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ACCC Precision Medicine: Transforming Complex to Clear

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Precision Medicine

Precision medicine delivers personalized cancer care based on an individual’s genomics, lifestyle, and environment. Precision medicine implements the use of biomarkers, molecular testing, and targeted therapies to tailor treatment plans that address the unique needs of every patient.

Helping to bring personalized cancer care into focus, ACCC transforms complex science into clear and actionable education that brings clarity to patient care decisions. From essential knowledge on cancer screening updates to clinically impactful biomarker testing and new cancer diagnostic assay development, the ACCC Precision Medicine Library has fundamental resources that match the professional needs and preferred learning styles of the multidisciplinary cancer team.

Cancer Diagnostics

ACCC develops targeted educational resources and programs that help multidisciplinary cancer care teams stay up to date on the latest advancements in cancer diagnostics. This includes resources on subjects including biomarkers, measurable residual disease (MRD) testing, multi-cancer early detection, and pathology.

Care Coordination

ACCC offers a variety of educational and practical resources to help community programs achieve a more coordinated care experience for their patients. This includes projects and resources on eliminating disparities in precision medicine, genetic counseling, and precision medicine stewardship.

Treatment

ACCC provides members with the latest information, resources, and programs so they can better assist their patients with critical care decisions. This includes programs on managing adverse events, usage of biosimilars in treatment, bispecific antibodies, and immunotherapy.

On-Demand Webinars

  • Now available is a 30-minute eCourse for members of the multidisciplinary cancer care team on how to use consistent, evidence-based health literacy best practices as it relates to lung cancer biomarker testing. Complete “Health Literacy Best Practices for Lung Cancer Biomarkers” to gain a lexicon of health terminology that resonates with patients and their caregivers and access downloadable resources about health literacy and biomarkers.

  • Hear patient advocacy professionals discuss the impact of using patient-centered vocabulary during precision medicine conversations.

  • This webinar will highlight how community cancer programs are using a new approach to optimize biomarker testing processes through the addition of a precision medicine steward. Precision medicine experts will outline strategies and key metrics that demonstrate how precision medicine stewardship can improve coordination and streamline workflows to ensure timely, equitable testing for patients who may benefit from targeted therapy.

  • This webinar will review how the steps in the life cycle of a patient specimen can affect its molecular integrity and molecular analysis results. Our expert speaker will define the roles of stewardship across the specimen chain of custody, discuss common factors that compromise specimen fitness for molecular testing, and describe solutions to improve preanalytics and tissue stewardship.

  • Two thought leaders who have deep knowledge of—and experience in—biomarker testing in patients with hematologic malignancies will discuss best practices for biomarker testing in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and multiple myeloma based on patient case discussions and the latest guidelines.

Cancer Buzz Podcasts

From the ACCCBuzz Blog

Must-Listen Podcasts on Precision Medicine


December 13, 2021
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By evaluating the unique genetic makeup of specific individuals, precision medicine can enable clinicians to select the safest and most effective therapies for their patients. By using the tools of precision medicine—such as biomarker testing—physicians can diagnose cancer types and select treatment regimens with the most potential to successfully target an individual tumor’s specific mutations. While precision medicine in cancer care is becoming more widespread, its rapid evolution in oncology requires ongoing discussion.  


ACCC’s podcast, CANCER BUZZ, features lively expert discussions about emergent issues in cancer care. Precision medicine and all of its implications are frequent topics. The following episodes feature new perspectives on precision medicine in cancer care:  

 

  1. Biomarker Testing Advocacy: Biomarker testing is an important part of precision medicine; however, many commercial health plans and state Medicaid programs do not provide adequate coverage for these services. But recent legislative wins may mean things are changing. We speak to two healthcare advocates to discuss recent policy changes as they relate to biomarker testing.  

  2. Precision Medicine Disparities: Authors of an ACCC/LUNGevity Foundation study that identifies key areas of clinician need related to biomarker testing in non-small cell lung cancer discuss the need for more knowledge about precision medicine guidelines, the practical applications of guideline-concordant testing, the importance of patient-clinician discussion and education, and access to appropriate clinical trials. 

  3. Genetic Testing & Telehealth: Uncover common barriers to genetic counseling and biomarker testing for patients with cancer and learn how providers can help expand the use of testing and counseling delivered via telehealth to educate, inform, and improve patient care. 

  4. What You Need to Know about Liquid Biopsy: Learn about the current clinical applications of liquid biopsies, their associated reimbursement issues, and what can be done to implement these tests at cancer programs and practices. 

  5. Telehealth & Genetics During COVID-19: Explore how genetic healthcare services have adapted to virtual delivery and what challenges there are to the widespread use of telehealth medicine after the pandemic is over. 

  6. The Promise of Bispecific Antibodies: The redirection of T cells against tumors holds significant promise for the treatment of cancer. Learn about promising breakthroughs, the challenges to widespread use, and what cancer teams need to know about the future of cancer treatment. 

  7. Immunotherapy (IO) & Dermatology: Immune-related adverse events most often present on the skin for patients undergoing immunotherapy. Learn about dermatology’s role in the cancer care continuum and how cancer teams can better integrate dermatology into the IO care process. 

  8. IO Clinical Trials During COVID-19: Learn how immunotherapy clinical trials have been affected by the pandemic and what cancer programs can do to conduct clinical trials safely and effectively during the pandemic. 

  9. Immunotherapy & Mental Health: Learn how cancer care providers can better integrate mental health awareness into the immunotherapy care continuum and the mental health implications of treatment with cancer IO. 

  10. Survivorship Care After Immunotherapy: Learn about the transition from immunotherapy to post-treatment survivorship, how immunotherapy differs from chemotherapy after treatment, and why coordination and communication among providers, patients, and caregivers is essential. 


Listen to the CANCER BUZZ podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also listen with your smart home device. For instructions on how to listen with Alexa, click here, or just tell Alexa to "Play CANCER BUZZ." For Google Home instructions, click here


Additional tools and resources available in ACCC’s Precision Medicine Library provide the cancer care team with comprehensive, trusted, and tangible resources that can inform their patient care decisions and help improve outcomes. From toolkits to webinars, the library features resources developed and curated by cancer care experts throughout the world. 
 
These resources offer information for clinicians from pharmacists to oncologists on all aspects of precision medicine, giving providers essential knowledge to apply to patient care and help bring clarity to complex care decisions. 

News & Media

From Oncology Issues

Digital Tools

Biomarker Lexicon
Explore the many terms associated with the different areas and applications of cancer biomarkers.

Biomarker Resource Library
Search this resource bank of nationally available materials relevant to cancer biomarkers and biomarker testing. You may filter by cancer type, area of application, and/or primary audience.

Biomarker Toolkit
This practical toolkit is centered around the four key elements needed to develop a precision medicine program that successfully incorporates biomarker testing.

MRD Testing Implementation Roadmap
Navigate how to lay the groundwork for MRD testing, prepare your care team, implement testing, and evaluate ongoing progress.

MRD Testing Resource Library
Curated materials to help establish and implement MRD testing for your patients with adult B-cell ALL.

Biomarker Testing Implementation Roadmap for Advanced NSCLC
An innovative tool to implement, expand, and sustain biomarker testing for patients with advanced NSCLC.

Biomarker Testing Resource Library
Curated materials to support the implementation of biomarker testing for patients with advanced NSCLC.

Bispecific Antibodies Resources
Links to recent scholarship and resources that can help practices better serve their patients who may be eligible for TRBA therapy.

Abstracts & Presentations