Social Determinants of Health in Metastatic Breast Cancer
CANCER BUZZ
Social determinants of health have been proven to impact access to care, but further delineation is necessary to describe their effect on treatment selection itself. To mitigate this knowledge gap, the Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC) sought to identify the impact that social determinants of health may have on guideline-concordant treatment selection in hormone receptor positive, HER2 negative, metastatic breast cancer and early breast cancer. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Niharika Dixit, MD, medical oncologist at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and professor of...
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Overcoming Barriers to Holistic Survivorship Care for Immunotherapy Patients
CANCER BUZZ
Immunotherapy is redefining survivorship to include an increasing population of patients who live with cancer and navigate toxicities that differ from those that accompany traditional treatments. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Brittney Baer, BSN, RN, patient care coordinator for the Immune Effector Cell program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, about key strategies and solutions to prioritize patient quality of life by addressing barriers to holistic survivorship care. “I think simply talking to your patients and seeing what they...
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Integrating Genetic Counselors in Routine Genitourinary Care
CANCER BUZZ
Germline and somatic testing for in prostate cancer can improve outcomes and promote early detection and prevention, yet many patients are not aware of testing and the impact it can have on treatment options. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with David Gill, MD, medical oncologist at Intermountain Healthcare’s Intermountain Cancer Center and Lindsey Byrne, MS, LCGC, licensed certified genetic counselor at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, who discuss how genetic counselors and increased patient education can help cancer programs close the practice gap and...
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A Multidisciplinary Approach to Anemia Management in High-Risk MDS and AML
CANCER BUZZ
Anemia can negatively affect quality of life and treatment outcomes for patients with high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Amy DeZern, MD, MHS, director, Bone Marrow Failure and MDS Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, Donald Moore, PharmD, BCPS, BCOP, DPLA, FCCP, clinical oncology pharmacy manager, Atrium Health Levine Cancer in Charlotte, North Carolina, and David Sallman, MD, assistant member, Department of Malignant Hematology, Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. Their...
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Improving Care Delivery to Patients Newly Diagnosed with Breast Cancer
CANCER BUZZ
Prior to 2020, patients newly diagnosed with breast cancer at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist’s Comprehensive Cancer Center experienced high variability in the number of days it took to see a breast cancer provider. Scheduling was decentralized across the departments and rarely could multiple visits be coordinated to occur on the same day, within the same location. Addressing this issue required a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach that involved engaging the cancer center leadership across 3 treatment departments—medical, radiation, and surgical oncology—administration,...
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Highlights from the ACCC Working Summit: Advancing CAR T-Cell Therapy Care Continuity and Collaborative Patient Education
CANCER BUZZ
Improving timely identification and referral of patients who may be eligible for chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is critical for improving outcomes for patients with hematologic malignancies. On February 7, 2024, ACCC hosted a virtual Working Summit: Advancing CAR T-Cell Therapy Care Continuity and Collaborative Patient Education to explore topics including patient and caregiver needs as well as care coordination between referring providers and certified CAR T-cell therapy centers. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Amy D. Smith, FNP-BC, director of the...
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Care Action Plans for People with Cancer
CANCER BUZZ
The 4R Oncology® Model facilitates enhanced patient engagement and timely care provision by streamlining delivery of complex interdependent care. Implementation of the 4R Oncology® model in breast and lung cancer clinics has improved patients’ involvement in organizing their care, enabled the development of high-functioning multidisciplinary care teams, and helped to optimize the timing and coordination of sequence of care. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Raymond Liu, MD, director of research of Hematology-Oncology in Kaiser Permanente Northern California, director of cancer...
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Beyond the Brush: Navigating Dental Care in Head & Neck Cancer
CANCER BUZZ
While advancements in oral medicine are improving the treatment landscape for head and neck cancer, routine dental care and preventative oral cancer screenings can help identify head and neck cancers early. In this episode, Alessandro Villa, DDS, PhD, MPH, chief of Oral Medicine, Oral Oncology, and Dentistry at Baptist Health South Florida’s Miami Cancer Institute, emphasizes the proactive role dentists can play in early identification of cancer—as well as the need for equitable access to dental care—and explores how a cross-disciplinary cancer care team and patient education work in...
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Navigating the Operational Challenges of Treatment with Bispecific Antibodies
CANCER BUZZ
Advancements in clinical data and research have shown the immunotherapeutic potential of bispecific antibodies as treatment for hematologic cancers and solid tumors. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Aaron Cumpston, PharmD, pharmacy clinical specialist for bone marrow transplant and Christine Barrett, PharmD, BCOP, medical oncology clinical pharmacy specialist who discuss the challenges of care coordination and therapy and share operational best practices for the delivery of bispecific antibodies in the community setting. “I think we’re finding these drugs to be...
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Policy Perspectives on Biomarker Testing Coverage for 2024
CANCER BUZZ
As the need for access to guideline-concordant biomarker testing for underserved populations continues to grow, hear what care teams need to know about coverage for Medicaid beneficiaries and the legislative outlook for 2024. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Hilary Gee Goeckner, MSW, director of State and Local Campaigns for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ASC CAN), who shares policy perspectives and the latest on state legislation to expand coverage for biomarker testing for Medicaid beneficiaries. “There are a lot of challenges around...
info_outlineAs the need for access to guideline-concordant biomarker testing for underserved populations continues to grow, hear what care teams need to know about coverage for Medicaid beneficiaries and the legislative outlook for 2024. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Hilary Gee Goeckner, MSW, director of State and Local Campaigns for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ASC CAN), who shares policy perspectives and the latest on state legislation to expand coverage for biomarker testing for Medicaid beneficiaries.
“There are a lot of challenges around implementation—getting the legislation passed is just the first step…It is also important for providers to be aware of the new rules that affect many plans and their states so they are able to order testing that may not have been covered or rejected previously.” –Hilary Gee Goeckner, MSW
Hilary Gee Goeckner, MSW
Director, State and Local Campaigns, Access to Care
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
Washington, D.C.
This episode was developed in connection with the ACCC education program Improving Access to Biomarker Testing in Medicaid Populations and is made possible with support by Foundation Medicine and Exact Sciences.
Resources:
The Cost of Biomarker Testing: Moving from Support-Based to Sustainable Solutions
Comprehensive Cancer Care: The Role of Biomarker Testing
Biomarker Testing for Medicaid Beneficiaries (Podcast)
Access to Biomarker Testing - American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
The Road to Comprehensive Biomarker Testing for All – ACCC Buzz Blog
Improving Access to Biomarker Testing in Medicaid Populations
Precision Medicine in Rural and Underserved Areas – ACCC Buzz Blog
Patient Perceptions of Biomarker Testing – Oncology Issues
Cancer Diagnostics - Biomarkers
Eliminating Precision Medicine Disparities