Rachel Radwan

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, developed a novel Pre-Intake Navigation (PIN) program, which identifies and resolves early financial and insurance barriers, enabling patients to access timely, high-quality cancer care with less anxiety and fewer delays. PIN shifts financial navigation from a late-stage, reactive task to an early, standardized, patient‑centered process embedded in the call center workflow.

Understanding both the benefits to be had from offering BsAb therapy to its community and the scope of this undertaking, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center took a novel approach with its APP-led BsAb step-up dosing clinic, which won the program a 2026 ACCC Innovator Award.

At the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting, the Louisiana Oncology Society received the ASCO Jeffrey C Ward Affiliate Advocacy Award for advancing critical advocacy priorities that have translated into meaningful legislative victories. The Iowa Oncology Society and Washington State Medical Oncology Society were also recognized for their advocacy efforts in 2025 at the meeting, receiving second place awards.

Nationally, approximately 1 in 5 patients who qualify for CAR T-cell therapy never receive it due to geographic distance, travel burden, or limited availability at specialized inpatient centers. Recognizing a critical need in its community, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, launched the region’s first fully outpatient CAR T-cell therapy program for select blood cancers, fundamentally redefining how advanced cellular therapies can be delivered safely outside of a hospital setting and earning the program a 2026 ACCC Innovator Award.

To better reach its patients living in rural communities throughout Georgia with targeted interventions, 2026 ACCC Innovator Award winner Winship Cancer Institute developed an Embedded Community Staff model, which leverages the experiential knowledge of local community members.

2026 ACCC Innovator Award Winner UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center noticed a common pain point among patients who received oncolytic virus treatment for advanced melanoma: time spent in appointments. To minimize the need for multiple lengthy appointments, the center developed a pharmacist-led strategy that utilized virtual visits and premixing doses prior to in-person visits.

2026 ACCC Innovator Award Winner St. Luke's Cancer Institute noticed a significant administrative burden being placed on providers to review medical necessity validation for complex oncology therapies. To address the resulting rise in peer-to-peer requirements, delays in care, and pre-service denials, the team designed and implemented a new Clinical Documentation Integrity Registered Nurse role.

Rachel Radwan

In her recent appearance on Sanofi’s Patient Advocacy Voices podcast, ACCC Executive Director Meagan O’Neill discusses the operational gaps that delay access to cancer care, structural barriers that impact patient outcomes, and ACCC’s mission to supply a “how to” approach in bringing breakthrough science to cancer programs in the form of practical solutions.

ACCCBuzz spoke with Fox Chase Cancer Center to learn more about its partnership with Omniscope, a leader in advanced molecular profiling technology, in hopes of developing an assay that accurately predicts which patients will respond well to immunotherapy based on the presence of certain T-cell clones.

On day 1 of the NCCN 2026 Annual Conference, attendees heard from experts on the unique issues young adults with cancer face during and post-treatment, advances in treating gastrointestinal cancers, evolving therapies in skin cancers, and novel approaches to treating blood cancers.

In an effort to improve outcomes and deliver the highest quality of care to patients with pancreatic cancer, Duke Cancer Institute launched a multidisciplinary Pancreatic Cancer Center that prioritizes thorough surveillance of high-risk patients, stays at the forefront of clinical trials, and considers the role of comorbidities.

Electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) can address limited visibility into patients' health and well-being between visits. Yet, many solutions remain generic in their workflows and mainly help capture adverse events, without helping care teams proactively manage or prevent them from worsening. Cureety offers a new kind of ePRO solution, specialized in oncology and designed to make care better quality, more efficient, and more proactive for all patients.

Patients with rare diseases and their families often feel isolated and overlooked, with many medical questions left unanswered and few people who can empathize with their condition. Rare Disease Day is observed globally each year to bring awareness for diseases and the people behind them by promoting the challenges these rare medical journeys pose for patients and caregivers.

For 52 years, the ACCC has pursued its mission to provide resources, forums, and opportunities to promote the delivery of high-quality, equitable cancer care. Learn more about the work of ACCC over the past year in the full 2025 Impact Report.

This January, ACCC invites its membership to take part in promoting cervical cancer awareness by sharing resources and research about the importance of the HPV vaccine and regular screening, to work towards a future free of cervical cancer.

To broaden access to the specialized support and navigation that patients with primary brain tumors need, the Brain Tumor Network partnered with the American Cancer Society.

Introducing Oncology Unscripted, ACCC’s new CANCER BUZZ podcast, which offers unfiltered, honest dialogue about the future of cancer care delivery and fresh perspectives on how oncology professionals can think bigger, lead smarter, and act bolder.

In honor of the great sacrifice of Veterans and first responders and in pursuit of improving awareness, health literacy, and availability of assistance programs, the NCCN hosted a patient advocacy summit on December 9, 2025, in the nation’s capital.

In honor of National Oncology Navigator Day, ACCC is pleased to share several initiatives from cancer programs across the country who are leveraging navigators in creative and successful ways.

The final day of the 42nd National Oncology Conference featured panels that brought together leaders and innovators to discuss clinical and administrative priorities, coordinating with primary care, and challenges in rural and remote communities.

Day 2 of the 42nd National Oncology Conference (NOC) offered powerful insights about creating a trusting and engaged workforce, making the business case for an innovation, and the presentations of the six 2025 Innovator Award Winners.

Day 1 of the ACCC 42nd National Oncology Conference (NOC) featured discussions of psychosocial care and a fireside chat with ACCC President, Una Hopkins, DNP, MSN, FNP-BC, NE-BC, RN, FACCC.