Interviews

The first overall survival analysis of the KEYNOTE-522 trial showed positive outcomes with neoadjuvant pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy followed by adjuvant pembrolizumab monotherapy vs neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone in high-risk early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

Nicolas Girard, MD, head of the Curie-Montsouris Thorax Institute, discusses patient-reported outcomes (PROs) from the phase 2 LUMINOSITY trial of telisotuzumab vedotin (Teliso-V) in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

September is National Recovery Month, and we are bringing you another limited-edition month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. In this third episode, we speak with Kim MacDonald-Wilson, ScD, CPRP, and Tracy Carney, CPS, CPRP.

Mirvetuximab soravtansine showed high evidence of efficacy in heavily pretreated FRα-positive, platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer, which is a challenging patient population to treat, Angeles Alvarez Secord, MD, MHSc, gynecologic oncologist at Duke Health, said.

Sheela Rao, MBBS, FRCP, MD, consultant medical oncologist at the Royal Marsden Hospital, discussed the findings of the POD1UM-303/InterAACT2 trial of retifanlimab plus chemotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal (SCAC).

Davey Daniel, MD, chief medical officer at OneOncology, stresses the need for real-world evidence in genomic testing to improve patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness.

Jonathan Riess, MD, MS, director of thoracic medicine at UC Davis Health, gave insight into the rationale and efficacy data for combining cancer vaccine IO102-IO103 with pembrolizumab in advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Deepened, persistent responses were seen in the long term among patients with advanced melanoma treated with fianlimab and cemiplimab, Meredith McKean, MD, MPH, director of melanoma and skin cancer research for Sarah Cannon Research Institute, explained.

Speakers at the 2024 meeting of ERS—The European Respiratory Society Congress share their favorite parts of the conference.

Matthew Zachary, founder of Stupid Cancer, and keynote speaker at the Patient-Centered Oncology Care® (PCOC) 2024 meeting advocated for addressing provider burnout and mental health, arguing that it is essential for delivering quality patient-centered care.

Lalan Wilfong, MD, senior vice president at Thyme Care, highlights the substantial advantages of patient navigation in enhancing patient outcomes and the need for balancing cost and performance when integrating these services into payment models.

With the advances in cancer care, focus has mostly been on lamenting the high cost of these innovations instead of making patients and populations healthier, said A. Mark Fendrick, MD, director of the Center for Value-Based Insurance Design at the University of Michigan.

In a session at AIDS 2024, the International AIDS Conference, global leaders and community advocates gathered to discuss why stigma and shame continue to attach themselves to an HIV diagnosis and why policy efforts to overcome both must persist.

Sarah Hogue, PharmD, director of oncology services at St. Luke's Cancer Institute, discusses trends of pharmacists and technicians taking on more clinical responsibilities in oncology, improving patient care, and efficiency.

This interview accompanies the second podcast in our National Recovery Month series with Mandy Faubel, PhD, LCSW, UPMC Western Behavioral Health at Safe Harbor, and Rebekah Sedlock, DSW, LCSW, UPMC Insurance Services Division with Community Care.

Jennifer Green, MD, of Duke University, explained that while CMS-negotiated drug prices under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) may not immediately lower patients' costs, they could improve access to expensive medications.

Dax Kurbegov, MD, senior vice president of Sarah Cannon Cancer Network, discussed divides between payers, health systems, and oncology care providers, as well as the impacts these divides can have on patients.

Heather Wakelee, MD, Stanford University, discusses the pros and cons of different durations of immunotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the future outlook for patient-specific care.

Matthew Smeltzer, PhD, University of Memphis, shares insights into his team's quality-of-care initiative to identify and combat gaps in care for patients with early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The transition to value-based care is extremely challenging because everyone is also still being paid by fee for service, said Lalan Wilfong, MD, senior vice president, value-based care, Thyme Care.

Klaus Rabe, MD, PhD, chest physician and professor of medicine, University of Kiel, shares the latest clinical discoveries from the BOREAS trial on type 2 inflammation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Bellinda King-Kallimanis, PhD, LUNGevity Foundation, reflects on her experiences in patient-focused research to discuss the current state of patient education, the importance of patient advocates, and mediating barriers to health care access.

John Heymach, MD, PhD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses exciting developments in HER2-targeted therapies that he foresees making a difference in the treatment of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

There are concerns that the negotiated drug prices under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) are leading to large provider reimbursement cuts, explained Nick Ferreyros, managing director, Community Oncology Alliance.

Ken Cohen, MD, of Optum Care, advocates for glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) tiering for patients with diabetes based on comorbidities, like body mass index (BMI) and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Ana Baramidze, MD, PhD, Todua Clinic, Tbilisi, Georgia, details exciting findings from the EMPOWER-Lung 1 trial regarding cemiplimab and patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Eva Otter, president of Pulmonary Hypertension Association Europe, discusses the significance of shared decision-making for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Samyukta Mullangi, MD, MBA, medical director at Thyme Care, explained her excitement to meet with industry leaders, share best practices, and learn about new innovations in oncology care at Patient-Centered Oncology Care® (PCOC) 2024.

Siow Ming Lee, PhD, FRCP, University College London Hospitals, discusses essential advancements necessary for improving immunotherapy outcomes in special patient subgroups with lung cancer.

September is National Recovery Month, and we are bringing you another limited-edition month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. In this second episode, we speak with Rebekah Sedlock, DSW, LCSW, and Mandy Fauble, PhD, LCSW.