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Community Oncology Research

Expanding access to clinical trials is instrumental in achieving equitable cancer care delivery. Clinical trials can be a lifeline for patients with cancer, providing leading-edge care by clinicians dedicated to a specific disease. The oncology community is filled with stories of patients whose lives were improved and/or extended due to participation in a clinical trial. Yet, despite the potential of clinical research to improve outcomes for patients with cancer, enrollment in trials remains low.

The Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC) is dedicated to helping the oncology community advance new therapies, expand access to clinical trials, and to close the gap in cancer care delivery by offering the latest education and resources on real-world research, evidence, and clinical trials.

The ACCC Community Oncology Research Institute (ACORI) was launched to address disparities in cancer research and to establish clinical trials as a standard of care for all cancer patients.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and ACCC have jointly released the Just ASK™ Training Program and Site Self-Assessment resources to help increase the racial and ethnic equity, diversity, and inclusion in cancer clinical trials.

ACCC is committed to ensuring clinical trials are accessible to underserved populations and to closing the gap in cancer research resulting in equitable representation for all patients.

This free, on-demand webinar focuses on how clinical trials function, addressing disparities that can exist within them, and the LLS Clinical Trials Support Center. Participants will also have the opportunity to earn CME/CE credits.

More Community Oncology Research Resources

From the ACCCBuzz Blog

LUNGevity Health Equity Summit: A Focus on Biomarker Testing
April 11, 2024
LUNGevity invited ACCC and other stakeholders across the oncology world to Washington DC, for their second Health Equity Summit on Tuesday, March 12.
ACCC Recognizes National Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Month
April 09, 2024
ACCC recognizes April as National Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Month.
Clinical Meaningfulness: Insights from a Metastatic Breast Cancer Qualitative Study
March 21, 2024
Explore findings from a multi-stakeholder collaboration aimed at exploring clinical meaningfulness in comprehensive care delivery for patients with metastatic breast cancer.

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Cancer Buzz Podcasts

The Role of the Clinical Trials Navigator — [MINI PODCAST] EP 129 Aug 29, 2023

Adding a clinical trials navigator to this practice team required a business case that demonstrated return on investment. After a successful onboarding, this navigator is now the point person to help identify patients appropriate for clinical trials and to help busy clinicians with enrollment criteria and trial selection.
Cannabis and Cancer: Developing a Patient Clinic — [PODCAST] Ep 86 Jul 12, 2022
The demand for medical cannabis education from both providers and patients is increasing dramatically as stigma on its use decreases. Learn how the Cannabis and Cancer Research and Education Clinic (CanCaRE) is helping meet this growing need.
[PODCAST] Ep 84: Increasing Clinical Trial Access for Blood Cancers Jun 7, 2022

Clinical trials are the best instrument to advance treatment for blood cancers, but numerous challenges exist around trial identification, enrollment, and participation. We’ll hear perspectives from a community provider and patient advocacy organization on immediate—and forward-thinking—solutions to help this population better access clinical trials, including a tool from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to help patients identify cancer clinical trials that may be a fit.

More Community Oncology Research Podcasts

On-Demand Webinars

Just ASK™: Increasing Diversity in Cancer Clinical Research

An online implicit bias training program that presents the broader context of structural and systemic racism, the role of implicit bias in clinical trial selection, vignettes with real-world examples of implicit bias, and guidance for mitigating disparities in cancer research settings.
ACORI Call to Action Summit: Activating Equity in Community Oncology Research

The Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) has established the ACCC Community Oncology Research Institute (ACORI) to build on its existing mission to close the gap in cancer research through optimal oncology partnerships. As part of this mission, ACCC hosted the ACORI Call to Action Summit, a two-day virtual event that explored practical solutions to strengthen and diversify oncology clinical trials in communities across the country.
(Sep 13-14, 2021)
Practical Solutions to Better Engage Cancer Professionals with Communities of Color

An expert panel reviews currently available data on cancer care disparities, discusses the needs of disadvantaged populations, and shares practical solutions and methods for implementing bias training. (April 20, 2021)

From Oncology Issues

A Model for Achieving Comprehensive Biomarker Testing in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
By Molly Mendenhall, MBOE, BSN, RN, et al.

Oncology Hematology Care, Inc. launched a one-year quality improvement project to implement and standardize comprehensive biomarker testing in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.
Issues: CAR T-Cell Therapy: A Significant Advance for Patients with Hematologic Malignancies
By Nicole Tapay

CAR T-cell therapies have ushered in a new era of treatment options for patients with certain hematologic malignancies. Thus, it is important to make these therapies accessible and affordable.
Human-Centered Design: A Possible Solution to Rural Clinical Trial Enrollment
By Wade T Swenson, Emily Westergard, Zachary Schroeder, and Abigail Swenson

Adopting a human-centered approach to designing clinical trials that considers the preferences and experiences of rural patients with cancer and providers could increase patient enrollment and close care gaps.