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, 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.

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).

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.

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.

From the ACCCBuzz Blog

Rare Cancer and the Cancer Patient Equity Act of 2021
October 25, 2022
Introduced in 2021, the Cancer Patient Equity Act seeks to provide coverage of certain cancer diagnostic and laboratory tests under Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program, and more.
State Legislation Requiring Coverage of Biomarker Testing Gains Momentum
By Matt Devino, MPH
September 30, 2022
State legislation across the U.S. is tackling health insurance coverage for comprehensive biomarker testing. Learn more about what's going on where you live and across the nation.