PURPOSE: To provide standards and practice recommendations specific to telehealth in oncology. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature on telehealth in oncology was performed, including the use of technologies and telecommunications systems, and other electronic methods of care delivery and sharing of information with patients. The evidence base was combined with the opinion of the ASCO Telehealth Expert Panel to develop telehealth standards and guidance. Public comments were solicited and considered in preparation of the final manuscript. RESULTS: The Expert Panel determined that general guidance on implementing telehealth across general and specialty settings has been published previously and these resources are endorsed. A systematic search for studies on topics specific to oncology resulted in the inclusion of two clinical practice guidelines, 12 systematic reviews, and six primary studies. STANDARDS AND GUIDANCE: Standards and guidance are provided for which patients in oncology can be seen via telehealth, establishment of the doctor-physician relationship, role of allied health professionals, role of advanced practice providers, multidisciplinary cancer conferences, and teletrials in oncology. Additional information is available at www.asco.org/standards .

This Viewpoint discusses the loosening of Medicare & Medicaid restrictions regarding telemedicine during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Prostate cancer (PC) remains the second leading cause of male cancer death in the United States with 26 000 estimated deaths projected in 2016.¹ Of the 180 000 new cases of prostate cancer diagnosed each year, roughly 95% will have localized PC. Some of these men with localized disease will eventually develop metastatic disease and die; these account for two-thirds of all PC deaths observed in the United States.^1-3 Clearly, there is a need to expedite improved therapy in patients diagnosed with localized and unfavorable-risk PC.⁴

Opioid analgesics remain a cornerstone of pain management for many patients, particularly those with cancer-related pain.¹ The use of opioids is often necessary, but the rapid rise in opioid misuse, opioid use disorder, and opioid overdose deaths in the general population is a major public health concern and contributes to decreasing life expectancy in the United States.² The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain in March 2016 to minimize unnecessary opioid use, and many of its recommendations were subsequently adopted on the local, state, and national levels.³ Although it excluded patients undergoing active cancer treatment, it did include patients with chronic pain as a result of cancer.⁴ Outpatient opioid prescribing has steadily decreased in recent years owing to the efforts of the CDC and other federal and state policies restricting prescription opioid use.⁵