Clifford Goodman, PhD, of the The Lewin Group, and Peter B. Bach, MD, MAPP, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discuss the affordability of cancer care, the “financial toxicities” of high drug prices, and what could and should be done about it.
Hans Gerdes, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses a new approach to the management of early-stage esophageal cancers with endoscopic resections.
Wui-Jin Koh, MD, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, discusses the program to adapt NCCN guidelines to regions of the world with different resource availability. The first guideline to be adapted in this way is for cervical cancer, which is prevalent in the developing world.
Mario E. Lacouture, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the effect on patients of dermatologic toxicities associated with targeted therapies: their psychosocial impact, financial burden, physiological pain, and potential to alter therapy. But the side effects of targeted treatments can and should be addressed.
Peter G. Shields, MD, of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center and the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, discusses the new NCCN Guidelines for helping patients with cancer to stop smoking. Counseling is a critical part of these new recommendations.
Robert W. Carlson, MD, Chief Executive Officer, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, and William J. Gradishar, MD, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, discuss the evolution of the breast cancer guidelines, the inclusion of varied fields––such as plastic surgery, pathology, patient advocacy, and radiation–– and new treatment changes.
