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For independent physician practices, the realities of overhead expenses, time available for patient care, and regulatory requirements can only be assessed when the specific requirements for reporting and reimbursement are clear.

As with any legislation, there are both positive and negative aspects. Specific to oncology, one of the greatest impacts of the ACA will be the move to a bundled payment for a treatment of a disease.

This will have a significant impact on medicine and on the care we will be able to deliver. It has life and death implications. The patients of America, who have enjoyed the best healthcare in the world, have lost.

How will we deal with patients and families who, given their tremendous access to information, learn about and demand expensive (and up until now reasonable) treatments once we have recast them as too expensive to justify their marginal benefits? Are we prepared to engage in such discussions directly?

I think it is a real shame that inside the Beltway, both sides of the political arena have had neither the wisdom nor the courage to recognize and address the fact that medicolegal drivers will continue to push costs upward until someone takes the lead in tackling this issue.

My thought is that it is good to move forward. No doubt there will be needed changes, but the status quo is broken.

Researchers at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute believe that cancer studies should take into account the tobacco and smoking habits of participants-something that rarely happens. Whether a trial participant uses tobacco products can affect cancer treatment, say the group of investigators.

Learn how to help cancer patients and survivors ease into an exercise routine to promote overall wellness and combat fatigue.

As practicing doctors and a practicing nutritionist in a large pediatric oncology program, we applaud Nicole Fox and Alison Freifeld for questioning the utility of the neutropenic diet.

The article by Fox and Freifeld presents a comprehensive history of the rationale for the neutropenic diet, along with important studies of this diet.

Through our sister site, Physicians Practice, we are able to provide you with news and information you can use to help run your private medical practice from experts covering everything from health IT innovations to small rewards for your office staff. But now we want to hear from our other experts - you. Take our brief editorial survey to tell us what you want to read in the coming year both in print and online. We've provided some topics, you just tell us how interested you are in these ideas. By completing the survey, you'll have the chance to enter to win a $500 Visa gift card. The survey will run through July 27th. No purchase is necessary. Void where prohibited. Visa is not a particular in or sponsor of this Sweepstakes. See official rules for full details.

Review of the pathophysiology of foodborne illness and pertinent studies about the neutropenic diet lead to the conclusion that there is no clear benefit from the longstanding dietary restrictions that may be imposed during neutropenia. Instead, we propose adoption of standard safe food handling methods to allow for a more liberalized diet in the neutropenic patient.

The underlying cost debate surrounding the issue of whether or not to recommend prostate cancer screening is based on the idea that if you use healthcare resources in one area, they’re being diverted from another area by nature of their being a limited pool of funding.

CancerNetwork and the journal ONCOLOGY present exclusive coverage from the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Visit one of our topic-specific ASCO pages or follow the stories below to catch some of the most important information to come out of this year's event.

CancerNetwork and the journal ONCOLOGY present exclusive hematology coverage from the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Check out the stories below for write-ups of the most important information to come out of this year's event.

CancerNetwork and the journal ONCOLOGY present exclusive melanoma coverage from the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Check out the stories below for write-ups of the most important information to come out of this year's event.

CancerNetwork and the journal ONCOLOGY present exclusive breast cancer coverage from the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Check out the stories below for write-ups of the most important information to come out of this year's event.

CancerNetwork and the journal ONCOLOGY present exclusive lung cancer coverage from the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Check out the stories below for write-ups of the most important information to come out of this year's event.

The debate over screening for lung cancer continues. While there have been many advances in treatment for late-stage disease, screening and prevention are likely the most cost effective and best approaches to preventing lung cancer deaths.

I confess that I have never taken chemotherapy. Strictly speaking this disqualifies me from commenting any further, so I should sign off now. If, however, you don’t mind hearing from one who has administered chemotherapy by the thousands and can bear witness to its effects, then please read on.

Beginning on March 26, 2012, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments regarding challenges to the recent federal health care reform legislation.

In this paper, the historic and recent evidence supporting the value of breast cancer screening will be described, along with the underpinnings of the current debate over the relative and absolute benefit of regular mammography screening.

Bao T, Ye X, Skinner J, et al: The analgesic effect of magnetic acupressure in cancer patients undergoing bone marrow aspiration and biopsy: A randomized blinded, controlled trial. J Pain Symptom Manage 41(6):995–1002, 2011. PubMed

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) in older adults is amenable to resolution by nursing oversight that includes early assessment and the selection of appropriate management approaches. Oncology nurses working with older patient populations at high-risk for CRF should partner with rehabilitation colleagues to create and test exercise interventions that reduce the burden of this common symptom.

We still have much to do to fully understand the potential of complementary therapies as important elements in cancer treatment and health. Mind-body and body-based interventions may be able to improve health and prevent disease as effectively as pharmacologic agents-without the toxicities associated with pharmacologics, and as adjuncts to pharmacologic therapies they may help to maximize health and diminish disease with less toxicity.

A new study from the National Cancer Institute shows that physical activity is associated with lower mortality rates in patients with breast and colon cancers.

Many cancer patients experience cachexia. In collaboration with an interdisciplinary team including dietitians, oncology nurses are well positioned to implement proactive, multimodality interventions that improve clinical outcomes and quality of life for these patients.

New data presented at the 13th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Breast Surgeons shows radiofrequency ablation can prevent local breast cancer recurrence just as effectively as radiation therapy. Compared to radiation therapy, radiofrequency ablation showed superior cosmetic results and poses little risk to healthy tissue.

The American Lung Association recently released new guidelines for lung cancer screening, recommending low-dose computed tomography screening in high-risk smokers.

A study published today shows that whole-breast irradiation fares better than brachytherapy for women with breast cancer.