Interviews

Richard L. Martin III, MD, MPH, spoke on the goals he has in his new role as medical director of health equity and community engagement at Tennessee Oncology, and what lessons he has learned so far in providing care to underserved communities.

Paul G. Alexander, MD, MPH, executive vice president and chief health equity and transformation officer, RWJBarnabas Health, spoke on population health management strategies employed by his organization to identify and address health disparities in the communities they serve.

Pharmaceutical companies would have to spend a lot of money on pediatric anticoagulation studies for diseases that are rare among these patients, explained Michael A. Portman, MD, FAHA, of Seattle Children's Hospital.

Kirsten Johansen, MD, director of nephrology, Hennepin Healthcare, speaks on the impact that an oral medication would have on the management of chronic kidney disease (CKD) for patients both on and not on dialysis.

Patient quality of life can be improved through shared knowledge between doctors and patients in cancer care using the Cancer and Aging Research Group (CARG) Chemotherapy Toxicity Tool calculator, which Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers piloted, explained Alonso V. Pacheco, MD, medical director and medical oncologist/hematologist, Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers.

Patients with higher health literacy and access to resources to self-advocate are more likely to benefit from health care consolidation, discussed Susan Sabo-Wagner, MSN, RN, OCN, executive director of clinical strategy for Oncology Consultants of Houston, Texas.

New immunotherapies are changing the shape of oncology care, but there is also a need for a system that provides these high-quality therapies to the patients most likely to benefit from them. This might mean doing an assessment and a deeper dive into patient functional status, says Alonso V. Pacheco, MD, medical director and medical oncologist/hematologist, Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers.

Hilary Tindle, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine, at Vanderbilt University, discusses how the nicotine metabolite ratio (NMR) can help inform doctors and patients on choosing the optimal treatment for quitting smoking.

During an interview at the 2022 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Chicago, Michael A. Portman, MD, FAHA, Seattle Children's Hospital addressed how cardiac disease presents in pediatric vs adult patients.

A tool to measure chemotherapy toxicity from the Cancer and Aging Research Group can help determine emergency department visits or hospitalization risk, especially for elderly patients, says Alonso V. Pacheco, MD, medical director and medical oncologist/hematologist, Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers.

The assistant professor of neurology at the University of Virginia spoke at the 2022 American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting about clinical outcomes of patients with dementia who experience seizures.

Adetunji T. Toriola, MD, PhD, professor of surgery at Washington University School of Medicine, explains how breast cancer prevention campaigns for premenopausal women have changed and how RANK ligand inhibition could influence screening accuracy.

Michael Paull, MD, medical director of primary/urgent care and continuous improvement at the Vancouver Clinic (TVC), explained how TVC was able to improve its hypertension metrics to align with CMS' targets.

Hilary Tindle, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine, Vanderbilt University, discusses the nicotine metabolite ratio (NMR) is and how it's used to help identify vulnerable individuals for lung cancer and heart disease.

Moving screening and prevention care more upstream can help make an impact by getting patients diagnosed with cancer earlier, said Susan Sabo-Wagner, MSN, RN, OCN, executive director of clinical strategy for Oncology Consultants of Houston, Texas.

Ken Cohen, MD, director of translational research for Optum Care, speaks on the future of more biosimilars hitting the market, and how they will influence value-based care.

The FDA’s approval of lecanemab for Alzheimer disease is very important, but there will remain significant challenges around pricing and access that will need to be addressed to deliver on the promise the therapy actually represents, said Alvaro Pascual-Leone, MD, PhD, of Harvard Medical School.

We want to make it easy for our patients to manage and navigate the financial toxicity they encounter from their cancer care, noted Mike Koroscik, MBA, MHA, vice president of oncology, Allina Health and the Allina Health Cancer Institute.

There are still barriers to mental health care, in both the medical and outside worlds, noted Debra Delaney, MSN, FNP-BC, primary care nurse practitioner at ChristianaCare’s Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute.

Michael Thompson, president and CEO of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions (National Alliance), addressed the current state of health equity strategies in the workplace and how employers can better address inequities in their benefit designs, programs, and policies in the near future.

Susan Sabo-Wagner, MSN, RN, OCN, executive director of clinical strategy for Oncology Consultants of Houston, Texas, spoke about the effects of isolation on patients with cancer who need help at home but have no one to provide it.

M. Hossein Kazemi, MD, medical oncologist and hematologist, Astera Cancer Care, discusses the benefits of de-escalating treatment for patients with multiple myeloma.

This year’s top 5 most-viewed videos include topics on eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), cancer screening awareness, and racial/ethnic and socioeconomic barriers to care.

Patrick Reville, MD, MPH, instructor, Department of Leukemia, MD Anderson Cancer Center, explains the implications of the longer-term follow-up of venetoclax in combination with the chemotherapy regimen cladribine, high-dose cytarabine, idarubicin (CLIA) and how age is a factor when considering chemotherapy options.

Throughout 2022, expert interviews on clinical topics covered cytogenetics in multiple myeloma, access to better treatments in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and challenges with devices in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Hilary Tindle, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine, Vanderbilt University, spoke about the use of precision medicine approaches, such as the nicotine metabolite ratio (NMR), to improve outcomes for patients with lung cancer.

Susan Sabo-Wagner, MSN, RN, OCN, executive director of clinical strategy for Oncology Consultants of Houston, Texas, discussed how housing conditions can impede positive outcomes for patients with cancer who are receiving cancer care support at home.

Patrick Reville, MD, MPH, instructor, Department of Leukemia, MD Anderson Cancer Center, elaborates on how certain patients responded to the updated treatment regimen.

Biosimilars are a wonderful option for patients, but the growing number available can be challenging to manage when different payers prefer different agents, said Susan Sabo-Wagner, MSN, RN, OCN, executive director of clinical strategy for Oncology Consultants of Houston, Texas.

Paul Thurmes, MD, medical oncologist and hematologist, Minnesota Oncology, spoke on key responsibilities and approaches that are often lacking in cancer care.