CANCER BUZZ

There is an increasing awareness of the importance of screening for social drivers of health (SDOH) for patients with cancer. Social drivers like income level and stable housing can impact a patient's access to quality cancer care. To help multidisciplinary teams in oncology care screen for SDOH, ACCC has developed a screening tool to help identify potential SDOH factors that may hinder access to cancer treatment and clinical trial participation. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Richard Martin III, MD, MPH, medical director of Health Equity and Community Engagement at Tennessee Oncology and Dana McDaniel, DNP, FNP-C, AOCNP, director of Oncology and Clinical Research at Mosaic Life Care about their experiences using the screening tool as part of ACCC's pilot program.

"Everybody's role with SDOH is different, but really, everyone has a role with SDOH assessment—taking the time to sit down with the patient, ask the questions, listen to them, and then connect them to the appropriate services so that we can tailor their care and ultimately improve quality." - Dana McDaniel, DNP, FNP-C, AOCNP

"Being able to capture data around patients' interest [in clinical trials], their awareness and their barriers, and being able to cross reference those 3 things to better focus strategies around [trial] enrollment…that's just going to be gold as far as information to help you know where to go…and when that patient's ready, to help get them onto a trial." – Richard Martin III, MD, MPH

Richard Martin III, MD, MPH

Medical Director, Health Equity and Community Engagement

Tennessee Oncology

Nashville, Tennessee

Dana McDaniel, DNP, FNP-C, AOCNP

Director of Oncology and Clinical Research

Mosaic Life Care

St. Joseph, Missouri

Additional Resources:

ACCC SDOH Screening Tool (English) (https://bit.ly/4ikNPdb)

ACCC SDOH Screening Tool (Spanish) (https://bit.ly/4ixsixA)

ACCC SDOH Resource Library (https://bit.ly/4bJtDz6)

Improving Equitable Access to Care: Unpacking Medicare's New Documentation, Coding, and Billing Requirements (https://bit.ly/4bKlMRU)

Dermatologic toxicities associated with oncology treatment can significantly impact quality of life and treatment adherence for patients with breast cancer. The Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC) is committed to providing up-to-date guidance on managing these dermatologic side effects to enhance clinical outcomes. In this episode of CANCER BUZZ, Allison Gordon, MD, a supportive oncodermatologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the dermatologic toxicities associated with breast cancer treatment. Dr Gordon explores preventive measures that oncologists can implement early in the treatment course and offers alternative resources for oncology clinicians when an oncodermatologist referral is not feasible. Additionally, she highlights capivasertib, a recently approved antineoplastic drug, and reviews its associated cutaneous adverse events, along with supportive care and management strategies.

Thank you to AstraZeneca for their support of this program.

Allison Gordon, MD

Dermatologist

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

New York, NY

"Because many of these medications can cause dry skin, which can be debilitating for patients... [we recommend] using a thick ointment or cream moisturizer on their damp skin after they shower... it doesn't have to be anything expensive... I always recommend that to all patients regardless of what treatment they're on."– Allison Gordon, MD

Additional Reading/Sources

ACCC Supportive Care Strategies for Dermatologic Toxicities Related to Cancer Therapies education program (https://www.accc-cancer.org/home/learn/comprehensive-cancer-care-services/dermatologic-toxicities?)

Targeted Therapy Side Effects – American Cancer Society (https://www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/treatment-types/targeted-therapy/side-effects.html)

Oncodermatology: Advancing the Science and Care of Cancer Patients and Survivors (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10569770/)

Dermatologic Adverse Events of Systemic Anticancer Therapies: Cytotoxic Chemotherapy, Targeted Therapy, and Immunotherapy (https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/EDBK_289911)

Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) Oncodermatolgy Study Group (https://mascc.org/resources/mascc-guidelines/)

Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Radiation-Induced Skin Reactions (https://mascc.org/resources/mascc-guidelines/)

Guidelines for Prevention and Management of Dermatological Toxicities Related to Anticancer Agents (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33248228/)

Live this week from the ACCC 51st Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit (AMCCBS), CANCER BUZZ talks the role of AI in oncology with ACCC President Elect Douglas Flora, MD, LSSBB, FACCC.

Guest:

Douglas Flora, MD, LSSBB, FACCC

ACCC President Elect

Executive Medical Director, Oncology Services

St. Elizabeth Healthcare

Edgewood, KY

Editor-in-Chief, AI in Precision Oncology

Resources:

How AI Will Shape Oncology Care

The Transformative Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Cancer Care Delivery

Live this week from the ACCC 51st Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit (AMCCBS), CANCER BUZZ shares insights from Yulonda Greene, MBA, BSN, RN, OCN, Lindsey Causey, DNP, APRN, ANP-BC, AOCNP, and John D. Shevock, FACHE, FACMPE.

Guest:

Yulonda Greene, MBA, BSN, RN, OCN

Director, Patient Care Service

Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute

Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation

Lindsey Causey, DNP, APRN, ANP-BC, AOCNP

Cone Health | Hematology and Oncology

CHMG Executive Council—Chair

John D. Shevock, FACHE, FACMPE

Senior Director Of Operations Oncology Service Line

Executive Director

Bayhealth Cancer Institute

Resources:

AMCCBS Capitol Hill Day

AMCCBS Keynote Address and Award Ceremony

AMCCBS Women's Health and Oncology

Live this week from the ACCC 51st Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit (AMCCBS), CANCER BUZZ speaks with ACCC President Una Hopkins, DNP, MSN, BSN, FNP-BC, NE-BC, FACCC, RN, on the first day of her 2025-2026 presidency.

Guest:

Una Hopkins, DNP, MSN, BSN, FNP-BC, NE-BC, FACCC, RN

ACCC President

Director for Research and Evidence Based Practice

Montefiore Medical Center

Bronx, NY

Resources:

ACCC Biography

DNP Alum Advances Healthcare Through Clinical Research

2025-2026 President's Theme

Live this week from the ACCC 51st Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit (AMCCBS), CANCER BUZZ shares insights from ACCC President Nadine J. Barrett, PhD, MA, MS, and ASCO President Robin Zon, MD, FASCO, FACP, on challenges in cancer care, leadership strategies, AI, and more.

Guest:

Nadine J. Barrett, PhD, MA, MS

Senior Associate Dean for Community Engagement and Equity in Research

Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Atrium Health

Robin Zon, MD, FASCO, FACP

President, American Society of Clinical Oncology

Physician Emeritus, Michiana Hematology Oncology

Resources:

Interview with Dr. Barrett

Reimagining Community Engagement and Equity in Cancer

Live this week from the ACCC 51st Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit (AMCCBS), CANCER BUZZ highlights ACCC President Nadine J. Barrett, PhD, MA, MS, on her tenure as ACCC's 2024-2025 President.

Guest:

Nadine J. Barrett, PhD, MA, MS

Senior Associate Dean for Community Engagement and Equity in Research Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Atrium Health

Resources:

President's Theme 2024-2025

Live this week from the ACCC 51st Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit (AMCCBS), CANCER BUZZ speaks with Wade Swenson, MD, MPH, MBA, FACP about Capitol Hill Day and how engaging in advocacy positively impacts oncology.

Guest:

Wade T. Swenson, MD, MPH, MBA, FACP

Medical Director

Lakewood Health System

Staples, MN

Resources:

ACCC OSS Advocacy Engagement Initiative

ACCC Legislative Action Center

Live this week from the ACCC 51st Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit (AMCCBS), CANCER BUZZ speaks with Mandi Pratt-Chapman, PhD, the winner of this year's Clinical Research Award, about how her research has impacted oncology and paved the way for better patient care.

Guest:

Mandi Pratt-Chapman, PhD

Associate Professor of Medicine for the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Associate Professor of Prevention and Community Health for the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health

Associate Center Director, Community Outreach, Engagement and Equity

The George Washington (GW) Cancer Center

Resources:

Clinical Research Award (https://www.accc-cancer.org/home/about/awards/clinical-research-award?)

Bladder cancer remains a prevalent disease with significant disparities in care, particularly in underserved populations. To address this, ACCC launched a national quality improvement initiative in three phases: 1. assessment and preparation, 2. action plan implementation, and 3. monitoring for continuous improvement. Dr. Samuel Washington, from the University of California, San Francisco, discussed the initiative's early findings, highlighting site-specific approaches.

Sustainability was a key consideration, ensuring a balance between short-term wins and long-term impact. Action plans need to be both ambitious and practical to drive meaningful change. Continuing outcome monitoring will refine strategies, and the initiative could serve as a replication model in other clinical settings and cancer types. An important opportunity exists to expand multidisciplinary collaboration to include patient advocates and ensure the long-term integration of these improvements. Despite varied site objectives, all participants were committed to improving cancer care. This initiative highlights the power of structured, collaborative efforts to address disparities and enhance patient outcomes.

"Now we have an opportunity to bring in patients and advocates… and expand this type of work in a structured way to other cancers and other institutions, other sites in an already national program." – Dr. Samuel Washington

"The feasibility of the program overall was important, the fact that we could engage leadership champions at the clinic level and then multi-disciplinary team buy-in at each institution with this goal across oncology, urology, practices, radiation oncology, nursing, to all come together for each of these visits to help develop an action plan, it is something that I have not seen much of in recent years." – Dr. Samuel Washington

This project is sponsored by EMD Serono and Pfizer.

Samuel L. Washington III, MD, MAS

Assistant Professor of Urology,

Goldberg-Benioff Endowed Professorship in Cancer Biology University of California, San Francisco San Francisco, CA

Additional Resources:

Implementing Shared Decision-Making in Bladder Cancer Care eCourse (https://courses.accc-cancer.org/products/implementing-shared-decision-making-in-bladder-cancer-care?_gl=1*1l9u2ab*_ga*MTU3NjkxMTU5Mi4xNzM2MTc4MTQy*_ga_HW05FVSTWC*MTczODk0Mjk3OS41MC4xLjE3Mzg5NDMyOTAuNTUuMC4w#tab-product_tab_overview)

Understanding and Mitigating Disparities in Bladder Cancer (https://www.accc-cancer.org/docs/projects/bladder-cancer/understanding-and-mitigating-disparities-in-bladder-cancer-care.pdf?sfvrsn=a2630102_2&)

Providing Equitable Care for Patients With Bladder Cancer (https://www.accc-cancer.org/docs/projects/bladder-cancer/accc_bladdercancer_8-5x11_patientexperienceresorce_interactive.pdf?sfvrsn=934efb33_2&)

Effective Practices in Bladder Cancer Care: Multispecialty Clinics (https://www.accc-cancer.org/docs/projects/bladder-cancer/accc_bladdercancer_1_multispecialtyclinics.pdf?sfvrsn=e4cf453f_2&)