ASCO 2014 Is A Wrap: If Immunotherapy Is The Queen Of The Ball, Then Panomics Holds The Keys To The Kingdom

As in years past, the trip home from the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago gives me a moment to reflect on what I have heard and hopefully learned over the past five days. This meeting is a whirlwind of activity and information, far too much for any one person to absorb and process. You can be focused on one topic, you can be general, and you can hear new cutting edge research or be educated on topics of general interest in cancer. You can go to the exhibit hall and be overwhelmed by the booths and displays (I tend not to go there, but obviously many others do). I suspect you get the idea. Ultimately for me it is the take away messages about trends in cancer research and cancer care that matter the most personally. And this year the trends appear to be somewhat similar to past years, with perhaps some new wrinkles. What is undeniable is that if immunotherapy is the queen at the ball, then "panomics" (I really like that word) holds the keys to the kingdom. As I started with last week, the cost of drugs is on the minds of many. With new drugs seeking approval from the Food and Drug Administration and a pipeline filled with new opportunities, there is no question that we are going to have to find ways to make this system sustainable for patients, physicians, researchers and pharmaceutical companies. But the costs are going to go up, of which there is little doubt. And considerable uncertainty exists as to how we are going to deal with that. ...
Source: Dr. Len's Cancer Blog - Category: Cancer Authors: Tags: Access to care Breast Cancer Cancer Care Cervical Cancer Heatlh Information Technology Lung Cancer Media Medications Melanoma Other cancers Research Skin Cancer Treatment Source Type: blogs