Oncology Issues Supplements

"Cancer Nutrition Services: A Practical Guide for Cancer Programs." This guide pulls together practical strategies, replicable models of nutrition programs underway at ACCC member programs, and tools for developing or enhancing your cancer program’s nutrition services. Included is the newly revised “Nutrition Services” section of ACCC's Cancer Program Guidelines. Available in print and online.

Nutrition: The 7th Vital Sign
November/December 2010

Building a Nutrition Program within a New Comprehensive Cancer Center
November/December 2010

Issues in Nutrition and Cancer: Update
March/April 2004

• An Overview for Clinicians
• New Approaches in Reserving Cancer-Related Weight Loss
• Multimodality Approaches to Optimize Survivorship Outcomes: Body Composition, Exercise, and Nutrition
• Nutritional Assessment Information, PG–SGA
• Functional Assessment of Anorexia Cachexia Therapy
• Nutritional Assessment Worksheet

Integrating Nutrition into Your Cancer Program
March/April 2002

• The Design and Implementation of a Model Nutritional Oncology Program
• The Multidimensional Role of the Dietitian at Your Cancer Center
• Oncology Nutrition Standards of Care
• Nutritional Screening and Assessment: An Overview
• Quality of Life and Nutrition in the Patient with Cancer
• Nutrition Impact Systems in the Oncology Patient Pharmacologic Interventions for Cancer-related Weight Loss
• Dietary Supplements During Cancer Treatment

Nutrition and Cancer: An Overview for Clinicians
This special supplement addresses the principles and practice of nutritional oncology into an integrated approach to cancer care.

• Scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) Form
• Worksheets for PG-SGA Scoring
• Functional Assessment of Anorexia Cachexia Therapy (FAACT) Questionnaire

Complete survey results are available to ACCC members only. Log in to My ACCC. Click on Member Content.

Prostate Cancer

As part of ACCC's Center for Provider Education's Prostate Cancer "Best Practices" Project, Oncology Issues explored five model programs that demonstrated innovative models of prostate cancer care in the community. Also, included are treatment decision-making tools, case studies, quality indicators, clinical pathways, and more.

Prostate Cancer: September/October 2009

• Maine Medical Center Cancer Institute's Prostate Cancer Clinic, Maine
  Two private practices and a hospital developed a clinic model that allows patients to be seen by all specialties. Plus, a prostate navigator pathway, an active surveillance tool, and a prospective Prostate Cancer Database.
• Palo Alto Medical Foundation's Prostate Cancer Care Program, California
  The foundation for this multispecialty group practices Integrated Prostate Cancer Care Program: patient feedback, a nurse navigator, and enhanced communication among specialties.
• The Center for Prostate Care, ProHealth Care Regional Cancer Center, Wisconsin
  A dedicated care coordinator guides patients through diagnosis and treatment. Plus, a decision tool that lists pros and cons of treatment options and then asks patients to rate their concerns.
• The Allegheny Prostate Center, Pennsylvania
  Housed in the hospital, this clinic is staffed by private practice urologists and a hospital-employed radiation oncologist. Patient scheduling and follow-up are conducted by the urology practice.
• Presbyterian Cancer Center’s Prostate and Genitourinary Multidisciplinary Oncology Clinic, North Carolina
  At this hospital-based clinic model, a multidisciplinary team discussion is followed by specialty visits with patients. Key to the clinic’s success: physicians work with referring physicians so that referral patterns are not "broken."

Extensive online resources are also available.

Cancer Care Patient Navigation: A Call to Action is a resource for community cancer programs interested in implementing or expanding patient navigation services. Learn about five model patient navigation efforts underway at ACCC member programs. Find sample tools including pre-assessment forms, intake summaries, referrals forms, patient satisfaction surveys, outcomes measures, and more.

Cancer Care Patient Navigation Tools for Community Cancer Centers.

Extensive online resources are also available.

Survivorship

Comprehensive Survivorship Services: A Practical Guide for Community Cancer Centers is a collection of practical tools and articles—model programs, survivorship care templates, and more—is designed to help your cancer program build, strengthen, and expand comprehensive survivorship services.

ACCC's Practical Guide to Comprehensive Survivorship Services

Extensive online resources are also available.

Breast Care-Related Articles 2008—2009

• Building a Center of Excellence
• The Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center
• Building a State-of-the-Art Breast Imaging Facility
• Developing a Multi-site Breast Care Network
• Making the Transition to Digital Mammography

Breast Care-Related Articles 2004

• Creating a Successful Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Conference
• Anne Arundel Medical Center's Model Breast Center
• Comprehensive Breast Care Programs: What’s in a Name?
• A Model Breast Care Center at George Washington University Medical Center
• The Role of a Breast Cancer Nurse Case Manager

Breast Care-Related Articles, 2008-2009

• Building a Center of Excellence
• The Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center
• Building a State-of-the-Art Breast Imaging Facility
• Developing a Multi-site Breast Care Network
• Making the Transition to Digital Mammography

Breast Care-Related Articles, 2004

• Creating a Successful Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Conference
• Anne Arundel Medical Center’s Model Breast Center
• Comprehensive Breast Care Programs: What's in a Name?
• A Model Breast Care Center at George Washington University Medical Center
• The Role of a Breast Cancer Nurse Case Manager

As a treatment process, image-guided radiation therapy has been in use for several decades. In recent years, as a result of advances in computer technology hardware and software applications, IGRT technology has reached new levels of sophistication. Here is a brief look at how Varian’s Dynamic Targeting IGRT technology was implemented and is now being used at both freestanding and hospital-based programs.

Complete survey results are available to ACCC members only. Log in to My ACCC. Click on Member Content.

Two model programs, reimbursement outlook, developing a financial proforma, and more.

Complete survey results are available to ACCC members only. Log in to My ACCC. Click on Member Content.

New technology can differentiate your cancer center. Four technologic innovations in diagnostic radiology that hopefully will help advance earlier colon and possibly lung cancer detection, enhance efficiency and patient throughput, improve staging, and ultimately may help direct more effective treatment strategies.

Complete survey results are available to ACCC members only. Log in to My ACCC. Click on Member Content.

Great strides have been made in developing programs and setting universal guidelines for screening and treating cancer-related pain. To keep readers current, ACCC provides an update on the current trends in oncology pain management and offers assessment tools, strategies, and techniques to reduce patient pain and discomfort.

Current Trends in Pain Management
by Melissa Stewart, Oncology Issues, May/June 2003, Volume 18, Number 3

Effective pain control can have serious economic implications for a cancer center. Good pain management, in addition to enhancing overall quality of life, increases a patient’s ability to comply with prescribed treatment protocols, reduces hospital admissions, and decreases inpatient lengths of stay. (PDF 323 KB)

Building a Model Pain Management Program in Your Community Cancer Center
by Myra Glajchen, Marilyn Bookbinder, and Pilar Gorordo, Oncology Issues, May/June 2003, Volume 18, Number 3

Effectively treating cancer pain is imperative for several reasons. First, unrelieved pain produces needless suffering and feelings of hopelessness in both patients and their caregivers. Second, pain can prevent patients from accepting vitally needed treatment. Finally, unrelieved pain can lead to hospital readmissions, longer inpatient stays, and increased outpatient visits, which cost the health care system millions of dollars annually. (PDF 132 KB)

Building a Palliative Care Program at Your Community Cancer Center
by Ann Allegre, Oncology Issues, May/June 2003, Volume 18, Number 3

Although palliative care programs were developed primarily for patients with serious illnesses, any patient who is suffering from physical or emotional symptoms that impact quality of life can benefit from palliative care. Patients who work with a palliative care team receive services that are more consistent with their personal preferences. (PDF 122 KB)