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Patients Lose Valuable Time on Prior Authorizations

Three studies presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Quality Care Symposium held in Chicago measured the time burden of prior authorization, which is health insurance companies’ requirement to review and approve treatment before a patient can receive it. In one survey, radiation oncologists noted an increase in the need for prior authorizations in last three years, which led to treatment delays, Medscape Medical News reported. In another analysis, researchers surveyed 1,201 adults with cancer who received treatment. Nearly 3 in 4 needed at least one prior authorization for cancer treatment between 2022 and 2024. Nearly all of those who needed prior authorization reported having to do the process numerous times. Half of the patients who had to get prior authorization reported that they or their family members were responsible for the process. Of those, 50% spent up to eight hours on their most recent prior authorization issue, while 12% spent 40 hours or more. “This study makes clear what many of us in oncology have suspected: Prior authorization isn’t just an administrative hurdle for clinicians; it’s a hidden second job for patients,” Marcin Chwistek, a palliative care physician at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia who was not involved in the study, told Medscape.

Targeted Node Biopsy Cuts Risks in Early Cervical Cancer

Sentinel lymph node biopsy, a procedure where doctors use a dye injected near the tumor and remove only the nearby lymph nodes where fluid drains, guides treatments in many early-stage cancers, including breast cancer. The targeted practice allows surgeons to remove those lymph nodes where cancer is likely to first spread and send those nodes for analysis while sparing patients from more invasive surgery to remove additional lymph nodes. A multicenter phase III clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at 838 people with early-stage cervical cancer. Researchers found that using sentinel lymph node biopsy during hysterectomy carries similar recurrence risk as full pelvic lymph node removal. After three years, 96.9% of people who received sentinel lymph node biopsy were alive and disease free, compared with 94.6% in the lymphadenectomy group. In addition, cancer-specific survival was slightly higher in the sentinel lymph node group. In the study, 5.2% of people who received sentinel lymph node biopsy had lymphedema, which is swelling that occurs, typically in the arms and legs, when lymph fluid builds up in the lymph nodes. In comparison, 19.1% of those who received full lymph node surgery developed the condition. People who had sentinel lymph node biopsy experienced fewer incidences of nerve problems and pain, as well.

Could Thymic Health Predict Immune Therapy Response?

At the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2025, which opens in Berlin, Germany today, researchers will present data that show the health of the thymus—a gland in the chest where T cells mature—strongly influences outcomes for cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. The study, which will be presented this weekend, used AI-based analysis of chest CT scans to assess the thymic health of nearly 3,500 patients, ASCO Post reported. Among 1,218 people with non-small cell lung cancer, higher thymic health corresponded with a 35% lower risk of cancer progression and a 44% lower risk of death. Researchers also noted positive associations between thymic health and immunotherapy outcomes in melanoma and renal and breast cancers, indicating that the finding applies across multiple cancer types. “We think thymic health is one of the missing pillars from current cancer biomarker panels and can start bringing the patient’s immune system into clinical decision-making alongside established tumor-centered biomarkers,” Simon Bernatz, the lead author of the study and a research fellow in the AI in Medicine program at Mass General Brigham in Boston, said in a press release.