Assessing the Impact of Multidisciplinary Cancer Consultations on Cancer Quality Metrics.

Objective: Multidisciplinary cancer consultations play a critical role in the delivery of quality cancer care by promoting treatment planning and collaborative decision-making. The objective of this study was to evaluate associations between multidisciplinary cancer consultations and receipt of guideline-recommended adjuvant treatments among breast, colorectal, or non-small cell lung cancer patients and assess these associations between and within racial and ethnic groups.

Methods: This is a population-based retrospective cohort study using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER), Medicare-linked data (2006-2016) to identify Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with nonmetastatic breast, colorectal, or non-small cell lung cancer.

Evolving patterns in systemic treatment utilization and survival among older patients with advanced cutaneous melanoma.

Introduction: In the last decade, melanoma treatment has improved significantly. However, data on population-level treatment utilization and survival trends among older patients is limited. This study aimed to analyze trends in systemic anticancer therapy (Rx), including the uptake of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), in conjunction with trends in cause-specific survival among older patients (66+) diagnosed with advanced melanoma (2008-2019).

Use of pembrolizumab among older adults with cancer in the United States, before and after FDA approval of its tumor-agnostic indication.

Introduction: Pembrolizumab, an anticancer immunotherapy agent, has received multiple approvals since its first approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2014.

Multilevel factors associated with inequities in multidisciplinary cancer consultation.

Objective: To assess changes in the prevalence of multidisciplinary cancer consultations (MDCc) over the last decade and examine patient, surgeon, hospital, and neighborhood factors associated with receipt of MDCc among individuals diagnosed with cancer.

Data Source: Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare data from 2006 to 2016.

Study Design: We used time-series analysis to assess change in MDCc prevalence from 2007 to 2015.

Cancer-Attributable Medical Costs for Colorectal Cancer Patients by Phases of Care: What Is the Effect of a Prior Cancer History?

Medical care costing studies have excluded patients with a prior cancer history. This study aims to update methods for estimating medical care costs attributable to cancer and to evaluate the effect of a prior history of cancer on costs for colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. We used Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare data and matched cancer patients to controls without cancer to estimate cancer-attributable costs by phases of care using Medicare 2007-2013 claims.

Associations between selected biomarkers and prognosis in a population-based pancreatic cancer tissue microarray.

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Prognostic biomarkers are lacking, and treatment has limited effect on survival. Tissues from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registries (Iowa, Hawaii, and Los Angeles) were used to build a tissue microarray of 161 pancreatic tumors (113 resections and 48 biopsies).