IMOS Upcoming Events

Monthly Teleconference: Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Fellows Research Competition Dinner (for Fellows only): Thursday, August 25, 2011, 6:00 pm

Monthly Teleconference: Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Monthly Teleconference: Wednesday, October 26, 2011

FALL MEMBERSHIP CONFERENCE: Friday, October 28, 2011, Crowne Plaza, Rosemont

For more information, go to www.imos-illinois.com.

2011 IMOS Board of Directors

President
Paul A.S. Fishkin, MD
Illinois Cancer Care

President–Elect
Timothy M. Kuzel, MD, FACP
Northwestern University

Secretary/Treasurer
Bruce R. Kaden, MD
Cancer Care & Hematology Specialists of Chicagoland

Immediate Past President
Stephanie F. Williams, MD
Hematology–Oncology Associates of Illinois

Members–at–Large
Joseph J. Kash, MD
Edward Cancer Center

Donna Krueger, RN, OCN
Glen Morton Medical Center

John Kugler, MD
Illinois Cancer Care

Gary MacVicar, MD
Northwestern University

Ann L. Mellott, MD
Hematology–Oncology Associates of Illinois

IMOS Corporate Members

(as of 6/30/11)

Gold

Amgen, Inc
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals/Onyx Pharmaceuticals
Celgene Corporation
Genentech, Inc.
GlaxoSmithKline
Lilly Oncology
Merck & Co
Millennium, The Takeda Oncology Company
Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation

Thank you for the value you add to IMOS!

New Logo, New Look!

We hope you enjoy our newly redesigned IMOS NewsLine. Please email us if you have any questions, comments, or news you'd like to see appear in the next NewsLine.

— Summer 2011 —

President's Message: 2011: An Outstanding Year for IMOS!
Paul A.S. Fishkin, MD

Dear Colleague,

This year has been an outstanding year for oncology in Illinois. Membership in the Illinois Medical Oncology Society (IMOS) is now open to include practice managers, oncology pharmacists, nurse practitioners, specialists in oncology contracts, billers, coders, and other oncology business staff. The practice administrators merged into IMOS, bringing their skills and knowledge to our organization.

Here are some of the highlights of the last year:

• Last fall's Annual Membership Conference added a track for mid–level providers, in addition to our physician and practice administration track.
• Our first meeting in downstate Illinois, which took place at the Embassy Suites in Peoria, focused on economic challenges in cancer care today and was well attended.
• We have added a monthly conference call for practice administrators that addresses billing and reimbursement challenges.
• Earlier this year, we sponsored a successful dinner meeting for fellows in Chicago, inviting a speaker to assist Fellows in negotiating contracts for their first employment.
• This summer, IMOS is sponsoring a Fellows Research Competition, inviting Fellows to submit abstracts of their research activities. The primary authors of the top three abstracts, selected by a subcommittee of the Board, will receive a cash stipend and present their findings at a dinner meeting taking place in Chicago in late August.
• We have mobilized IMOS members to respond to possible cuts in Medicare funding that are being considered in the debt ceiling negotiations.
• We are planning an exciting 2011 Annual Membership Conference to take place on Friday, October 28, in Rosemont that will include a clinical track for physicians and mid-level providers on recent findings relative to breast and lung cancer, a concurrent oncology business track on practice management and personnel management, and a payer panel for which we are inviting some of the thought leaders from the major private insurers in Illinois. It promises to be an excellent educational opportunity for clinical and non–clinical oncology personnel alike!
• IMOS now has over two hundred members, and the IMOS Board of Directors is grateful for your support and vote of confidence. We will be having an election soon, and I encourage you to consider volunteering your time and talent to the leadership of your state society. The offices of President–Elect, Secretary/Treasurer and one Member–at–Large position are in need of candidates. I hope you will think about volunteering for a Board position.

As my presidency comes to a close, I want to thank you for your interest in our state society and wish my colleague, Dr. Tim Kuzel, best wishes for his presidency in 2011–2013.

New Resource Now Available to IMOS Members

IMOS members recently received an email about a new resource available to them as a benefit of being an IMOS member. This new tool, Patient Assistance: Educating and Empowering Cancer Patients and Their Families, developed by the State Society Education Series, is designed to help members provide their patients with the information they need when resources are limited. Targeted to patients who would benefit from financial assistance, this guide provides an overview of patient assistance programs, including eligibility requirements. It serves as a starting point for patients to begin the application process.

The brochure may be downloaded and printed either professionally or in house. It may also be used in conjunction with ACCC's Patient Assistance and Reimbursement Programs: A Guide for Community Cancer Centers, which provides quick and easy access to the forms patients may need to apply for assistance. To access this resource, go to the IMOS website.

IMOS is one of seven states that sponsors the State Society Education Series for their members. The series includes educational programs, webinars, and resource materials to assist in providing quality care for cancer patients. State societies in Arizona, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, South Carolina, and Virginia also participate in the Series.

Monthly Teleconferences for Practice Managers, Administrators, and Billing Personnel

Every month IMOS sponsors teleconferences for practice managers, administrators, and billing personnel. These teleconferences provide the business staff of oncology practices with opportunities to network, compare strategies, and address issues of interest. Teleconferences take place the fourth Wednesday of every month at 12:00 pm CT, and the topics vary from month to month. Please mark your calendars for the following dates: August 24, September 21, and October 26. Contact satterbury@accc-cancer.org for the call–in information.

Drugs in the News from IMOS Corporate Members

AMGEN INC. (www.amgen.com) announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Xgeva™ (denosumab) to help prevent skeletal-related events (SREs) in patients with cancer that has metastasized and damaged the bone. Skeletal-related events include bone fractures from cancer and bone pain requiring radiation. Xgeva is a monoclonal antibody that targets a protein involved in cancer-related bone destruction called human RANKL. Xgeva is not approved for patients with multiple myeloma or other cancers of the blood. Xgeva’s safety and effectiveness were confirmed in three randomized, double-blind clinical studies in 5,723 patients comparing Xgeva with Zometa. The head-to-head trials evaluated Xgeva delivered every four weeks as a 120 mg subcutaneous injection vs. Zometa® (zoledronic acid) delivered every 4 weeks via a 15-minute intravenous infusion, adjusted for kidney function per the labeled instructions. (Oncology Issues, January/February 2011)

NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CORPORATION (www.novartis.com) announced that the FDA has approved Afinitor® (everolimus) tablets for patients with subependymal giant cell astrocytoma (SEGA), a benign brain tumor associated with tuberous sclerosis (TS), who require therapeutic intervention but are not candidates for curative surgical resection. (Oncology Issues, January/February 2011)

GENENTECH, a member of the Roche Group, and Biogen Idec (www.gene.com) announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Rituxan© (rituximab) as a maintenance treatment for patients with advanced follicular lymphoma who responded to initial treatment with Rituxan plus chemotherapy (induction treatment). This approval was based on data from the Phase III PRIMA study, which showed continuing Rituxan administration every two months for two years in patients who responded to initial treatment with Rituxan plus chemotherapy, nearly doubled the likelihood of them living without the disease worsening (progression-free survival) compared to those who stopped treatment. (Oncology Issues, March/April 2011)

The FDA approved SCHERING CORPORATION’S (www.merck.com) Sylatron™ (peginterferonalfa-2b) for the treatment of patients with melanoma with microscopic or gross nodal involvement within 84 days of definitive surgical resection, including complete lymphadenectomy. The approval was based on a single trial, EORTC18991, an open label, multi-center trial enrolling 1,256 patients. The recommended dose and schedule for Sylatron is 6 mcg/kg/week, subcutaneously for 8 doses, followed by 3 mcg/kg/week subcutaneously. The maximum treatment period is 5 years (260 weeks). Sylatron is contraindicated in patients with a history of anaphylaxis to peginterferon alfa-2b or interferon alfa-2b, in patients with autoimmune hepatitis, and in patients with hepatic decompensation (Child-Pugh score >6 [class B and C]). (Oncology Issues, May/June 2011)

CELGENE CORPORATION (www.celgene.com) announced that the FDA has granted accelerated approval for its supplemental new drug application (sNDA) for an additional indication for Istodax (romidepsin) for injection for the treatment of peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) in patients who have received at least one prior therapy. Istodax is also approved for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) in patients who have received at least one prior systemic therapy. (Celgene Corporation, Press Release, June 16, 2011)

The FDA approved Afinitor® (everolimus) Tablets (NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CORPORATION, www.novartis.com) for the treatment of progressive neuroendocrine tumors of pancreatic origin (PNET) in patients with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic disease. (Oncology Issues, July/August 2011)

Welcome New IMOS Members!

For more information about Illinois Medical Oncology Society (IMOS)
go to www.imos-illinois.com or call 301.984.9496, ext. 218

You are receiving this message because you are affiliated with IMOS and we believe you will benefit from this information.