cancer drugs—discusses the three big ways the shortages affect the cancer care community. Hear what Schilsky, now ASCO’s Chief Medical Officer, told OT.

Thomas L. Whittaker, MD, Immediate Past President of the Association of Community Cancer Centers, explains the implications of survey results that show most oncologists expect to be practicing in an oncology medical home or accountable care org within the next five years. Hear his discussion with OT Contributing Writer and “Practice Matters” blogger Lola Butcher.

Clifford A. Hudis, MD, Chief of the Breast Cancer Medicine Service of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and ASCO’s 2012-2013 President-Elect, explains why face-to-face networking and in-person meetings are important to oncology research, despite faster ways of information sharing. Hear what he told OT Assistant Editor Sarah DiGiulio.

William Breitbart, MD, Acting Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, explains how a cancer experience can change an individual’s sense of meaning and identity—and the psychotherapy intervention programs he developed. Hear his discussion with OT Assistant Editor Sarah DiGiulio.

Steven Schroeder, MD, Chairman of the newly formed National Commission on Physician Payment Reform, discusses the commission’s upcoming report on how physicians are paid and what pay incentives mean to patient care—and how oncologists can contribute their thoughts. Hear his chat with OT Contributing Writer and “Practice Matters” blogger Lola Butcher.

Thomas J. Smith, MD, Professor of Oncology and Director of Palliative Care at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, explains the benefits of making palliative care part of standard oncology care for patients—and the research behind it. Hear Smith’s discussion with OT Contributing Writer and “Practice Matters” blogger Lola Butcher.

Steven Tucker, MD, a prostate cancer specialist, discusses “competitive mortality”—how understanding the other conditions in addition to cancer, like chronic disease, old age, and diabetes, that influence a patient’s risk of death improves care overall. Hear Tucker speaking with OT Contributing Writer and “Practice Matters” blogger Lola Butcher. And, read more about the new mortality-index website, ePrognosis, Tucker uses to compare geriatric prognosis indices in the full article.

Reginald Williams II, an Avalere Health Director, discusses his organization’s analysis of how the oncology landscape may be the next topic of scrutiny for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Four topics may be ripe for national coverage decisions: lung and prostate cancer screenings, localized prostate cancer treatments, therapies to manage non-small-cell lung cancer, and pharmacogenomic testing for breast and colon cancers. Hear Williams’ discussion with OT Contributing Writer and “Practice Matters” blogger, Lola Butcher.

Matt Brow, U.S. Oncology’s top public policy official, breaks down the details of the Medicare Shared Savings Program—the federal government’s final rule on making the accountable care organization model part of Medicare. Brow is the Vice President of Communications in Government and Relations & Public Policy for McKesson Specialty Care Solutions, the parent company of U.S. Oncology.

Evangelos Terpos, speaking at the European Hematology Association 2010 Congress in Barcelona, discusses his group's encouraging findings based on 10 years of experience with thalidomide, lenalidomide, and bortezomib.

Speaking at the meeting in Barcelona, Gilles Salles of the University of Lyon discusses the results showing that patients who had achieved remissions after immunochemotherapy had only half the risk of recurrence if they also received rituximab maintenance therapy for two years compared with patients who did not.

Dr. Sekeres, Director of the Leukemia Program at the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute and Chair of the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee, discusses his particular research interests of myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myelogenous leukemia, including the overlaps between the two in older adults, new opportunities to better define MDS epidemiologically in the US, and new treatment approaches.

Dr. Govindan, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Thoracic Medical Oncology Program at Washington University Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, elaborates on his article in the April 10 issue about the promise and excitement of the new advances in technology that are now making possible a “panoramic view of the rugged genomic landscape of the cancer cell,” transforming cancer research and treatment.

Lori Pierce on breast-conserving therapy + adjuvant chemotherapy for BRCA 1 & 2 carriers; Annette Heemskerk-Gerritsen on the relationship between contralateral mastectomy & survival; and a recommendation by Ajay Sahu for a "cooling off" period for low-risk patients thinking of having prophylactic contralateral mastectomy.

Hatem Azim on how pregnancy after breast cancer is safe and possibly protective; Angela Ives on why recent -- but not current -- pregnancy worsens breast cancer prognosis; and Sibylle Loibl on how chemotherapy is not generally hazardous to the fetus. Martine Piccart adds commentary & perspective.

Prof Giuseppe Saglio of the University of Turin and San Luigi Gonzaga Hospital in Italy on nilotinib as a new standard of care for chronic myeloid leukaemia. ASH President Nancy Berliner of Brigham & Women's Hospital adds her thoughts. Jorge Cortes of M. D. Anderson Cancer Center on three different ASH papers by his group looking at alternatives to standard imatinib in CML. Jane Apperley of Hammersmith Hospital and Imperial College London, reflects on these, and discusses strategies for dealing with imatinib resistance. OT Broadcast News Scientific Editor George Canellos of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute on what some were jokingly calling a re-run of World War II that took place in the Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma session: R-CHOP 14 vs R-CHOP 21 in elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Andrzej Jakubowiak of the University of Michigan discusses a 4-drug regimen to treat newly diagnosed multiple myeloma....Ruben Niesvizky of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City on the novel proteasome inhibitor

George Canellos on aggressive chemotherapy's failure to benefit patients with high-risk B-cell lymphoma. Massimo Martelli of University of Perugia on infused donor T-regulatory cells to prevent graft-vs-host-disease in patients with leukemia & lymphoma; comments from Armand Keating of the University of Toronto. Mathias Rummel of University Hospital in Germany on using bendamustine rather than CHOP combined with rituximab for treating indolent lymphomas—front-line. Commenting: Dr. Canellos and Richard Van Etten of Tufts University. Eduardo Rego of the University of Sao Paolo on his networking between North and South America to improve treatment of APL in developing countries. Adding their thoughts: Dr. Canellos and Richard Larson of the University of Chicago. OT Interviewers: Peter Goodwin and Sarah Maxwell.

George Canellos: Raising the curtain on ASH 2009. Jorge Cortes, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, on omacetaxine for CML patients with resistance to imatinib caused by the T 315I mutation; Commentary from Jane Apperley of Imperial College and Dr. Canellos. Srdan Verstovsek, also of M. D. Anderson, on JAK signaling inhibition as a treatment for myelofibrosis; Commentary from Richard Larson of University of Chicago and Dr. Canellos.

George Canellos, What’s hot from the ASH Plenary Session. Maria-Victoria Mateos of Salamanca University in Spain on melphalan as the better partner drug for bortezomib in multiple myeloma; Commentary Dr. Canellos and Jesus San-Miguel, also of Salamanca, and Richard Van Etten of Tufts University. Steven Devine of Ohio State University on T-cell depletion to avoid GVHD in AML; commentary from Dr. Canellos and Armand Keating of the University of Toronto.