Erin P. Balogh

Delivering High-Quality Cancer Care: Charting a New Course for a System in Crisis

In the United States, approximately 14 million people have had cancer and more than 1.6 million new cases are diagnosed each year. However, more than a decade after the Institute of Medicine (IOM) first studied the quality of cancer care, the barriers to achieving excellent care for all cancer patients remain daunting. Therefore, in 2012, the IOM convened a committee of experts to examine the quality of cancer care in the United States and formulate recommendations for improvement. Delivering High-Quality Cancer Care: Charting a New Course for a System in Crisis presents the committee’s findings and recommendations.

Opening Up to Precompetitive Collaboration

The move to increase biomedical R&D efficiency and innovation has stimulated the development of collaborations, among competitors, that span the precompetitive space. In order to enhance biomedical research and development efficiency and innovation, nontraditional research collaborations have emerged that feature the sharing of information, resources, and capabilities. Although many of these so-called precompetitive collaborations are in the field of oncology, the lessons they offer are broadly applicable to other subfields of translational medicine.

Accelerating Cancer Therapy Development: The Importance of Combination Strategies and Collaboration. Summary of an Institute of Medicine Workshop

Cancer cells contain multiple genetic changes in cell signaling pathways that drive abnormal cell survival, proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. Unfortunately, patients treated with single agents inhibiting only one of these pathways—even if showing an initial response—often develop resistance with subsequent relapse or progression of their cancer, typically via the activation of an alternative uninhibited pathway. Combination therapies offer the potential for inhibiting multiple targets and pathways simultaneously to more effectively kill cancer cells and prevent or delay the emergence of drug resistance. However, there are many unique challenges to developing combination therapies, including devising and applying appropriate preclinical tests and clinical trial designs, prioritizing which combination therapies to test, avoiding overlapping toxicity of multiple agents, and overcoming legal, cultural, and regulatory barriers that impede collaboration among multiple companies, organizations, and/or institutions. More effective strategies to efficiently develop combination cancer therapies are urgently needed. Thus, the Institute of Medicines National Cancer Policy Forum recently convened a workshop with the goal of identifying barriers that may be impeding the development of combination investigational cancer therapies, as well as potential solutions to overcome those barriers, improve collaboration, and ultimately accelerate the development of promising combinations of investigational cancer therapies. Clin Cancer Res; 18(22); 6101–9. ©2012 AACR.

Patient-centered cancer treatment planning : improving the quality of oncology care : workshop summary

Each year approximately 1.5 million people are diagnosed with cancer in the United States, most of whom inevitably face difficult decisions concerning their course of care. Recognizing challenges associated with cancer treatment, the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) and the National Cancer Policy Forum (NCPF) of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) hosted a public workshop in Washington, DC on February 28 and March 1, 2011, entitled Patient-Centered Cancer Treatment Planning: Improving the Quality of Oncology Care. This workshop summary includes an overview of patient-centered care and cancer treatment planning, as well as subject areas on shared decision making, communication in the cancer care setting, and patient experiences with cancer treatment. Best practices, models of treatment planning, and tools to facilitate their use are also discussed, along with policy changes that may promote patient-centeredness by enhancing patients understanding of and commitment to the goals of treatment through shared decision-making process with their healthcare team from the moment of diagnosis onward. Moreover, Patient-Centered Cancer Treatment Planning emphasizes treatment planning for patients with cancer at the time diagnosis.

Delivering Affordable Cancer Care in the 21st Century: Workshop Summary

Lets read! We will often find out this sentence everywhere. When still being a kid, mom used to order us to always read, so did the teacher. Some books are fully read in a week and we need the obligation to support reading. What about now? Do you still love reading? Is reading only for you who have obligation? Absolutely not! We here offer you a new book enPDFd delivering affordable cancer care in the 21st century to read.

A National Cancer Clinical Trials Network: Recommendations From the Institute of Medicine

Oncology has become one of the most active areas of drug discovery, with >800 cancer therapeutics in development. This not only presents an unprecedented opportunity to improve the outcome for patients with cancer but also requires an effective and efficient clinical trials network to generate the evidence necessary for regulatory approval and optimal integration of new treatments into clinical care. The Clinical Trials Cooperative Group Program supported by the National Cancer Institute has been instrumental in establishing standards of care in oncology over the last 50 years, but it currently faces numerous challenges that threaten its ability to undertake the large-scale, multi-institutional trials that advance patient care. The Institute of Medicine recently appointed a consensus study committee to assess the organization and operation of the Cooperative Group Program and recommend ways to improve the quality of cancer clinical trials conducted by the Groups and others. The committee developed a set of recommendations, summarized here, that aim to improve the speed and efficiency of trials; incorporate innovative science and trial design; improve prioritization, selection, and support of trials; and increase participation by patients and physicians.

Reducing Tobacco-Related Cancer Incidence and Mortality: Summary of an Institute of Medicine Workshop

Tobacco use remains a serious and persistent national problem. Recognizing that progress in combating cancer will never be fully achieved without addressing the tobacco problem, the National Cancer Policy Forum of the Institute of Medicine convened a public workshop exploring current issues in tobacco control, tobacco cessation, and implications for cancer patients. Workshop participants discussed potential policy, outreach, and treatment strategies to reduce tobacco-related cancer incidence and mortality, and highlighted a number of potential high-value action items to improve tobacco control policy, research, and advocacy.

Improving the Quality of Cancer Care: Implications for Palliative Care

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE In September 2013 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report on the quality of cancer care in the United States. We report here on the recommendations of the IOM report and the implications for the palliative care community. METHODS The IOM report is based on a consensus of literature and expert opinion. The recommendations provide direction for health policy, education, and clinical practice. The report emphasizes the significance of the aging population and implications for cancer care. RESULTS The recommendations from the report offer many opportunities for palliative care including enhancing the use of advance care planning and integration of palliative care across the cancer trajectory. CONCLUSIONS Quality cancer care depends on the integration of quality palliative care. The palliative care community can use this IOM report to guide their collaboration with oncology and to enhance the quality of care provided to cancer patients and their families.

High-quality cancer care: Summary of an institute of medicine workshop

The authors summarize presentations and discussion from the Delivering Affordable Cancer Care in the 21st Century workshop and focus on proposed strategies to improve the affordability of cancer care while maintaining or improving the quality of care.

Practice-Changing Strategies to Deliver Affordable, High-Quality Cancer Care: Summary of an Institute of Medicine Workshop

The authors summarize presentations and discussion from the Delivering Affordable Cancer Care in the 21st Century workshop and focus on proposed strategies to improve the affordability of cancer care while maintaining or improving the quality of care.