COVID-19 & Cancer Patient Registry: Your Voice Matters

As experience with COVID-19 is collected, we are learning that people with cancer are more likely to experience worse outcomes. Patients with cancer are also significantly impacted by disruptions in the healthcare system that may lead to delays or changes in treatment plans. It is imperative that we examine and understand much more about the impact of this pandemic on cancer patients and survivors so that we can effectively and rapidly make improvements to care delivery.

On behalf of the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), I strongly encourage you to contribute to the new ASCO Survey on COVID-19 in Oncology Registry (ASCO Registry). Your help in developing a large data set is critical for researchers who are studying the important questions to which we need confirmed answers.

This critical cancer patient registry collects information about patterns of symptoms and severity of COVID-19 infection, how COVID-19 influences the delivery of cancer care, and how patient cancer and COVID-19 outcomes are affected.

As part of the 2020-2021 ACCC President’s Theme, Community Oncology Can Close the Gap in Cancer Research, ACCC is exploring the impact of COVID-19 on all facets of cancer care, including the administration of—and patient access to—clinical trials. COVID-19 poses a particularly significant challenge for oncology clinical trials, as investigational approaches are often considered standard of care for many disease types.

Once sufficient patient data have been received and analyzed, ASCO will deliver periodic reports on key insights, including characteristics of patients with cancer most impacted by COVID-19, estimates of disease severity, treatment modifications or delays, implementation of telemedicine in the cancer treatment setting, and clinical outcomes among patients related to both COVID-19 and cancer.

The registry is open to all oncology programs, including physician-owned, academic, and hospital/health system-owned practices, and hospitals in the United States.

Please also be aware that CMS has announced that ASCO’s Survey on COVID-19 in Oncology Registry is an acceptable clinical trial registry for the MIPS COVID-19 Clinical Trials Improvement Activity.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration of this critical research initiative. Please join us in helping to improve cancer care.

Sincerely,