CANCER BUZZ

In this episode of Oncology Unscripted, hosts Mark Liu and Deirdre Saulet speak with Doug Flora, MD, Executive Medical Director of Oncology Services at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, and President-Elect of ACCC, about the growing presence of artificial intelligence (AI) in cancer care. Dr. Flora touches on common reasons for resistance to and pushback on AI integration with healthcare, recommendations...

As oncology therapies become increasingly complex and  high cost , cancer programs are being pushed to rethink how financial, operational, and clinical decisions come together in practice. In this episode,  CANCER BUZZ   sits down with Sarah Hudson-DiSalle, Assistant Director of Infusion Reimbursement Services, to explore the real-world financial landscape of bispecific antibodies ( BsAbs ), focus...

Social drivers of health such as geographic distance, travel burden, or limited availability at specialized patient centers bar many eligible patients from receiving first-line, potentially curative therapies, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. Community cancer centers in particular often struggle to offer CAR T, due to the extensive resources required to safely maintain a C...

Where a person lives in the United States significantly influences both the quality of the cancer care they receive and their treatment outcomes. With a growing mortality gap between patients living in urban and rural areas and a distinct struggle for patients in rural communities to afford their care, implementing thoughtful, targeted outreach in rural areas has never been more important. In this...

 On top of coping with the anxiety of a cancer diagnosis and the physical effects of treatment, patients with cancer face the dual challenge of accessing and affording care. Many patients delay seeking care due to the perceived high cost, and others experience burdensome medical debt as a result of their care. In many cancer programs, financial navigators focus on obtaining financial clearance and...

Decentralized clinical Trials (DCTs) bring some or all elements of a clinical trial closer to patients. Consent, screening, treatment administration, and more can be administered through digital technologies and local health care providers, expanding accessibility for patients who face barriers to participation in traditional single site trials. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Erin Pierce...

In this episode of Oncology Unscripted, hosts Mark Liu and Deirdre Saulet speak with Karen Winkfield, MD, PhD, a radiation oncologist and Associate Director of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, about her decades-long passion for community outreach and engagement to bring curative cancer treatment to underserved populations. Dr. Winkfield discusses the heavy financial burden of cancer and the ne...

Revenue cycle operations teams are responsible for maintaining reimbursement integrity and regulatory compliance across a rapidly expanding oncology service line. Increasing payer scrutiny—particularly for high-cost oncology therapies—has created significant operational strain, treatment delays, and administrative burden for providers. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with 2026 ACCC Innovator A...

Bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) continue to garner the interest of both academic and community cancer centers due to their rapid growth in FDA approvals and increasing use in hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. However, practical considerations such as treatment-related toxicities, choosing the right delivery model, and staffing constraints deter many programs from attempting to implement BsA...

As bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) become more integrated into oncology care, much of the focus has been placed on clinical protocols and operational readiness. However, less attention has been paid to the patient and caregiver experience. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ explores how it feels physically and emotionally for patients to begin and continue BsAb therapy. Grounded in real-world insights, th...

In this episode of Oncology Unscripted, hosts Mark Liu and Deirdre Saulet speak with Arif Kamal, MD, Chief Patient Officer at the American Cancer Society (ACS). Dr. Kamal discusses his recent appointment to this inaugural role at ACS, leading into a conversation about how he expects the cancer care field to evolve. Namely, a shift for providers toward building a skillset for compassionate patient...

Oncolytic viruses are a novel and effective way to treat cancers by infecting and destroying cancer cells, but clinical delivery necessitates creative strategies to account for the required safety protocols, deep-freeze storage, and rigorous clinical oversight. The University of North Carolina (UNC) Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center is a referral center for the only currently FDA-approved onc...

In 2025, the FDA approved the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) enfortumab vedotin combined with pembrolizumab for patients with cisplatin-ineligible muscle-invasive bladder cancer, unlocking a new perioperative treatment option. To administer this ADC-based therapy alongside surgical intervention, multidisciplinary teams must prioritize collaborative workflows at all points of the treatment journey....

At the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), the team treating patients with bladder cancer and other genitourinary malignancies utilizes a multidisciplinary team approach to ensure care is coordinated, personalized, and patient-centered. This is particularly important when administering antibody-drug conjugates, a promising tool for some patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer that...

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a rare category of bone marrow disorders that may develop into acute myeloid leukemia, are categorized into risk groups ranging from very low to very high risk. However, this language can be misleading to patients. Low risk (LR) does not equate to low impact or lack of urgency. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Amy DeZern, MD, MHS, from Sidney Kimmel Compreh...

From the moment a woman learns that she has breast cancer, her life is forever changed—from the treatment challenges of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery to the personal and emotional challenges of a change in identity, a loss of control, and physical self-acceptance. For many survivors, the difficult journey of emotional healing continues long after active treatment ends, and this phase deserv...

Radiation therapy is a powerful and non-invasive tool in the management of small cell lung cancer (SCLC), but radiation oncologists are not always fully integrated into the care team. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Charles B. Simone, II, MD, FASTRO, FACRO, FACR, chief medical officer of the New York Proton Center and radiation oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, about s...

Bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) are an emerging and fast-developing area of immunotherapy, particularly in the treatment of hematologic malignancies. However, access to this therapy remains limited, particularly for Veterans. Administrative hurdles and challenging adverse events have slowed adoption of BsAbs in the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Nich...

Toxicities related to antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) can significantly impact quality of life for patients with locally advanced or metastatic bladder cancer, but data-driven programs can help multidisciplinary teams manage some of the most challenging adverse events. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Cindy Y. Jiang, MD, assistant professor at MD Anderson Cancer Center, about how her insti...

The ACCC Global eXchange series is committed to highlighting cross-regional collaborations that advance cancer care delivery and workforce development nationwide. In this episode of CANCER BUZZ, Dr. Michael Cavnar discusses his humanitarian efforts in Zambia and why volunteering in this capacity is crucial and meaningful for US oncology providers. "The more you're around people that are different...

At the inaugural ACCC Leadership Summit, C-suite executives and senior-level decision makers in oncology convened for strategic dialogue, panel discussions, and peer-to-peer exchange focused on the most pressing issues in cancer care today. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Misha Kaur, chief operating officer at Cureety, about her key takeaways as a member of the panel: Value-Based Care in...

At the inaugural ACCC Leadership Summit, C-suite executives and senior-level decision makers in oncology convened for strategic dialogue, panel discussions, and peer-to-peer exchange focused on the most pressing issues in cancer care today. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Jay Seemann, vice president of market and access value at BeOne Medicines, about his key takeaways as a member of the...

At the inaugural ACCC Leadership Summit, C-suite executives and senior-level decision makers in oncology convened for strategic dialogue, engaging panel discussions, and peer-to-peer exchange focused on the most pressing issues in cancer care today. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Michele LeSueur, DBA, vice president of Sales and Marketing at Johnson & Johnson, about her key takeaways as...

At the inaugural ACCC Leadership Summit, C-suite executives and senior-level decision makers in oncology convened for strategic dialogue, engaging panel discussions, and peer-to-peer exchange focused on the most pressing issues in cancer care today. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Ashley Johnson, MBA, chief innovation officer at LeanTaas, about her key takeaways as a member of the first p...

Indications for the use of bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) are rapidly increasing in oncology. While many cancer centers are keeping an eye on this developing field, curiosity must be transformed into proactive planning to avoid being caught unprepared as BsAb indications expand. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Laura Kuzma, MSW, admin administrative director of FirstHealth Cancer Center and...