The assessment of response to radiation-based therapies can be complicated by persistent or changing imaging features, and this field of study is still in active development even though imaging-based response assessment systems have been validated for the evaluation of response to ablative locoregional therapies. Research is still needed to address the shortcomings of current imaging criteria for evaluating tumor response to these novel techniques, despite the increased application of radiation-based local-regional therapies for the treatment of HCC following technological advancements and a better understanding of tumor biology.

A group of UK researchers has created a novel prostate cancer (PaC) screening test (EpiSwitch) that, when combined with the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, has a high degree of accuracy for detecting the cancer. The test is based on measurement of five chromosome conformations that were first discovered in association with advanced PaC. The EpiSwitch test has a high positive predictive value for the diagnosis of PaC (92%) and a high negative predictive value (94%) when used in conjunction with the PSA level as a continuous variable, according to the researchers. The study’s authors advocated for additional research to investigate the test’s efficacy in larger patient samples, even though it was based on a scant number of patient samples.

The first standalone AI-based cancer diagnostics product of its kind to receive Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices Regulation (IVDR) certification is Galen Prostate. Ibex intends to transition more goods, such as its Galen Breast and Galen Gastric solutions, under the IVDR accreditation during 2023.

When asked whether interventional oncology (IO) has established itself as the fourth pillar of oncology, three eminent interventional oncologists agreed that it is an “ongoing process.” They talked about how to ensure that IOs have a voice in cancer treatment:

The agency stated that the JZ modifier (zero drug amount discarded/not administered to any patient) “will be required for all drugs separately payable under Part B that are designated as a single-dose container on the FDA-approved label or package insert for which there are no discarded amounts” in the 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), published Nov. 18, 2022. All suppliers and providers who purchase and bill Medicare Part B separately payment medications (single dose container/package) are subject to the JZ modifier. The modifier is eligible for billing as of January 1, and CMS has given providers until July 1 to adopt it.

Hospitals are seeing trends with which no one in hospital management has experience: inflation rates above 5%, higher staff shortages, increased staffing costs, supply chain challenges, and more. Hospitalists have a proven benefit in reducing length of stay, improving with nursing and allied health staff, and finding other ways to reduce cost and utilization.