MDOUTLOOK® Quick Polls From the Major Oncology/Hematology Meetings ASH and SABCS: First Report From Cancer Treaters on Clinical Impact of New Cancer Developments

ATLANTA, Dec. 21, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- MDOUTLOOK®, the oncology intelligence initiative powered by The Arcas Group, today announced results from its series of immediate Quick Poll research launched following major oncology and hematology market moving events. These Quick Polls examined the potential clinical impacts from the American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting in Orlando and the 33rd Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). This effort expands on previous Quick Poll research carried out after the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meetings in 2009 and 2010.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101221/CL20767LOGO )

Within one week, 506 cancer treaters from over 30 countries responded to the Quick Poll research following the ASH and SABCS meetings, making this the first market feedback available post-ASH and post-SABCS. Some of the highlights from this research include:

• Decisions concerning the use of drugs are primarily made independently of any indications / approvals in different malignancies, even if it is in a related tumor type.
• Maintenance therapy with lenalidomide is seen as a highly important advance in the management of multiple myeloma. It is expected that half of all patients with multiple myeloma will receive this therapeutic approach in 2011.
• There appears to be a new standard of care for mantle cell lymphomas: alternating cycles of CHOP and DHAP (both with rituximab), followed by high dose ARA-C and autologous stem cell transplantation.
• Oncologists / Hematologists are not differentiating primary from secondary AML in their outlook for new therapeutics.
• New data showing a lack of association between CYP2D6 phenotype and tamoxifen responsiveness will cut in half the amount of CYP2D6 genotyping being performed in postmenopausal women with HR+ breast cancer from 11 to 5%.
• Dual targeting the HER2 receptor is a very important clinical advance for HER2+ breast cancer. The use of this strategy in appropriate breast cancer subtypes with currently available therapeutics is expected to double in 2011.

Members of the MDOUTLOOK Strategy Council reflected that these results "show the quick and strong uptake of new developments presented into physician decision-making on a global scale" and that "it will be of value to follow-up on a regular basis to track these changes."  

Jan Heybroek, President of The Arcas Group, LLC, which powers MDOUTLOOK commented: "These Quick Polls perfectly demonstrate the ability of MDOUTLOOK to quickly and in a targeted manner capture the views of validated cancer physicians around the world, and turn this into actionable intelligence."

These Quick Polls are the seventh in a series of Quick Polls following major oncology conferences. Full reports of the 2010 Quick Polls from ASH, SABCS and ASCO are available upon request.

About MDOUTLOOK®

MDOUTLOOK has been developed with a singular focus: improved understanding of complex diseases leading to better patient care. Over 47,000 cancer treating physicians have opted into a network of their peers through the MDOUTLOOK Internet-based system to share information such as preferred treatment regimens for complex diseases and de-identified patient logs, as well as the factors that play a part in their clinical decision-making.

Physician members of MDOUTLOOK benefit by having access to data on how other clinicians in practice treat difficult cases and how they are adapting to changes in the industry, everything from the introduction of new drugs or treatment modalities, to the rising costs of certain treatments. For many physicians, MDOUTLOOK also serves as a patient registry.

MDOUTLOOK is guided a Strategy Council of globally recognized experts: Chandra Belani, MD; Alexander Eggermont, MD, PhD; Keith Flaherty, MD; William Gradishar, MD; Axel Hauschild, MD; Peter Heald, MD; John Kirkwood, MD; Sagar Lonial, MD; Lauren Pinter-Brown, MD; Giorgio Scagliotti, MD, PhD; Joyce O'Shaughnessy, MD, and Nicholas Thatcher, MD.

MDOUTLOOK delivers life-sciences clients real-time ThoughtLeader and clinician-driven analysis, intelligence and insight into oncology clinical practice (www.thearcasgroup.com/mdoutlook).

About The Arcas Group

The Arcas Group is a strategic life sciences marketing organization with a singular focus: Supporting the commercial success of our clients in the continuum of life sciences marketing – from marketing intelligence to strategy development and implementation – through enhanced connectivity with ThoughtLeaders and Clinicians. MDOUTLOOK is a key offering that is highly valued by its rapidly expanding base of clients.

For more information, please visit The Arcas Group's website at www.thearcasgroup.com.  

SOURCE The Arcas Group