Direct From ASCO
New Certification Pilot Focuses on Patient-Centered Cancer Care, Equips Practices With Evidence-Based Approach to Value-Based Care Delivery
The Association for Clinical Oncology (the Association) launched the ASCO Patient-Centered Cancer Care Certification, a new pilot that certifies outpatient oncology group practices and health systems that meet a single set of comprehensive, expert-backed standards for patient-centered care delivery....
340B Needs Reforms, Not Cuts, to Improve Low-Income Americans’ Access to Care
In comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), ASCO expressed significant concerns that several provisions in the 2022 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System proposed rule have the potential to undermine access to cancer care for Medicare beneficiaries. ASCO does, how...
Administration Outlines Plan to Address High Prescription Drug Costs
On September 9, 2021, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a report titled, “Comprehensive Plan for Addressing High Drug Prices: A Report in Response to the Executive Order on Competition in the American Economy.” The report comes following President Biden’s July 2021 Exec...
Breast Cancer Research Foundation®, Conquer Cancer, and ASCO Celebrate 20th Year of Collaboration
2021 marks the 20th year of collaboration between ASCO; Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation; and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation® (BCRF). BCRF’s pivotal support during the past 2 decades has been critical to both organizations’ shared achievements in funding breakthroughs in breast cancer res...
Disaster Assistance: Resources Available for Cancer Care Physicians, Patients Impacted by Hurricane Ida
ASCO has a list of resources and information to support cancer care providers and patients affected by natural disasters such as Hurricane Ida. The resources include materials from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, emergency contact and preparedness information, and information on st...
Guideline Rapid Update Provides New Direction on the Care of Patients With Residual Disease in Locally Advanced Esophageal Cancer
Emily A. Kuhl, PhD
An ASCO guideline rapid update is revising recommendations for the management of locally advanced esophageal carcinoma to include provision of nivolumab following adjuvant chemoradiotherapy and surgery. The new guidance addresses treatment of patients with residual disease following resection and ch...
Conquer Cancer Updates Mission, Vision; Adopts Values Inspired by Its Donors
To underscore its commitment to scale and grow cancer research funding and to align more closely with ASCO, Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation, has updated its mission and vision. Mission: Accelerate breakthroughs in lifesaving research and empower people everywhere to conquer cancer. Vision: A ...
ASCO Applauds Administration Decision to Withdraw Most Favored Nation Model
“The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) commends the Biden Administration for proposing to rescind the Most Favored Nation (MFN) model from consideration. ASCO has consistently opposed the ill-advised MFN model, as it would have had a devastating impact on people with cancer. “The proposed ...
New Evidence Drives Need for Revised Guideline on Hormone-Sensitive Advanced Breast Cancer
Emily A. Kuhl, PhD
A recently updated ASCO guideline offers both new and revised guidance on the treatment of hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer.1 “ASCO regularly updates its guidelines to make sure everything is current and valuable for oncologists and patients. About a year ago, the...
Introducing the ASCO Plenary Series: Because Today’s Science Is Needed Quickly for Tomorrow’s Practice
Research advances are being made faster than ever before, yet it often takes several months before study results can be presented at an upcoming conference. Faster dissemination of practice-changing science is needed to better help clinicians deliver the most up-to-date care and treatments to patien...
Conquer Cancer Names Inaugural Recipients of ASCO Registry Research Grants
Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2021 ASCO Registry Research Grants. Conquer Cancer established the ASCO Registry Research Grant to support research using data derived from the ASCO Survey on COVID-19 in Oncology Registry (the “ASCO Registry”). The ...
COVID-19 Pandemic Spurs Quick Uptick in Telehealth Adoption, ASCO Provides Guidance for Oncologists
Leah Lawrence
ASCO recently released a new set of standards and practice recommendations specific to telehealth in oncology.1 These new standards provide guidance for which patients can be seen through telehealth; the establishment of the doctor-physician relationship; the role of allied health professionals and ...
ASCO and MASCC/ISOO Publish Joint Guideline on Prevention, Treatment of Salivary Gland Hypofunction and Xerostomia
A new joint ASCO guideline offers clinicians updated evidence-based recommendations for the prevention and treatment of salivary gland hypofunction and xerostomia caused by nonsurgical cancer therapies.1 The guidance was developed together by ASCO and the Multinational Association of Supportive Car...
ASCO Joins Statement Supporting Mandatory Health Employer COVID-19 Vaccination
With COVID-19 case counts rising amid the spread of the Delta variant, ASCO has joined more than 50 health-care professional societies and organizations that represent millions of workers throughout health and long-term care in calling for all health-care employers to require their employees to be v...
New Guideline Provides Clarity on Timing, Treatment of Axilla in Early-Stage Breast Cancer
Leah Lawrence
ASCO and Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) have collaborated to release a new clinical practice guideline on the management of the axilla in early-stage breast cancer.1 “A lot has changed in the past several years with regard to de-escalating the amount of treatment women are offered in the axil...
Conquer Cancer Announces 2021 Israel Cancer Research Fund Career Development Award
Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, is pleased to announce Shlomit Strulov Shachar, MD, of Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, is the recipient of the 2021 Conquer Cancer–Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF) Career Development Award. Dr. Shachar’s proposed study, entitled “Identifying Molecular Oncoge...
ASCO and Community Oncology Alliance Publish Standards for Oncology Medical Home Model
Geraldine Carroll
ASCO and the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) have published standards for the oncology medical home (OMH), a comprehensive system of care delivery that supports coordinated, efficient, accessible, and evidence-based care.1 The standards serve as a roadmap for practice transformation—systematically...
Oncology Practices Nationwide Show High Interest in Diversifying Cancer Clinical Trials
ASCO and the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) recently announced that 75 research sites applied and have been invited to participate in a pilot project testing a research site self-assessment tool and an implicit bias training program focused on increasing racial and ethnic diversity a...
ASCO Honors John V. Cox, DO, MBA, FACP, FASCO, With 2021 Joseph V. Simone Award
ASCO will recognize John V. Cox, DO, MBA, FACP, FASCO, a medical oncologist and professor at the University of Texas Southwestern, with the Joseph V. Simone Award and Lecture for Excellence in Quality and Safety in the Care of Patients With Cancer. Dr. Cox will be presented with the award at the 2...
ASCO/Friends of Cancer Research Joint Position Statement Encourages Enrollment of Patients With Cancer in COVID-19 Vaccine Studies
Individuals with cancer or a history of cancer should be eligible for clinical trials—including COVID-19 vaccine trials—unless there is safety justification for exclusion, ASCO and Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) asserted in a recently released joint position statement. To date, clinical trial...
ASCO Calls for Increased Funding for Cancer Research in Fiscal Year 2022
ASCO is calling on Congress to continue its bipartisan support of federally funded research. Robust, sustained, and predictable funding growth for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) baseline budgets are critical in advancing our nation’s work toward comba...
ASCO Publishes Resource-Stratified Guideline on Assessment and Treatment of Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian cancer carries a heavy morbidity and mortality burden, particularly in settings and regions of the globe that feature significant limitations in health-care resources. Given that ovarian cancer is more lethal than breast cancer, clinicians in resource-limited areas require guidance on the ap...
ASCO Congratulates Chiquita Brooks-LaSure on Confirmation as CMS Administrator
Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, FASCO, Board Chair of the Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), issued the following statement. “The Association for Clinical Oncology congratulates Chiquita Brooks-LaSure on her confirmation as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Servic...
ASCO Releases Rapid Guideline Recommendation Update for Patients With High-Risk, HER2-Negative, Germline BRCA–Mutated Breast Cancer
The ASCO Post Staff
A new ASCO guideline update recommends offering 1 year of adjuvant olaparib to patients with high-risk, early-stage, HER2-negative breast cancer and germline BRCA mutations after completion of (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy and local treatment, including radiation. The recommendations update the 2020 gu...
Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, Awards More Than $10 Million to Support Cancer Research
Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, is pleased to announce the recipients of its awards supporting researchers with projects spanning across many areas in cancer care, including immunotherapy, precision medicine, breast cancer, and palliative care. This year, Conquer Cancer is funding the largest n...
ASCO-ACCC Piloting Project to Test Tools to Diversify Cancer Clinical Trials
In a continuation of their collaboration to increase clinical trial participation among patients from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, ASCO and the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) recently announced plans to test a research site assessment tool and implicit bias training pro...
Biden Administration Reverses Rule Limiting Access to Equitable Cancer Care for Sexual and Gender Minority Community
On May 10, 2021, the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights announced that its ban on sex discrimination once again includes a ban on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The move will reverse a final rule from June 2020 that establis...
Watch Now: Discussion on Eligibility Criteria and the Impact on Access to Clinical Trials
On Friday, April 9, 2021, ASCO and Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) co-hosted a live virtual event, which brought together experts from across the health-care sector to discuss the recent release of the new ASCO-Friends recommendations for modernizing eligibility criteria to improve patient acce...
ASCO Releases Recommendations for Management of Salivary Gland Malignancies
Given the rarity of salivary gland malignancies—neoplasms that account for less than 1% to 5% of all head and neck cancers—limited evidence exists to support informed treatment guidance. The overall variability in the biologic behaviors of these neoplasms has further complicated clinical management....
New ASCO Journal Series Examines Disparities in Cancer Care for Black People in the United States
A new special series in JCO Oncology Practice explores the causes of disparities in cancer care and outcomes for Black people in the United States and examines potential solutions to begin to achieve health equity for this population. The “Disparities in Cancer Care for Black People in the United St...
Telehealth Flexibilities Helping People Have Uninterrupted Access to Cancer Care Should Continue After the COVID-19 Pandemic
ASCO submitted comments to a House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee hearing titled “Charting the Path Forward for Telehealth.” The comments convey ASCO’s views on how telehealth can better serve individuals with cancer and the oncology professionals who care for them. During the COVID-19 pandemic...
Senators Richard Burr and Ben Cardin Recognized as ASCO Congressional Champions for Cancer Care
ASCO has presented Senators Richard Burr (R-NC) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) with the annual Congressional Champion for Cancer Care Award in recognition of their ongoing commitment to legislation that improves the environment for cancer research, oncology practice, and the quality of care for patients. The...
New Study Shows Difficulty in Identifying Transgender Individuals Using EHR Data
Katherine H. Crawford, MA, PMP
In order to understand and eliminate disparities in cancer incidence and outcomes among transgender people, clinicians and researchers must have data. However, these data are very difficult to obtain because gender identity data are not routinely collected in oncology practice health records. A new...
ASCO Board of Directors and Nominating Committee
The ASCO Post Staff
ASCO has elected five new members to the ASCO Board of Directors and the Nominating Committee for 4- and 3-year terms, respectively, starting in June 2021: Gladys I. Rodriguez, MD, has been elected to a Designated Community Oncologist seat on the Board. Dr. Rodriguez is Vice President of ...
ASCO Issues Guideline on Dyspnea in Advanced Cancer
ASCO has issued a new guideline on the clinical management of dyspnea in adult patients with advanced cancer.1 Dyspnea—or breathlessness—is a common and distressing symptom affecting upward of 70% of patients with advanced cancer.2 “Dyspnea is a highly prevalent symptom, particularly when people wi...
ASCO Honors 2021 Special Awards Recipients
Researchers, patient advocates, and global oncology leaders who have worked to reshape cancer care around the world are among the recipients of ASCO’s Special Awards—the Society’s highest honors—and the Women Who Conquer Cancer Mentorship Awards from Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation. “The recipi...
ASCO and Ontario Health Publish Joint Update on Guideline for Targeted Therapy in NSCLC With Driver Alterations
ASCO and Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) have jointly published an update1 to the 2017 ASCO guideline2 regarding systemic therapy recommendations for stage IV non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with driver alterations. Guideline Co-Chair Nasser H. Hanna, MD, of the Indiana University Simon Comp...
Fostering a Global Community of Early-Career Oncologists, Virtually
Katherine H. Crawford, MA, PMP
In a typical year, the new participants in ASCO and Conquer Cancer’s International Development and Education Awards (IDEA) and International Development and Education Awards–Palliative Care (IDEA-PC) program would arrive at the McCormick Place Convention Center just ahead of the ASCO Annual Meeting....
ASCO Answers Guide: Cancer Survivorship
As patients finish active treatment, they often wonder: “What happens next?” ASCO Answers: Cancer Survivorship assists in answering this often-difficult question by helping patients better understand survivorship, including its psychological, physical, sexual, reproductive, financial, and work-relat...
New Savings on HealthCare.gov Follow COVID Relief Package
As of April 1, additional savings may be available for new and current consumers who purchase health insurance on HealthCare.gov following passage of the American Rescue Plan. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) also extended access to the Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for the f...
New ASCO Guideline Offers Recommendations for Neoadjuvant Breast Cancer Treatment
ASCO has released a new guideline regarding the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, and targeted therapy in breast cancer.1 “This is the first time ASCO has embarked on a guideline for neoadjuvant therapy,” said Larissa A. Korde, MD, of the National Cancer Institute, and guideline Co...
Improvement Programs to Optimize Patient Care for Black Americans With Breast Cancer
Eight oncology practices in eight different U.S. metropolitan areas with high rates of breast cancer disparities between Black and White Americans have been selected to participate in ASCO’s quality programs, including the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®)and Quality Training Program (QTP...
Increasing Cervical Cancer Prevention and Care in Nepal
Katherine H. Crawford, MA, PMP
A new JCO Global Oncology special article details the process and results of a Multidisciplinary Cervical Cancer Prevention Course that ASCO volunteers led in Nepal, where cervical cancer remains the most common cancer among women and most patients present with an advanced stage of the disease.1 Th...
Addressing Oncologist Burnout, Emotional Well-Being, and Moral Distress in the Pandemic
JCO Oncology Practice recently published an editorial that examines the intensified burnout oncology practitioners are experiencing due the COVID-19 pandemic and outlines critical interventions to support oncologists now and throughout a long-term recovery.1 The article was written by past, current,...
ASCO Publishes Guideline Endorsement of ASTRO Guideline for Radiation Therapy in SCLC
An ASCO Expert Panel has endorsed an American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) guideline on radiation therapy for small cell lung cancer (SCLC), stating the recommendations in the ASTRO guideline “are clear, thorough, and based upon the most relevant scientific evidence” available.1 Radiothe...
Legislation Aims to Increase HPV Vaccine Awareness, Access, and Research
ASCO has endorsed the “PREVENT HPV Cancers Act” (H.R. 1550), which was recently introduced by Representative Kathy Castor (FL-14). In a recent letter to the lawmaker, ASCO thanked Rep. Castor for introducing this important measure to increase research on, awareness of, and access to the vaccine, whi...
Executive Order Aims to Secure Access to Essential Pharmaceuticals by Strengthening Supply Chains
President Biden signed an Executive Order calling for a 100-day review of the United States’ pharmaceutical supply chains in an effort to create more resilient and secure access to essential pharmaceuticals while reducing overreliance on foreign competitors. This Executive Order is driven largely by...
Oncology Clinician Well-Being Roadmap Provides 5-Year Plan to Address Provider Burnout
ASCO recently released the ASCO Oncology Clinician Well-Being Task Force Roadmap. The document outlines a 5-year plan to improve the quality of cancer care by enhancing the well-being of oncology clinicians and sustainability of oncology practices. The roadmap’s specific goals include promoting cli...
Knuckles
Kathryn E. Hitchcock, MD, PhD
The swastikas on his knuckles kept stealing my attention. I tried not to stare but every time he gestured to emphasize his words my gaze snapped back there. That awful symbol, multiplied across all 10 digits, refused to be ignored. The blue lines were blurred and misshapen, probably jail tats. I gre...
Health-Care Policy Expert Sybil R. Green, JD, RPh, MHA, Brings Wealth of Experience as ASCO’s First Diversity and Inclusion Officer
Sybil R. Green, JD, RPh, MHA, has been named Diversity and Inclusion Officer by ASCO. A health-care policy expert with experience in both corporate and nonprofit organizations, Ms. Green will guide ASCO’s internal and external initiatives aimed at achieving the Society’s equity, diversity, and inc...
