National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Oncology Research Program (ORP) announced four projects selected to receive support directed towards improving the quality of care for advanced ovarian cancer patients. The projects are being funded through a collaboration with AstraZeneca, which is also currently funding a similar program for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
The projects are intended to be reproducible, scalable, and rapidly implementable while providing quantifiable outcome measures. The projects will begin in the third quarter of 2020 and continue for two years.
“Advanced and recurrent ovarian cancer is currently the deadliest gynecologic cancer,” said Wui-Jin Koh, MD, Chief Medical Officer, NCCN. “It requires a multi-disciplinary approach for management, which can provide challenges for optimal coordination. These projects will explore opportunities to leverage technology in order to improve patient outcomes and quality of life through supportive services, shared decision-making, and innovative methods of care delivery. They also focus on approaches which will hopefully help reduce disparities within current health delivery systems.”
The selected projects are:
- CommunityRx-Cancer: An IT-enhanced Patient Navigation Program for Social Determinants of Health in Advanced Ovarian Cancer: Cary Gross, MD, Yale Cancer Outcomes, Public Policy, and Effectiveness Research (COPPER) Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital
- Feasibility and Impact of a Comprehensive Telehealth Program on Reducing Geographic Barriers to Treatment and Improving Symptom Management in Rural Patients with Advanced Ovarian Cancer: Haller J. Smith, MD, University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Patient-centered Education and Support for Women with Advanced Ovarian Cancer: Barbara Goff, MD, and Donna L. Berry, PhD, RN, AOCN, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
- REVITALIZE: A Telehealth Intervention for Women with Advanced Ovarian Cancer and PARP Inhibitor-Related Fatigue: Alexi A. Wright, MD, MPH and Hanneke Poort, PhD (MPI), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
“Approximately 22,000 women in the US are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year, making it the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths among women,” said Adrian Kilcoyne, MD, VP, US Medical Affairs, AstraZeneca. “We are pleased to partner with NCCN in support of this important work in ovarian cancer. AstraZeneca’s commitment to eliminating cancer as a cause of death must extend beyond innovative medicines and include partnerships that seek to improve the quality of cancer care for patients.”
