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SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Doctor Evidence (DRE), a global health technology and data company, is proud to have performed the systematic review of evidence, through the GROWTH program, in support of a new guideline issued by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®), the world's leading professional organization representing physicians who care for people with cancer, in collaboration with the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®). The organizations collaborated to develop comprehensive guidelines to help clinicians with optimal strategies for the identification and diagnosis of adverse events associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors and to offer guidance on their safe management.

The Management of Immune-Related Adverse Events in Patients Treated With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline published online on February 14, 2018 at 10 AM Eastern in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) and the ASCO website.

The promise of immune therapies to treat cancers also leads to challenges, including side effects. Immune checkpoint inhibitors, the first of the new immunotherapeutics, block the immune checkpoint proteins, which limit the strength and duration of the immune response. Immune checkpoint inhibitors thereby unleash the body's own immune system to attack tumor cells, thereby increasing its ability to destroy cancer cells and extend lives. Several immune checkpoint modulators have now been approved by the FDA for specific cancer types, primarily advanced melanoma, but also including Hodgkin lymphoma, and lung, liver, kidney, and bladder cancers. Additional indications and development of new immunotherapies exposes more patients to these new treatments as they are prescribed more commonly.

Patients may experience side effects ranging from very mild to quite severe, and potentially fatal reactions. Toxicities of these agents are usually rashes, diarrhea, thyroid hormone reductions, and fatigue. However, they can include inflammation of the lung, intestines, liver or neurologic, renal, or cardiac problems. Because these treatments are relatively new, clinicians are not experienced in recognizing and treating these adverse effects.

"These recommendations are important for physicians' knowledge and clinical management to guide the appropriate use of these new immunotherapeutics," stated Robert Battista, MBA, CEO and co-founder of Doctor Evidence. "We are fortunate we could extend our GROWTH program for scientific collaborations to support the systematic evidence review for these leading oncology societies' guidelines."

ABOUT DOCTOR EVIDENCE:
Doctor Evidence (DRE) is a health technology and consulting company utilizing state-of-the-art solutions that identify, synthesize, and analyze complex clinical research data into fit-to-purpose actionable knowledge. Resulting high quality evidence reviews provide guideline developers, academic researchers, medical providers, manufacturers, payers, and patients with evidence-based information to make timely and educated decisions on recommended treatment protocols, outcomes research, health economics, risk management, market access, reimbursement, value determinations, and burden of illness cost models. These methodologically rigorous reviews and analyses fully comply with accepted international standards to address the needs of patients, providers, and scientists worldwide. To learn more about Doctor Evidence, visit GROWTHevidence.com and drevidence.com.

ASCO® is a registered trademark of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. Used with permission. ASCO is not a partner or affiliate of Doctor Evidence and does not recommend or endorse any vendor, product, or service.

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SOURCE Doctor Evidence