Conor Hale

Julie Vose, outgoing president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, addressed the opening session of the society's annual meeting in Chicago, discussing the themes of her year in office, the coming changes in federal cancer research and Medicare reimbursement, and the progress made over the society's past 52 years.

A Congressional committee earlier this week provided a venue for opponents of a controversial Medicare Part B payment model to argue against its implementation by Centers for Medicaid Services.

FDA issued final regulations for all tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes, cigars and hookah. The rules, with provisions aimed at restricting youth access and requiring premarket clearance for new products, will take effect Aug. 8.

Over 150 organizations sent an open letter to the leaders of the Senate Health, Labor, Educations and Pensions Committee, supporting them for advancing legislation that will form the basis of the Senate's version of the 21st Century Cures Act, which passed the House last year.

The NCI Board of Scientific Advisors approved a proposal to expand the infrastructure and capacity of the SEER program, including introducing registries designed specifically to support cancer research projects, an increase of the program's overall budget, and moving toward a more advanced, uniform data management system.

The FDA and NIH Workforce Authorities Modernization Act was introduced in the Senate by Republican and Democratic leaders of the health committee. The bill aims to help FDA and NIH “attract top talent during this exciting time in science.”

In California, nearly 75 percent of the state's hospitals performed only one or two surgeries when treating one of 11 selected cancer types in 2014, according to a report from the California Health Care Foundation.

The National Academy of Medicine listed 10 goals for advancing the appropriate use of biomarker tests in precision medicine.

Robert Califf, the nominee to serve as the next FDA commissioner, and other FDA leaders called for a broad plan to reassess the agency's approach to prescription opioid medications. The move comes as Senators block a vote on his confirmation for the top post.

The Association for Molecular Pathology responded to the FDA's call for oversight of laboratory developed tests, rebutting 20 case studies published by the federal agency that illustrated possible harms inflicted on patients when laboratories did not follow FDA requirements.

Congress passed a $1.1 trillion government spending bill Friday morning, increasing the NIH budget by $2 billion. The measure now moves to the president's desk for approval.

Ahead of a Capitol Hill hearing this week on the role of the FDA in the regulation of laboratory-developed tests, the federal agency published a report of 20 case studies that illustrated the possible harms presented to patients when laboratories do not comply with FDA requirements.

Congress passed a two-year budget deal that would raise government spending as well as the debt ceiling.

If Congress passes another year-long, flat-funding resolution, the effect on NIH “would be simply devastating,” Director Francis Collins told a Senate appropriations subcommittee during a hearing Oct. 7.

MD Anderson Moves from Top-Down Structure to “Shared Governance” with Faculty Senate

NCI Director Harold Varmus announced plans to gradually increase in the institute's cancer centers budget over the next four to five years.

President Barack Obama called for innovation in genetic medicine, through the launch of a new initiative, in his State of the Union address Jan. 20.

AVEO Oncology announced plans to cut its workforce by two-thirds, end its internal research functions, and vacate up to 80 percent of its facilities, including laboratory and vivarium locations. The biotechnology company was co-founded by Ronald DePinho, president of MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Sen. Tom Harkin introduced a bill that would set NIH on a path to recoup the purchasing power it has lost since 2003, and make funding biomedical research a national priority.

President Barack Obama signed a bill authorizing $126 million for pediatric medical research over the next 10 years, following a rare showing of bipartisanship on Capitol Hill.

Cancer research remains underfunded, and the U.S. cancer care system as a whole may be unprepared to handle an aging population, according to two separate reports from the American Association for Cancer Research and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Sometimes a funding increase can be no increase at all.

Human papillomavirus vaccines are underused in the U.S. and need to be made a national public health priority, according to a report from the President's Cancer Panel.

FDA needs to improve its access to data if it is to manage drug shortages more effectively, the Government Accountability Office concluded.

In a recent article published in the Journal of Oncology Practice, oncologists Ray Drasga and Lawrence Einhorn called on their colleagues to support “an improved Medicare for all” program.

Declines in death rates over past two decades have added up to a 20 percent drop in the overall risk of dying from cancer, according to the American Cancer Society's annual statistics report.

Ludwig Cancer Research donated a total of $540 million to six of its centers, located at institutions across the country.