Almost 10% of the world's population suffers from a type of blood cancer. And despite popular opinion, there are actually hundreds of different types of blood cancer, not just leukemia and lymphoma.

But are we doing everything in our power when developing clinical trials to improve cancer treatment? Could we include diversity and make trials more accessible to everyone? Our guest thinks we have more work to do in the blood cancer space.

In this episode of the Real World Talk podcast, our host Miruna Sasu welcomes Dr.Gwen Nichols, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). We discuss the importance of making clinical trials more diverse and feasible for patients. We also get into Dr. Gwen's predictions for the future and why she thinks there's hope for earlier cancer detection and prevention.

In this episode of the Real World Talk podcast, Kevin Keogh talks to Matthew Ong, the Associate Editor at The Cancer Letter.

With over eight years of experience in writing investigative and enterprise stories about oncology, cancer informatics, drug development, and medical devices, Matt has a direct insight into the industry and works alongside some of the smartest people in the field.

Kevin and Matt discuss rapid tech advancements in oncology and how informatics and real-world evidence are shaping the industry. According to Matt, as long as we're careful about over-promising and we recognize the need for data sharing, technology will continue to help us deliver astonishing results.

President Joe Biden’s recent $6.5 billion proposal to create a new, cancer-focused health agency within the National Institutes of Health presents an opportunity to accelerate the development of a comprehensive data federation for cancer, Matt said. ARPA-H, or Advanced Research Projects Agency-Health, is expected to complement the National Cancer Institute’s mission by funding more challenging, innovative initiatives that traditionally wouldn’t be taken on through basic research grants or by a biotech startup.

Lack of diversity in clinical trial data is another challenge left to tackle—Matt shares some real-life examples of how lack of diversity in trial samples results in faulty findings.

Matt's predictions for the future are optimistic, and we're looking forward to more groundbreaking developments in the fight against cancer.

In the period of crisis, what really makes a difference and gives hope is unity and partnership. The outbreak of coronavirus has shown us how valuable shared efforts are. The last year taught us many things and challenged us. However, it remains to be seen whether the healthcare system and we, as a community, will adopt these lessons in the future.

In this episode of the Real World Talk podcast, Andrew Belli welcomes Jeff Allen, the president and CEO of Friends of Cancer Research. Jeff talks about his organization and its work during the pandemic. He also talks about real-world data pilot projects and says the partnership was the main component of their success.

In this episode of the Real World Talk podcast, Zoe Li talks to Paul Simms, a Managing Partner at Inpatient Health.

For 17 years, Paul was running a company called IFA pharma. As he says, it was helpful because it put him in touch with everybody in the industry and allowed him to understand the trends and the beliefs.

Paul and Zoe discuss why the pharma industry is science-centric and not patient-centric. Paul also says if we want to understand the problem, we need to experience it.

The guest mentions problems he sees in leadership and healthcare. As he explains, leaders usually talk about present or past actions, and no one talks about the future. He also notices the lack of imagination and creativity within the industry and, as a solution, offers the model of four A's: ambition, attention, accountability, and action.

In this episode of the Real World Talk podcast, Emily Di Capua talks to Dr. William Cance, the Chief Medical and Scientific Officer of the American Cancer Society.

In this episode of Real World Talk, Zoe Li talks to Ankit Kansagra. Dr. Kansagra is an oncologist and medical researcher at UT Southwestern in Dallas.

Real world data has changed the treatment paradigm, the doctor says. Clinical trials are the foundation, but it is crucial to look beyond basic labs. Going through previous cases leads to significant discoveries.

''Clinical trials are so structured. We have set criteria for when a patient gets into the study. What exactly the medication does? What exactly to do for every fluctuation in the lab parameter?'' Dr. Kansagra explains. That's usually not the case in the real world, and imperfection is the advantage of real world data.

The two also discuss the challenges doctors faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also talk about the future of real world data and its impact on medicine.

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