Lynda Seminara

Research may hasten the effort to determine which strains of cancer will eventually become resistant to chemotherapy, paving the way for developing more effective targeted treatments.

A study, by M. Cecilia Cano, PhD, et al at the Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, has shown that monotherapy treatment with PI3K inhibitors may worsen a patient’s cancer by causing more aggressive tumor cell behavior and increasing the likelihood of metastases to other organs.

Inhibition of the activin receptor-like kinase 1 (ALK1) protein may prevent metastasis of breast cancer, according to a study published in Cancer Research.

A study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, May 18, 2015, details payer cost and use, as well as out-of-pocket (OOP) spending, for privately insured nonelderly patients receiving oral or intravenous (IV) chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer.