ACCC Precision Medicine: Transforming Complex to Clear

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Cancer Diagnostics

In an age of precision medicine, rapidly advancing biomarkers, and innovative cancer screening technologies, the demand for up-to-date information and tools is increasing like never before. The ACCC has been on the forefront of this demand for years, highlighting the expanding role of biomarkers in cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment selection, as well as providing insights and tools to support multidisciplinary cancer care team members.

Through various educational initiatives, the ACCC deconstructs these complex advancements to deliver the clear and targeted information that multidisciplinary cancer care team members need to know. With access to these curated resources, team members can be confident in their ability to discuss the role of diagnostics and biomarker testing with their patients and caregivers, particularly those from underserved populations.

Key learning objectives for this area of focus include:

  • Creating and curating precision medicine resources designed to aid cancer care team members when discussing the role of diagnostics/biomarker testing with patients and caregivers, particularly those from underserved populations
  • Disseminating data on innovative cancer screening technologies, biomarker testing updates, and related targeted treatments
  • Reinforcing the importance of multidisciplinary teams and greater integration of patients, caregivers, and members of at-risk communities when creating cancer diagnostic messaging and resources
  • Developing clinically relevant, disease-specific educational updates related to cancer diagnostics and precision medicine
  • Convening multidisciplinary leaders from the oncology community to translate and provide cancer precision medicine commentary applicable to the broad ACCC membership
Biomarkers

Biomarkers, which are biological changes occurring in the body in response to cancer, continue to play a rapidly evolving role in cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. ACCC has launched a number of programs focused on helping health care teams better integrate biomarker testing into their patients’ treatment plans.

Measurable Residual Disease Testing

ACCC has created a measurable residual disease (MRD) testing implementation roadmap to assist healthcare professionals with laying the groundwork for MRD testing. This innovative learning tool can be used to help multidisciplinary cancer care teams implement, expand, and sustain MRD testing for patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and multiple myeloma (MM).

Multi-Cancer Early Detection

With just a single blood draw, multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests can both detect and localize multiple cancers throughout the body—before symptoms occur. A new ACCC education project is exploring the current state of MCED tests to develop best practices that cancer programs can adopt so they can fully integrate these tests as they become available.

Pathology Integration

This virtual in-service pathology training will showcase various diagnostic tests and explain how to test, when to test, and how to interpret test results. Designed for multidisciplinary team members, this training will include vodcasts, town hall webinars, and topic-focused coffee chats.

 

Featured Publication

Increasing-Biomarker-Testing-Access-For-All-Patients-With-Cancer-900x1165Expanding Access to Biomarker Testing

Consistent, affordable, and equitable access to biomarker testing remains elusive. Uneven coverage of guideline-concordant testing compounds anxiety and distress for patients insured by Medicaid. View a breakdown of states with pending or enacted legislation to expand biomarker testing access and find information on resources to aid its implementation, including a lexicon of relevant terminology for multidisciplinary care teams and a resource library with materials to support patients and providers alike.
Download the Publication

 

Tip Sheets

As the precision medicine testing landscape becomes increasingly complex, ACCC has curated actionable tip sheets to help cancer care teams navigate biomarker testing for gynecologic tumors, newly identified mutations, hereditary cancer syndromes as well as optimize the use of liquid biopsy and communicate biomarker test results effectively. Download these helpful guides today.
Optimizing the Role of Liquid Biopsy
Newly Identified Actionable Mutations
A Guide to Biomarkers in Gynecologic Tumors
Germline vs Somatic Testing for Cancer
Communicating Biomarker Test Results

From the ACCCBuzz Blog

Featured Webinars

Making Genomically-Informed Treatment Management Decisions
View the recording from a livestreamed webinar about the challenges of clinical variant interpretation. Learn how the adoption of clinical support decision tools is streamlining precision oncology workflows as well as elucidating complex variants and the hierarchy of data organization.

Pathology in Precision Medicine: Collaborative Approaches to Optimizing Care Coordination
Watch an expert panel discuss the role of pathologists as part of the multidisciplinary care team and learn how collaboration through each stage of the cancer care continuum can help guide treatments and optimize care coordination in this recording from a LinkedIn Live broadcast.

Interactive e-Courses and On-Demand Webinars

  • This 20-minute, self-paced eCourse offers financial navigators foundational knowledge of biomarkers testing, and insurance guidelines. Learners will gain access to financial and educational resources, practice clear communication strategies to improve patient comprehension and explore best practices for prior authorization.

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

Cancer Buzz Podcasts

 

For more information on this project, please contact the ACCC Provider Education department.

Our Partners

Academy of Oncology Nurses and Patient NavigatorsASCP: Stronger TogetherAssociation of Molecular PathologyCancer Support CommunityNational Society of Genetic Counselors
 

Our Supporters

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