The Association of Community Cancer Centers Launches Small-Population Cancers Community Resource Centers for Providers

ROCKVILLE, Md. – The Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC) announces the launch of Community Resource Centers (CRCs) for its Improving Quality Care in Small-Population Cancers project. Within the scope of this program, CRCs serve as virtual “experts in residence” for ACCC members on specific small-population cancers.

Five ACCC-member cancer programs who have expertise in treating specific small-population cancers and who have demonstrated effective practices in caring for patients with these diseases were selected as CRCs. ACCC Cancer Program Members can contact any of these CRCs to ask questions of a colleague through a dedicated online discussion forum.

In 2010, ACCC launched the Improving Quality Care in Small-Population Cancers project, an initiative focused on less-common cancers, also referred to as “forgotten” cancers, which are diseases involving fewer than 40,000 patient cases annually in the U.S. While patients with small-population cancers are often referred to large academic programs, they may return to their community-based providers for follow-up care. Still other patients with these diseases, like many cancer patients, may prefer to be treated close to home.

Because of the low incidence of these diseases and subsequent limited resources, community providers face challenges in treating these patients, including limited time and resources to incorporate emerging clinical data into practice. To help meet these challenges, the Improving Quality Care in Small-Population Cancers project offers ACCC members access to CRCs, along with dedicated webpages that provide disease-specific clinical and practical information for providers and disease-specific effective practices. These practices are standards-based guidelines focused on three key competency areas: clinical, patient support, and program management.

“Information, experience, and best practices do exist for these less common cancers,” said ACCC President Virginia T. Vaitones, MSW, OSW-C. “The CRC aspect of this project aims to make this knowledge accessible on demand to cancer care providers around the country, so that patients with these specific, less-common diagnoses can have quality care and cutting-edge treatments, regardless of where they choose to be treated.”

This multi-faceted initiative focuses on three small-population cancers: chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), multiple myeloma (MM), and acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL).

Serving as CRCs for the Improving Quality Care in Small-Population Cancers project are:

• John Theurer Cancer Center Hackensack University Medical Center Hackensack, New Jersey Community Resource Center for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
• The Nebraska Medical Center Omaha, Nebraska Community Resource Center for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and Multiple Myeloma
• Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Seattle, Washington Community Resource Center for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, Multiple Myeloma, and Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia
• St. Vincent Hospitals and Health Care Center St. Vincent Cancer Care Indianapolis, Indiana Community Resource Center for Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia
• Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University Atlanta, Georgia Community Resource Center for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, Multiple Myeloma, and Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia