Video

VIENNA – Given atezolizumab’s success over chemotherapy in the recent POPLAR trial, is it time to think of immunotherapy as a first-line option for relapsed non–small-cell lung cancer?

“Several data sets, including POPLAR but also with other immune checkpoint inhibitors, have now shown that immunotherapy outcomes are superior to standard chemotherapy outcomes in the relapsed treatment of non–small-cell lung cancer,” noted POPLAR study author Dr. Johan Vansteenkiste of University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium.

In an interview at the European Cancer Congress 2015, Dr. Vansteenkiste discussed the potential for immunotherapy to become a standard relapse treatment for NSCLC, either alone or as combination treatment with chemotherapy.

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On Twitter @pwendl

VIENNA – Given atezolizumab’s success over chemotherapy in the recent POPLAR trial, is it time to think of immunotherapy as a first-line option for relapsed non–small-cell lung cancer?

“Several data sets, including POPLAR but also with other immune checkpoint inhibitors, have now shown that immunotherapy outcomes are superior to standard chemotherapy outcomes in the relapsed treatment of non–small-cell lung cancer,” noted POPLAR study author Dr. Johan Vansteenkiste of University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium.

In an interview at the European Cancer Congress 2015, Dr. Vansteenkiste discussed the potential for immunotherapy to become a standard relapse treatment for NSCLC, either alone or as combination treatment with chemotherapy.

[email protected]

On Twitter @pwendl

VIENNA – Given atezolizumab’s success over chemotherapy in the recent POPLAR trial, is it time to think of immunotherapy as a first-line option for relapsed non–small-cell lung cancer?

“Several data sets, including POPLAR but also with other immune checkpoint inhibitors, have now shown that immunotherapy outcomes are superior to standard chemotherapy outcomes in the relapsed treatment of non–small-cell lung cancer,” noted POPLAR study author Dr. Johan Vansteenkiste of University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium.

In an interview at the European Cancer Congress 2015, Dr. Vansteenkiste discussed the potential for immunotherapy to become a standard relapse treatment for NSCLC, either alone or as combination treatment with chemotherapy.

[email protected]

On Twitter @pwendl

LAS VEGAS – There’s no easy fix for fibromyalgia, a problem that seems to lurk in the gap between mind and body.

Pharmaceuticals don’t work too well, and patients usually stop taking them after a while. Physicians are often at a loss for what to try next.

Part of the problem, at least for now, is that fibromyalgia is a poor fit for the medical model; it may be time to reconsider it from a broader perspective, according to Dr. Brian Walitt, director of clinical pain research at the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, in Bethesda, Md. He shared his insights – and a few tips for helping sufferers – in a video interview at the annual Perspectives in Rheumatic Diseases, held by Global Academy for Medical Education.

Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.

[email protected]

LAS VEGAS – There’s no easy fix for fibromyalgia, a problem that seems to lurk in the gap between mind and body.

Pharmaceuticals don’t work too well, and patients usually stop taking them after a while. Physicians are often at a loss for what to try next.

Part of the problem, at least for now, is that fibromyalgia is a poor fit for the medical model; it may be time to reconsider it from a broader perspective, according to Dr. Brian Walitt, director of clinical pain research at the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, in Bethesda, Md. He shared his insights – and a few tips for helping sufferers – in a video interview at the annual Perspectives in Rheumatic Diseases, held by Global Academy for Medical Education.

Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.

[email protected]

LAS VEGAS – There’s no easy fix for fibromyalgia, a problem that seems to lurk in the gap between mind and body.

Pharmaceuticals don’t work too well, and patients usually stop taking them after a while. Physicians are often at a loss for what to try next.

Part of the problem, at least for now, is that fibromyalgia is a poor fit for the medical model; it may be time to reconsider it from a broader perspective, according to Dr. Brian Walitt, director of clinical pain research at the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, in Bethesda, Md. He shared his insights – and a few tips for helping sufferers – in a video interview at the annual Perspectives in Rheumatic Diseases, held by Global Academy for Medical Education.

Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.

[email protected]

VIENNA – The survival benefit shown by nivolumab in the phase III CheckMate 025 trial may offer hope of even longer survival benefits in advanced kidney cancer.

During a press briefing at the European Cancer Congress, study author Dr. Padmanee Sharma of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, defended immune checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab’s 5.6-month gain in overall survival.

“The immune checkpoint therapy agents are targeting your immune system,” Dr. Sharma explained in an interview. “Your immune system has the capability of giving you a memory response.” That could lead to long-term, durable responses in cancer patients that can last for years, she noted.

[email protected]

On Twitter @pwendl

VIENNA – The survival benefit shown by nivolumab in the phase III CheckMate 025 trial may offer hope of even longer survival benefits in advanced kidney cancer.

During a press briefing at the European Cancer Congress, study author Dr. Padmanee Sharma of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, defended immune checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab’s 5.6-month gain in overall survival.

“The immune checkpoint therapy agents are targeting your immune system,” Dr. Sharma explained in an interview. “Your immune system has the capability of giving you a memory response.” That could lead to long-term, durable responses in cancer patients that can last for years, she noted.

[email protected]

On Twitter @pwendl

VIENNA – The survival benefit shown by nivolumab in the phase III CheckMate 025 trial may offer hope of even longer survival benefits in advanced kidney cancer.

During a press briefing at the European Cancer Congress, study author Dr. Padmanee Sharma of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, defended immune checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab’s 5.6-month gain in overall survival.

“The immune checkpoint therapy agents are targeting your immune system,” Dr. Sharma explained in an interview. “Your immune system has the capability of giving you a memory response.” That could lead to long-term, durable responses in cancer patients that can last for years, she noted.

[email protected]

On Twitter @pwendl

Use of CardioMEMS by U.S. clinicians to measure pulmonary artery pressures daily in more advanced heart failure patients is currently quite variable around the country, with some enthusiastic, early adopters of the technology while many other programs have so far opted not to invest in the technology

Among the early adopters of CardioMEMS many programs are “trying to sort through” how to use the data they collect from patients using the implanted device, Dr. Mary Norine Walsh said during an interview. “Each clinical teams needs to work out not only how the data will be interpreted but also who will act on it, and how will the patient get the information,” said Dr. Walsh, medical director of the heart failure and transplantation program at the St. Vincent Heart Center in Indianapolis. “We need to get the data to patients quickly,” she said.

Despite this uncertainty over how to best use and disseminate the pulmonary artery pressure data collected using CardioMEMS, Dr. Walsh voiced confidence that it will ultimately make a difference for how advanced heart failure patients are managed and their rehospitalization rates. But for the time being “how much CardioMEMS and other technologies can have an impact on avoidable readmissions is not yet clear” for real-world practice, she said.

Dr. Walsh had no disclosures.

[email protected]

On Twitter @mitchelzoler

Use of CardioMEMS by U.S. clinicians to measure pulmonary artery pressures daily in more advanced heart failure patients is currently quite variable around the country, with some enthusiastic, early adopters of the technology while many other programs have so far opted not to invest in the technology

Among the early adopters of CardioMEMS many programs are “trying to sort through” how to use the data they collect from patients using the implanted device, Dr. Mary Norine Walsh said during an interview. “Each clinical teams needs to work out not only how the data will be interpreted but also who will act on it, and how will the patient get the information,” said Dr. Walsh, medical director of the heart failure and transplantation program at the St. Vincent Heart Center in Indianapolis. “We need to get the data to patients quickly,” she said.

Despite this uncertainty over how to best use and disseminate the pulmonary artery pressure data collected using CardioMEMS, Dr. Walsh voiced confidence that it will ultimately make a difference for how advanced heart failure patients are managed and their rehospitalization rates. But for the time being “how much CardioMEMS and other technologies can have an impact on avoidable readmissions is not yet clear” for real-world practice, she said.

Dr. Walsh had no disclosures.

[email protected]

On Twitter @mitchelzoler

Use of CardioMEMS by U.S. clinicians to measure pulmonary artery pressures daily in more advanced heart failure patients is currently quite variable around the country, with some enthusiastic, early adopters of the technology while many other programs have so far opted not to invest in the technology

Among the early adopters of CardioMEMS many programs are “trying to sort through” how to use the data they collect from patients using the implanted device, Dr. Mary Norine Walsh said during an interview. “Each clinical teams needs to work out not only how the data will be interpreted but also who will act on it, and how will the patient get the information,” said Dr. Walsh, medical director of the heart failure and transplantation program at the St. Vincent Heart Center in Indianapolis. “We need to get the data to patients quickly,” she said.

Despite this uncertainty over how to best use and disseminate the pulmonary artery pressure data collected using CardioMEMS, Dr. Walsh voiced confidence that it will ultimately make a difference for how advanced heart failure patients are managed and their rehospitalization rates. But for the time being “how much CardioMEMS and other technologies can have an impact on avoidable readmissions is not yet clear” for real-world practice, she said.

Dr. Walsh had no disclosures.

[email protected]

On Twitter @mitchelzoler

LAS VEGAS – Pregnancy outcomes can be excellent in women with lupus, but they need help to make sure everything goes okay.

Rheumatologist Dr. Jennifer Grossman, director of lupus clinical investigational research at the University of California, Los Angeles, knows how to do it right. In a video interview at the annual Perspectives in Rheumatic Diseases held by Global Academy for Medical Education, she discussed tips on managing pregnancy in lupus patients, including the use of hydroxychloroquine to prevent flares, azathioprine to treat lupus nephritis, and aspirin to reduce the risk of preeclampsia.

Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.

[email protected]

LAS VEGAS – Pregnancy outcomes can be excellent in women with lupus, but they need help to make sure everything goes okay.

Rheumatologist Dr. Jennifer Grossman, director of lupus clinical investigational research at the University of California, Los Angeles, knows how to do it right. In a video interview at the annual Perspectives in Rheumatic Diseases held by Global Academy for Medical Education, she discussed tips on managing pregnancy in lupus patients, including the use of hydroxychloroquine to prevent flares, azathioprine to treat lupus nephritis, and aspirin to reduce the risk of preeclampsia.

Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.

[email protected]

LAS VEGAS – Pregnancy outcomes can be excellent in women with lupus, but they need help to make sure everything goes okay.

Rheumatologist Dr. Jennifer Grossman, director of lupus clinical investigational research at the University of California, Los Angeles, knows how to do it right. In a video interview at the annual Perspectives in Rheumatic Diseases held by Global Academy for Medical Education, she discussed tips on managing pregnancy in lupus patients, including the use of hydroxychloroquine to prevent flares, azathioprine to treat lupus nephritis, and aspirin to reduce the risk of preeclampsia.

Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.

[email protected]

LAS VEGAS – Scleroderma treatment is evolving quickly.

Newer classification criteria from the American College of Rheumatology and the European League Against Rheumatism are helping diagnose and treat the disease earlier, and ongoing investigations are defining the proper roles of mycophenolate mofetil, cyclophosphamide, stem cell transplants, and other treatments in the disease. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation status to tocilizumab for its development as a potential treatment for scleroderma.

In an interview at the annual Perspectives in Rheumatic Diseases held by Global Academy for Medical Education, Dr. Daniel Furst, the Carl M. Pearson Professor in Rheumatology at the University of California, Los Angeles, gave a quick review of those and other recent developments and shared a few treatment pearls, including how he uses a simple skin finding to differentiate diffuse from limited disease.

Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.

[email protected]

LAS VEGAS – Scleroderma treatment is evolving quickly.

Newer classification criteria from the American College of Rheumatology and the European League Against Rheumatism are helping diagnose and treat the disease earlier, and ongoing investigations are defining the proper roles of mycophenolate mofetil, cyclophosphamide, stem cell transplants, and other treatments in the disease. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation status to tocilizumab for its development as a potential treatment for scleroderma.

In an interview at the annual Perspectives in Rheumatic Diseases held by Global Academy for Medical Education, Dr. Daniel Furst, the Carl M. Pearson Professor in Rheumatology at the University of California, Los Angeles, gave a quick review of those and other recent developments and shared a few treatment pearls, including how he uses a simple skin finding to differentiate diffuse from limited disease.

Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.

[email protected]

LAS VEGAS – Scleroderma treatment is evolving quickly.

Newer classification criteria from the American College of Rheumatology and the European League Against Rheumatism are helping diagnose and treat the disease earlier, and ongoing investigations are defining the proper roles of mycophenolate mofetil, cyclophosphamide, stem cell transplants, and other treatments in the disease. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation status to tocilizumab for its development as a potential treatment for scleroderma.

In an interview at the annual Perspectives in Rheumatic Diseases held by Global Academy for Medical Education, Dr. Daniel Furst, the Carl M. Pearson Professor in Rheumatology at the University of California, Los Angeles, gave a quick review of those and other recent developments and shared a few treatment pearls, including how he uses a simple skin finding to differentiate diffuse from limited disease.

Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.

[email protected]

LAS VEGAS – Vasculitis isn’t always the final diagnosis, even with a positive ANCA.

A wide range of conditions – even bacterial endocarditis and adulterated cocaine – can set up secondary vasculitis, and it’s easy to mistake one of them for the main problem when it’s really only a sideshow. Clinicians are especially likely to get in trouble if they rely on ANCA (antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody) as a screening test for vasculitis.

In an interview at a conference held by the Global Academy for Medical Education, Dr. Brian Mandell, a rheumatology professor at the Cleveland Clinic, explained how to avoid the trap. The Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by Frontline Medical Communications.

[email protected]

LAS VEGAS – Vasculitis isn’t always the final diagnosis, even with a positive ANCA.

A wide range of conditions – even bacterial endocarditis and adulterated cocaine – can set up secondary vasculitis, and it’s easy to mistake one of them for the main problem when it’s really only a sideshow. Clinicians are especially likely to get in trouble if they rely on ANCA (antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody) as a screening test for vasculitis.

In an interview at a conference held by the Global Academy for Medical Education, Dr. Brian Mandell, a rheumatology professor at the Cleveland Clinic, explained how to avoid the trap. The Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by Frontline Medical Communications.

[email protected]

LAS VEGAS – Vasculitis isn’t always the final diagnosis, even with a positive ANCA.

A wide range of conditions – even bacterial endocarditis and adulterated cocaine – can set up secondary vasculitis, and it’s easy to mistake one of them for the main problem when it’s really only a sideshow. Clinicians are especially likely to get in trouble if they rely on ANCA (antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody) as a screening test for vasculitis.

In an interview at a conference held by the Global Academy for Medical Education, Dr. Brian Mandell, a rheumatology professor at the Cleveland Clinic, explained how to avoid the trap. The Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by Frontline Medical Communications.

[email protected]

Melanoma has become more diverse in terms of the patients affected and the treatment course. Dr. Lorraine L. Rosamilia discusses individualized melanoma care from the early stages of diagnosis through treatment and follow-up. She explains clear margins from excisions and management based on tumor thickness. Coordinated care also is important to evaluate the best treatment course for the patient and favorable outcomes.

Melanoma has become more diverse in terms of the patients affected and the treatment course. Dr. Lorraine L. Rosamilia discusses individualized melanoma care from the early stages of diagnosis through treatment and follow-up. She explains clear margins from excisions and management based on tumor thickness. Coordinated care also is important to evaluate the best treatment course for the patient and favorable outcomes.

Melanoma has become more diverse in terms of the patients affected and the treatment course. Dr. Lorraine L. Rosamilia discusses individualized melanoma care from the early stages of diagnosis through treatment and follow-up. She explains clear margins from excisions and management based on tumor thickness. Coordinated care also is important to evaluate the best treatment course for the patient and favorable outcomes.