Washington, DC—With tremendous changes occurring in healthcare and particularly in oncology, discussion about the current trends and demands facing stakeholders in optimizing value in cancer care dominated the Sixth Annual Conference of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care, held September 27-29, 2016, and co-chaired by Michael Kolodziej, MD, National Medical Director, Managed Care Strategy, Flatiron Health, New York, NY; and Burt Zweigenhaft, BS, President, National Association of Specialty Pharmacy; and Editor-in-Chief, Value-Based Cancer Care.

Washington, DC—The oncology pipeline is bustling and shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon, said Anita Dopkosky, RPh, MS, Director, National Accounts, Walgreens, Pittsburgh, PA, at the Sixth Annual Conference of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care. She provided an overview of key drugs in the oncology pipeline.

Washington, DC—Precision medicine is the optimal approach to the future of cancer care, but unless a new pricing model for innovative treatments is implemented, the cost of care will be the greatest barrier to effective treatment, said Maurie Markman, MD, President, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, and Clinical Professor of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, at the Sixth Annual Conference of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care.

Washington, DC—The Cancer Moonshot 2020 program is exploring a new paradigm in cancer care by bringing clinical trials focused on immunotherapy to community and academic practices. This privately funded initiative seeks to conduct phase 2 clinical trials within the next 36 months in 20,000 patients with >20 tumor types at all stages of cancer, said Gary Palmer, MD, JD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer, President, GPS Operations, NantHealth, Culver City, CA, at the Sixth Annual Conference of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care.

Washington, DC—Cancer is now recognized as a disease of the genome. The use of genomic assays and measurement of protein expression are permitting the use of personalized cancer therapy in the clinical setting on a scale not seen previously. In many cases, the use of these assays will also enhance the cost-effectiveness of cancer therapy, although the overall cost of cancer care may not decline as a result, said Gerald Messerschmidt, MD, FACP, Chief Medical Officer, Precision for Medicine, at the Sixth Annual Conference of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care.

Washington, DC—Specialty pharmacy has become an extension of the clinical care team in certain medical areas, such as oncology. Integrated service models that leverage the expertise of specialty pharmacies can help optimize patient outcomes, said panel members at the Sixth Annual Conference of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care.

Washington, DC—Patient involvement in clinical trials will impact the Cancer Moonshot’s goal of achieving 10 years of progress in 5 years’ time, said Kim Thiboldeaux, Chief Executive Officer, Cancer Support Community, Washington, DC, at the Sixth Annual Conference of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care.

Washington, DC—Transforming an oncology practice into one that incorporates value involves several key elements, including improved collaboration and coordination among the treating physicians and team building, said Diana Verrilli, Vice President and General Manager, Managed Care, Quality and Provider Solutions, Mc­Kesson Specialty Health, The Woodlands, TX, at the Sixth Annual Conference of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care.

Washington, DC—Payer-directed programs, including the integration of oncology into accountable care organizations (ACOs), are likely to become increasingly important for managing the total cost of cancer care, said Michael Kolodziej, MD, National Medical Director, Managed Care Strategy, Flatiron Health, New York, NY, at the Sixth Annual Conference of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care.