Northern New England Clinical Oncology Society News

Conquer Cancer Foundation Grant Awarded to NNECOS

Lori Aubrey — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:15:04 GMT

Northern New England Clinical Oncology Society Honored with Grant from the Conquer Cancer Foundation to Integrate Palliative Care into Oncology Practices

Sandown, NH - The Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) announced today that the Northern New England Clinical Oncology Society (NNECOS) is the recipient of a $10,000 grant to integrate palliative care into oncology practices. NNECOS, a state affiliate of ASCO, will be recognized at the State Affiliates’ Reception, being held on June 3 2012 at ASCO’s 48^th Annual Meeting in Chicago.

2012 State Affiliate Award Press Release.pdf

ASCO Hosts Quality Care Symposium

Lori Aubrey — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:30:48 GMT

ASCO's inaugural Quality Care Symposium (November 30-December 1, 2012 in San Diego, California) will bring together practicing physicians, researchers, health system administrators, and patient advocates to share strategies and methods for measuring and improving the quality of cancer care.

This exciting new ASCO conference is the first ever meeting focused exclusively on oncology outcomes. The goal is to promote innovation and strategic planning in this expanding field of health services research. The meeting will explore ways to engage patients in quality improvement activities, eliminate disparities in quality improvement reporting, and optimize comparative effectiveness research. The two-day Symposium will feature didactic educational sessions, panel discussions, oral abstract sessions, and poster sessions.

Session topics include:

Does Value Mean Quality? The Payer's Perspective
- Tying Payment Incentives to Measurement
Models that Work - Integration Across the Spectrum
- Public Reporting
- International, Community, and Academic Perspectives
Interventions to Improve Cancer Care Quality
- EMR Data Mining
- ASCO's Approach to Health IT & Rapid Learning Systems
Reengineering Your Practice to Deliver Quality and Value
- Moving from a Craft-Based to a Production-Based Model

Bring your team to the table. Learn more at quality2012.asco.org.

Quality Care Symposium

Take Action in 2012: Attend a Town Hall Meeting or Schedule a Practice Site Visit!

Lori Aubrey — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:35:27 GMT

Congress will be in recess April 2-13, which means many of your Senators and Representatives will be hosting town halls and participating in other events in order to hear from you, their constituent. These events provide an opportunity to interact with legislators and inform them about issues affecting the practice of oncology. Please encourage your members to attend one of these events. If you would like assistance in identifying what (if any) events your legislators will be attending, please contact Tara Leystra at tara.leystra@asco.org or 571-483-1646.

Congress will also be in recess April 30 – May 4^th, and now is the time to schedule a practice site visit or an in-district meeting. If any member of your society is interested in participating in either of these activities, ASCO can help schedule and organize the meeting. Please contact Tara Leystra (tara.leystra@asco.org or 571-483-1646) for more information.

NH House passes HB 1642

Lori Aubrey — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 13:36:15 GMT

The NH Union Leader reports:

House votes to bypass certificate of need process

By GARRY RAYNO
State House Bureau

Published Mar 21, 2012 at 2:31 pm (Updated Mar 21, 2012)

CONCORD - The House voted 198-161 Wednesday to allow small specialty hospitals to bypass the certificate of need (CON) process.

House Bill 1642 would allow small specialty hospitals with 50 or fewer beds to avoid the process. The Health Services Planning and Review Board decides whether health care buildings and expansion projects as well as high-end equipment are needed.

The bill would also exempt small specialty hospitals from the Medicaid Enhancement Tax, a tax on hospital services.

The bill was introduced to allow Cancer Treatment Centers of America undefined a for-profit chain of hospitals undefined to avoid the CON process. The national company wants to locate a specialty cancer treatment facility in the Salem area.

NNECOS at the NH-CCC Meeting

Lori Aubrey — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:45:01 GMT

Having a great day sharing the news about our society at the NH Comprehensive Cancer Collaboration's 7th Annual Meeting, "Cancer Survivorship: Four-Dimensional Approach to a National Challenge".

ASCO Invites You to Comment on Oral Chemotherapy Safety Standards

Lori Aubrey — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:01:25 GMT

As you are likely aware, ASCO and ONS first co-created standards for safe chemotherapy administration in 2009. Background about this effort can be found at www.asco.org/safety.

In December 2011, a diverse workgroup was convened to specifically address oral chemotherapy administration in the ASCO-ONS standards. Resulting from that work, new draft ASCO-ONS chemotherapy safety standards have been published for public comment. Comment and voting will be open until April 9, 2012. The link to the public comment survey is http://research.zarca.com/survey.aspx?k=SsTUTRsQQYYsPsPsP&lang=0&data=. At this link, you can find the updated standards, instructions, and the voting survey. The pdf of the updated standards is also attached to this email for reference.

Please consider reviewing the new draft standards and submitting public comment. ASCO and ONS welcome public comment from any interested stakeholder – comment is not limited to members of the organizations. Please also consider helping us disseminate the call for public comment by forwarding this information and/or the link to anyone you feel appropriate.

If you have any questions, please email cancerquality@asco.org.

NNECOS Member Alert - ASCO Virtual Fly-In TODAY!

Lori Aubrey — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 13:50:35 GMT

ASCO is hosting a “Virtual Fly-in” today. Please join your colleagues by contacting your Member of Congress in order to raise awareness of the drug shortage issue and ask for support of H.R. 2245, The Preserving Access to Lifesaving Medications Act.

This is especially important now, because H.R. 2245, the bill introduced by Representative Diana Degette (CO) and Thomas Rooney (FL), has a chance of being included in a list of bills being considered for quick passage by the House. Although this bill is not a cure all, it does take necessary first steps in addressing this complicated issue, and it is vital Representatives hear from their constituents about moving this bill forward.

How can you support this effort? Call or send an email today.

Thank you for supporting the oncology community!

Next Lunchtime Best Oncology Practice Series Thursday, March 29th

Lori Aubrey — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:11:15 GMT

New Oncology Drug Update – A Review of Current New Drug Approvals in Oncology

Thursday, March 29, 2012 at 12:00pm

Join Steven L. D'Amato, RPh, BCOP, Executive Director for the Maine Center for Cancer Medicine for this informative review of current new drug approvals in oncology. Mr. D’Amato is a Board Certified Clinical Oncology Pharmacy Specialist and has extensive experience in clinical operations and lectures extensively on disease and symptom management. He is a member of NNECOS, ASCO, HOPA, ACCP, and serves on the Board of Trustees for ACCC and the Community Cancer Center in Scarborough, Maine.

Study to Examine Videoconferencing Use for Rural Breast Cancer Survivors with Chemotherapy-Related Memory Problems

Lori Aubrey — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 14:27:25 GMT

NNECOS Board member Dr. Rob Ferguson is conducing a study called "Videoconference CBT for Rural Breast Cancer Survivors with Cognitive Complaints".

Research investigators at Eastern Maine Medical Center and the University of Maine have received a grant from the National Cancer Institute and Office of Research on Women’s Health to evaluate the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral therapy CBT) for rural breast cancer survivors with memory problems caused by chemotherapy. Because rural cancer survivors often have to travel long distances for follow-up care after cancer treatment, this research will study the effectiveness of using videoconference technology to reduce travel.

Read more about this study at http://www.wabi.tv/news/27808/emmc-studies-chemo-brain and http://www.mainebreastcancer.org/news.cfm.

Read the National Cancer Institute Abstract .

HB 1642 supported by NH Health and Human Services Committee 10-8

Lori Aubrey — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 01:51:30 GMT

The NH Union Leader reports that NH HB 1642 will move to the NH House with a 10-8 vote of support from the Health and Human Services Committee. A date has yet to be announced for the vote before the full House.

http://www.unionleader.com/article/20120223/NEWS06/120229957

ASCO Calls on Congress to Solve the Growing Crisis of Cancer Drug Shortages

Lori Aubrey — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:57:53 GMT

At a Feb. 21 press conference held by the Food and Drug Administration to discuss the latest shortage of methotrexate, ASCO President Michael P. Link, MD, praised the agency's efforts to address critical shortages, but said Congress needs to develop legislation that would result in permanent solutions.

"FDA, our pharmacists, physicians and manufacturers have cobbled together patches, but we cannot continue to practice medicine from crisis to crisis," Dr. Link said. "Many other drugs remain in shortage and we need permanent solutions." Read more at ASCO in Action.

ASCO Efforts Help Bring National Attention to Methotrexate Shortage

Lori Aubrey — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:24:21 GMT

ASCO is working closely with the Food and Drug Administration and national media to raise awareness about a current shortage of preservative-free methotrexate, a critical treatment for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), as well as other child and adult cancers. The targeted outreach over the past four days has resulted in coverage of the shortage and the Society’s perspective by numerous media outlets, including The New York Times, ABCNews, the Associated Press and Forbes.com. To learn more, please visit ASCO in Action.

Regional Educational Opportunities

Lori Aubrey — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:10:39 GMT

Cancer in the family: primary care matters
The Jackson Laboratory
600 Main Street
Bar Harbor, Maine
Friday, April 13, 2012
12:00 PM - 5:45 PM

This half-day free CME* event will be held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Maine Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP). The goal of the session is to enhance Maine health care providers’ understanding of the various aspects of detecting and managing individuals with familial cancer syndromes. Lunch will be provided at noon.

View the complete listing of regional educational opportunities posted. Email info@nnecos.org to have your event added to the list!

NH Committee on Health and Human Services Considering Recommendation on NH HB 1642-FN

Lori Aubrey — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:18:11 GMT

The second day of hearings with the Committee on Health and Human Services for NH HB 1642-FN regarding proposed review exemptions for destination treatment centers continued Thursday with testimony from CTCA personnel.
The committee is still deliberating its recommendation on whether to allow such exceptions.
It was reported that during testimony, the CTCA cited invitations from officials in Maine to consider the location of a facility in their state.
NNECOS remains concerned with the special exceptions being sought, and possible impact of a destination cancer hospital in our region.
Legislators need to hear the voice of their constituents on this important issue!

http://www.concordmonitor.com/article/310697/cancer-center-wants-review-exemption?
http://www.wmur.com/health/30421656/detail.html
http://www.eagletribune.com/newhampshire/x980633914/Cancer-center-official-N-H-review-process-not-attractive

U.S. Food And Drug Administration Approves Pfizer’s INLYTA® (axitinib) For Patients With Previously Treated Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC)

Lori Aubrey — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:55:00 GMT

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved INLYTA® (axitinib), a kinase inhibitor, for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) after failure of one prior systemic therapy. The approval is based on data from the Phase 3 AXIS trial, which demonstrated that INLYTA significantly extended progression free survival (PFS) [HR=0.67, 0.54-0.81, P<0.0001] with a median PFS of 6.7 months (95% CI: 6.3, 8.6) compared with 4.7 months (95% CI: 4.6, 5.6) for those treated with sorafenib, a current standard of care for this patient population, representing a 43 percent improvement in median PFS compared to sorafenib. For more information and full prescribing information please visit www.InlytaHCP.com.

View this and other FDA Approvals on the dedicated FDA Approvals page under theResources section of our website.

Hearing on NH HB1642-FN Continues Thursday 2/9/12

Lori Aubrey — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:58:55 GMT

According to the Concord Monitor, the hearing on NH HB 1642-FN will continue Thursday morning at 9am.

NH RESIDENTS - TAKE ACTION TODAY
It is imperative for NH residents to contact individual representatives on the Health and Human Service Committee by phone to walk the committee members through concerns surrounding this bill. A phone call is the best way to draw attention to the degree of concern. It is critical that the HHS Committee hear the voices of their constituents.

Group email for the HHS Committee: HHSEA@leg.state.nh.us

Phone list for HEALTH, HUMAN SERVICES & ELDERLY AFFAIRS

NNECOS Member Alert! NNECOS Opposes New Hampshire House Bill 1642-FN

Lori Aubrey — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:26:13 GMT

NNECOS has become aware of a troubling legislative initiative in the New Hampshire House of Representatives that impacts cancer care in our region. New Hampshire House Bill 1642-FN proposes exemption for a “destination cancer hospital” from regulatory oversight and from supporting uncompensated care or Medicaid services. The significantly flawed rationale behind this legislation appears to be that investment in cancer care beds, equipment and services in New Hampshire should be permitted without regulation if you are a destination cancer center. Proponents of this legislation have not considered the likely consequences of this legislation. This legislative exception to the CON process that currently governs existing facilities would serve to disrupt the existing infrastructure of oncology care in the region and create financial stress to both hospitals and physician practices, reducing the availability of cancer treatment services to all NH citizens across the socioeconomic spectrum.

Read the complete member alert.

NNECOS welcomes your comments on this issue! Please post your reply or email info@nnecos.org.

New Route of Administration for Millenium's VELCADE (bortezomib)

Lori Aubrey — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:35:40 GMT

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved VELCADE for subcutaneous administration in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and relapsed mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

View this and other FDA Approvals on the dedicated FDA Approvals page under the Resources section of our website.

Maine Cancer Foundation Grants Available

Lori Aubrey — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:39:36 GMT

Request for Proposals for Cancer Education or Patient Support Due March 1, 2012

Education:

The Foundation seeks to expand the level of knowledge among healthcare professionals and the public regarding the molecular origins of cancer, the role of genetics in cancer, cancer prevention methods and early detection strategies.

Patient Support:

The Foundation seeks to augment its commitment to cancer research and education by supporting programs that seek to assist patients and their families in dealing with a cancer diagnosis.

For Complete Guidelines and an Application visit www.mainecancer.org or phone 773-2533 for a packet. Programs must be Maine based. Typical maximum funding is $10,000 for one year; however, the Foundation will consider extending funding up to $50,000 for one project per year.

NH CCC Annual Meeting

Lori Aubrey — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:28:35 GMT

Cancer Survivorship:
Four-Dimensional Approach To A National Challenge
March 21, 2012 Annual Meeting

The program will address physical, psychosocial, spiritual, and financial needs of survivors.
Presenters:

Rebecca Kirch, American Cancer Society, Director of Survivorship & Quality of Life

Diana Dickson-Witmer MD, Commission on Cancer (CoC)

Teresa Ponn MD, NH State CoC Liaison

Breakout sessions featuring NH-based interventions and resources