Oncology news you can use: Read on!

accconnect
A bi-monthly e-newsletter from the Association of Community Cancer Centers
January 27 | 2010

Cancer Care Trends Survey to be Released at ACCC's 36th Annual National Meeting in Baltimore, MD

A first glimpse at ACCC’s 2010 “Cancer Care Trends” survey results will be presented at ACCC's 36th Annual National Meeting, March 17-20, 2010, in Baltimore, Md. We'll examine how cancer programs are adapting to the recession, what's happening with hospital-based practice arrangements, what's being purchased or not, and more. The survey aims to assist members in evaluating their organizations’ performance.

Join us at the nation's number one oncology meeting. You and your team will find the expert perspective and relevant tools you need to compete and succeed. For example, we’ll provide innovative solutions to attract staff, align incentives, and leverage clinical and business tools to drive quality and value-based cancer care. A great return on investment for your program or practice!

Read more about the meeting.

Read ACCC's 2009 survey.

New Continuing Education Activity on Therapy for Advanced/Metastatic NSCLC

A live web broadcast, "New Paradigms for Systemic Therapy in Advanced/Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer," will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010, 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm, and 3:00 pm ET. This activity is designed to meet the educational needs of medical oncologists/hematologists, radiologists, advanced oncology practice nurses, and any others involved in the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous NSCLC. Offered by Connexion360.

Register today on ACCC's CE Blackboard.

Reminder: ACCC and Medscape Oncology have launched an online educational initiative that offers a community provider perspective about emerging data and treatment strategies presented at scientific meetings, such as those of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Check out "Community Perspective on Solid Tumors in GU, GI, and Lung Cancers: Management Strategies" and "Community Perspective on Mulitple Myeloma."

Read more.

Heard on ACCC's Listserve: Leaving Ports Accessed for Multiple Day Chemotherapy

When you have a patient with a port that is receiving a multiple day regimen, do you leave the port accessed or do you re–access every day?

Click here to read postings from ACCC's listserve on this topic.

The Downside of Diagnostic Imaging

The recent NCI Cancer Bulletin examines ways to reduce radiation exposure from diagnostic medicine without negatively impacting the quality of patient care. The issue: Between 1980 and 2006, the annual per-capita effective radiation dose in the United States nearly doubled. Almost all of this increased dose came from exposure through medical imaging, which increased by about 600 percent. It is estimated that approximately 29,000 future cancers could be related to CT scans performed in the United States in 2007 alone.

Read more.

FDA Revises Safety Information for Bortezomib

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has revised dosage and safety information for bortezomib (Velcade), the myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma drug, to reflect an increased toxicity risk. The new label includes a warning for patients with moderate-to-severe hepatic impairment and now recommends at-risk patients start at a lower dosage of 0.7 mg for the first cycle of treatment and escalate to 1.0 mg, or reduce further to 0.5 mg, in subsequent cycles.

Read more.

Seeking Your Thoughts on ACCC's Meeting Topics

ACCC's Program Committee is already working on the Fall 2010 Oncology Economics Conference agenda (St. Louis, Sept. 29-Oct. 2, 2010). What topics would you like to see presented? Do you have a model program or innovative idea you'd like to tell your colleagues about?

Email labankert@accc-cancer.org with your suggestions.

Spanish Translations of NCI Patient Publications Now Available

Three patient education booklets in the National Cancer Institute's "What You Need To Know About Cancer" series have been translated into Spanish for the first time and are now accessible on the NCI website. Publications include Leukemia, Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.