CANCER BUZZ

As care teams seek new ways to engage and support patients with rare cancers, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Jim Palma, executive director of TargetCancer Foundation, a patient-founded nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting patients living with, and researchers focused on, rare cancers. In this episode, hear about the fully remote TRACK (Target Rare Cancer Knowledge) clinical trial and its unique...

Building awareness of rare cancers, such as NTRK gene fusion-positive cancers, is critical to improving access to biomarker testing and new treatment options for patients. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Susan Spinosa, president and patient founder of NTRKers, an organization created to support patients with NTRK fusion-positive cancer, about her care journey and the importance of testing...

Personalizing care goals to account for a patient's values, preferences, or circumstances can make a significant difference in share   decision-making and treatment planning. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Melissa Kah Poh Loh, MBBCh, BAO, assistant professor of Geriatric Hematology and Oncology at the University of Rochester Medical Center's Wilmot Cancer Institute about strategies to op...

Significant declines in the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with small cell lung cancer have increased challenges that impact patient care. Many patients with small cell lung cancer have a high symptom burden, poor prognosis, adherence challenges due to treatment-related adverse events, stigmatization, and emotional distress. The team at Atrium Health's Levine Cancer Institute is t...

Mary B. Battaglia has been practicing clinical hypnosis for 10 years, working with clients to address many different issues like anxiety and stress. She's supported people with different medical issues, including brain, breast, lung, prostate, and skin cancers. Additionally, Battaglia was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in 2021 and has used medical hypnosis to as a complimentary therapy. ...

While there are many factors why patients with acute myeloid leukemia are ineligible for allogeneic stem cell transplant, such as age, financial hurdles, or other comorbidities, these factors are often compounded by social determinants of health, which can act as a significant barrier to consolidation therapy and long-term remission for these patients. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Keri...

Working under the hypothesis that a subset of de novo oligometastatic breast cancer patients who are treated with a combination of systemic therapy, surgery, and radiation or ablation of metastatic sites will have long-term distant metastasis free and overall survival, this multi-cohort, prospective, nationwide registry study will enroll newly diagnosed oligometastatic (operationally defined by lo...

As biomarker testing can play a critical role in the diagnosis of rare cancers, such as NTRK gene fusion-positive cancers, hear what care teams need to know about identifying patients who may be eligible for this testing. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Eric Konnick, MD, MS, associate professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology and associate director of Genetics and Solid Tumor Laborat...

Members of the multidisciplinary cancer care team—and cancer program leadership—recognize the importance of taking care of one's own mental health to be able to provide the best possible care to patients. Yet, many care team members are hesitant to share sensitive information and/or ask for support. Breaking down the social stigma that is often still associated with seeking mental health services...

Remote patient monitoring is a type of telehealth that allows patients to share data about their health with their care team in between clinic visits, including symptoms and vitals. Symptom tracking and monitoring technologies allow better management of treatment side effects, in turn allowing longer administration of treatments and improved clinical outcomes. While advantages to remote patient mo...

As myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) carry a heavy symptom burden which can significantly impact a patient's quality of life, hear how multidisciplinary care and psycho-social support can help alleviate this burden for patients. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Sarah Everette, LCSW and oncology social worker at Baptist Health Louisville in Kentucky about how these types of support and co...

The goal of treatment for most patients with myelofibrosis is to relieve symptoms. A provider will use a formula to assign a risk category (indicating aggressiveness) for the disease. Myelofibrosis categorized as low risk may not require treatment. Instead, a provider would monitor a patient's health through regular checkup to watch for signs of disease progression. For those patients with interme...

Each year, ACCC is active at the state and federal level, advocating on behalf of its members to ensure that the rules and regulations in place do not in any way impede the delivery of high-quality cancer care. In 2023, ACCC members identified four core areas of focus among a larger set of issues and concerns that the organization will support: 1) Protect Adequate and Stable Reimbursement for Onco...

The average survival rate for patients with myelofibrosis is six years. But this varies based on potential treatments. There are no drugs that can modify the outcome for myelofibrosis, and the only treatment that leads to cure is an allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). However, because of the high rates of morbidity and mortality, this treatment must be carefully considered ba...

While significant advances have been made overall in the treatment of multiple myeloma, the management of transplant-ineligible patients remains challenging. Patients with multiple myeloma are not cured with conventional therapy. Treatment does, however, alleviate symptoms, improve quality of life, and prolong survival. The current standard of care for multiple myeloma patients includes an anti-CD...

Recognizing the need for better care coordination and prompted by the experience of a patient partner, WellSpan Health embarked on a multispecialty effort to reimagine how incidental nodules are managed through the lens of the Quadruple Aim: improving the patient and provider experience, lowering per capita cost of care, and optimizing the health of populations . The new care delivery model identi...

As clinicians continue to seek new ways to provide the best patient care for patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms, a group of rare hematological cancers which can be challenging to treat, hear how recent guideline and treatment updates by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) can optimize care for patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with...

As soaring testing costs, coverage challenges, and heavy administrative overhead continue to impact access to guideline-concordant screening and biomarker testing, hear what multidisciplinary care teams need to know about mitigating the financial burden of cancer diagnostics. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Jan Nowak, MD, PhD and clinical chief of Molecular Pathology at Roswell Park Compr...

As cancer programs seek new ways to improve coordination of molecular testing, hear how precision medicine stewards can streamline testing processes to improve efficiency and improve the patient experience. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Melissa Cruz-Tanner, LPN, OPN-CG, and manager of Patient Navigation Services and the newly created Molecular Processing Department at Astera Cancer Care...

As myeloproliferative neoplasms carry a significant symptom burden and oftentimes can require lifelong care coordination and close monitoring, hear how a strong multidisciplinary approach can impact shared decision-making and patient engagement. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with speaks with Andrew Kuykendall, MD, assistant member of the Department of Malignant Hematology at Moffitt Cancer C...

Multiple myeloma refers to blood cancer found within the plasma cells of bone marrow. It is a rare cancer, affecting less than one percent of the U.S. population. Currently, there is no cure for multiple myeloma, but there are treatment options that can help people live longer, healthier lives. Stem cell transplant is a standard of care for eligible patients. However, over half of patients newly d...

Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) are considered highly susceptible to bacteria and viruses due to immunocompromisation. Now, in the post-COVID era, we are facing multiple viruses at the same time (i.e., Influenza, RSV, and COVID). It is as important as ever for patients with CLL to continue receiving vaccinations, as well as following safety and preventive measures such as wearing...

As community care teams work to provide equitable care for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), understanding disparities as well as state and region-specific barriers that impact care is critical. CANCER BUZZ speaks with Adam Kittai, MD, hematologist, and assistant professor at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute...

Andre Harvin teases his keynote at the ACCC 49 th Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit, where he will talk about innovative solutions to streamline pharmacy operations that have saved his healthcare system millions of dollars. One of those innovative solutions—robotic pharmacists.  Guest : Andre Harvin, PharmD, MS, MBA , Executive Director of Pharmacy, Oncology Services, Cone Health Ca...

Kevin Davies, author of Editing Humanity: The CRISPR Revolution and the New Era of Genome Editing , teases his keynote at the ACCC 49 th Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit, where he will talk about the history of genome technology and its potential to change precision medicine.  The first FDA approval for a CRISPR therapy is imminent. But can this game-changing technology deliver saf...