AACI recently released a message in opposition to CMS' proposal to cut hospital reimbursement, outlining how this decision will most negatively impact patients. 

The Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) opposes the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)' Medicare Programs: Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment Systems (OPPS) rule, released on November 1.  The rule will cut hospital 340B reimbursement from average sales price (ASP) plus 6 percent to ASP minus 22.5 percent.

The administration's decision will impact those most in need: patients.  Nearly 1.7 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer in 2017 and 600,000 will die of the disease.  AACI cancer centers and their regional community-based networks, including those in rural areas, provide care for an estimated 700,000 newly diagnosed patients with cancer, representing as much as 40 percent of the nation's cancer burden. These centers of excellence provide state of the art treatments for cancer, operate to the highest standards, and are recognized for their scientific acumen and commitment to patient care. more>

The American Society of Hematology (ASH) will hold its annual meeting December 9-12, 2017 in Atlanta, GA. This meeting highlights science in  malignant and non-malignant hematology. We have strong representation from the Case CCC, with many members and trainees attending, leading sessions and presenting. Best of luck to all participants! 

 

View list of Case Comprehensive Cancer Center presentations [ ASH Annual Meeting 2017]. 

The first week in December 2017 researchers and health professionals will come together for the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. The event provides a forum to discuss basic, clinical and translational research, and advance progress against breast cancer. 

 

View list of Case Comprehensive Cancer Center presentations [  San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2017]. 

The Case-Coulter Translational Research Partnership has awarded more than $1.1 million in financial backing and other support for the 2017 round of funding.

The partnership, a collaboration between Case Western Reserve University and the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, selected seven advanced projects for full funding and four earlier-stage projects for pilot grants-research covering such patient needs as more effective brain cancer surgery, oral cancer diagnosis and devices to control pain.

Projects led by Cancer Center members include: 

Novel molecular imaging agent for surgical resection of invasive brain tumors
Research leads: Susann Brady-Kalnay, professor of molecular biology and microbiology; James Basilion, professor of radiology and biomedical engineering; and Andrew Sloan, professor of neurosurgery

LunIRiS: Decision support tool for lung nodule risk prediction on screening CT
Research leads: Anant Madabhushi, the F. Alex Nason Professor II of biomedical engineering; and Robert Gilkeson, professor of radiology

Point-of-care device for monitoring and diagnosis of oral cancer
Research leads: Aaron Weinberg, associate dean for research, chair of the Department of Biological Sciences and professor; Umut Gurkan, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering; and Santosh Ghosh, senior research associate

Polarization-sensitive OCT (PSOCT) image guidance for RFA therapy of atrial fibrillation

Research leads: Andrew Rollins, professor of biomedical engineering and medicine; and Mauricio Arruda, associate professor of medicine

Point-of-care device for diagnosis of cystic fibrosis in newborns
Research leads: Miklos Gratzl, associate professor of biomedical engineering; and James Chmiel, associate professor of pediatrics