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Oncology Newsfeed

  • FDA Approves HPV Vaccine Gardasil 9 for Prevention of Certain Head & Neck Cancers

    On June 12, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an expanded indication for Gardasil 9 for the prevention of oropharyngeal and other head and neck cancers caused by HPV Types 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58. The oropharyngeal and head and neck cancer indication is approved under accelerated approval based on effectiveness in preventing HPV-related anogenital disease.

    Read the corporate press release.

    Posted 6/15/2020



  • FDA Approves Pegfilgrastim-apgf) Biosimilar to Pegfilgrastim

    On June 11, 2020, Pfizer Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Nyvepria™ (pegfilgrastim-apgf), a biosimilar to Neulasta® (pegilgrastim). Nyvepria is indicated to decrease incidence of infection as manifested by febrile neutropenia, in patients with non-myeloid malignancies receiving myelosuppressive anti-cancer drugs associated with a clinically significant incidence of febrile neutropenia.

    Read corporate press release.

    Posted 6/12/2020


  • FDA Approves Nivolumab for Previously Treated Advanced Esophageal SCC

    On June 10, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved nivolumab (Opdivo) for patients with unresectable advanced, recurrent or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after prior fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-based chemotherapy.

    Read the FDA announcement.

    Posted 6/11/2020



  • ASTRO Releases New Clinical Guideline for RT to Treat Nonmetastatic Cervical Cancer

    June 10, 2020, the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) released a new clinical guideline that provides recommendations for radiation therapy to treat patients with nonmetastatic cervical cancer. The guideline, ASTRO's first for cervical cancer, was published online in Practical Radiation Oncology.

    Included within the recommendations are indications and best practices for external beam radiation therapy and brachytherapy in the postoperative and definitive settings. Recommendations also address other treatments including chemotherapy and surgery when used in combination with radiation.

    Read ASTRO press release.
    Access the clinical guideline.

    Posted 6/10/2020


  • ACS Updates Diet and Physical Activity Guideline

    On June 9, the American Cancer Society (ACS) released updated recommendations for diet and physical activity for cancer prevention. The ACS guideline was last updated in 2012. Changes to the guideline reflect the latest evidence on the impact of lifestyle on cancer risk. Approximately, 18 percent of all cancer cases in the U.S. are related to a combination of diet and physical activity factors, the ACS states. 

    The new guideline includes recommendations for more physical activity, eating less (or no) processed and red meat, and avoiding alcohol or drinking less.

    The updated American Cancer Society Guideline for Diet and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention  was published online on June 9, in CA: A Journal for Cancer Clinicians.

    Access the full article here.

    Posted 6/9/2020



  • CMMI Adds New Flexibilities & Adjustments to Oncology Care Model

    On Wednesday, June 3, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) announced that, in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), CMMI is providing new flexibilities and adjustments to current and future Innovation Center models. The announcement included the following changes specifically for Oncology Care Model (OCM). 


    Payment Methodology:

    • Option for OCM practices to elect to forgo upside and downside risk for performance periods affected by the PHE.
    • For OCM practices that remain in one- or two-sided risk for the performance periods affected by the PHE, remove COVID-19 episodes from reconciliation for those performance periods.

    Quality Reporting:
    -Make the following optional for the affected performance  periods:

    • Aggregate-level reporting of quality measures
    • Beneficiary-level reporting of clinical and staging data

    -Remove the requirement for cost and resource utilization  reporting and practice transformation plan reporting in  July/August 2020.

    Timeline: Extend model for 1 year through June 2022.                         
    The CMS Innovation Center will host a call on Friday, June 5, 2020, from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET to provide an overview of the Oncology Care Model adjustments and flexibilities and answer your questions.

    When: Friday, 06/05/2020 from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET
    Register Here.

    View information on the CMMI website here.
    Read a Health Affairs blog post by CMS Administrator Seema Verma.

    Posted 6/3/2020



  • FDA Approves Atezolizumab + Bevacizumab for Previously Untreated Advanced HCC

    On May 29, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved atezolizumab in combination with bevacizumab (Tecentriq and Avastin, Genentech Inc.) for patients with unresectable or metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who have not received prior systemic therapy.

    Read full FDA announcement. 

    Tecentriq prescribing information and billing/coding for HCC.

    Avastin prescribing information and billing/coding for HCC.

    Posted 6/2/2020



  • FDA Approves Ramucirumab + Erlotinib for First-Line Treatment of Metastatic NSCLC

    On May 29, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ramucirumab (CYRAMZA, Eli Lilly and Company) in combination with erlotinib for first-line treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 19 deletions or exon 21 (L858R) mutations.

    Read full FDA announcement.

    Posted 6/2/2020


  • FDA Approves Nivolumab+Ipilimumab Combo as 1st Line Treatment for Metastatic NSCLC

    On May 26, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the combination of nivolumab (Opdivo, Bristol Myers Squibb Co.) plus ipilimumab (Yervoy, Bristol Myers Squibb Co.) and 2 cycles of platinum-doublet chemotherapy as first-line treatment for patients with metastatic or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with no epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) or anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) genomic tumor aberrations.

    Read full FDA announcement.

    Posted May 27, 2020



  • FDA Approves Brigatinib for ALK-Positive Advanced NCSLC

    On May 22, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved brigatinib (Alunbrig, ARIAD Pharmaceuticals Inc.) for adult patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) as detected by an FDA-approved test.

    On the same day, the FDA also approved the Vysis ALK Break Apart FISH Probe Kit (Abbott Molecular, Inc.) as a companion diagnostic for brigatinib.

    Read full FDA announcement.

    Posted 5/26/2020