World Cancer Day: How ACCC is Helping Close the Cancer Care Gap

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, accounting for 18.1 million new cases and 9.5 million cancer-related deaths in 2018. New cases and cancer-related deaths are projected to increase to 29.5 million and 16.4 million, respectively, by 2040. To address this expected rise in cancer incidence globally, World Cancer Day (celebrated February 4) has taken on a multi-year campaign to “close the care gap” everywhere.

World Cancer Day is more than a 24-hour period dedicated to cancer awareness. Rather, it is a call to action for the global oncology community to rethink our approaches to cancer care. In 2022, World Cancer Day is bringing more awareness to the large treatment and outcome disparities that exist in cancer care. According to the initiative’s web site, “This is the year to question the status quo and help reduce stigma; to listen to the perspectives of the people living with cancer and their communities and let those lived experiences guide our thoughts and actions.”

This effort is a core component of ACCC’s mission, as the organization has increasingly embraced health equity as one of its foundational pillars. ACCC and its members address the vital need for equal access to healthcare resources through their advocacy efforts and education for oncology professionals. Below are a few examples of ACCC’s work in closing care gaps and achieving health equity in oncology.

Equity in Cancer Research

ACCC is bridging the gap in cancer research and community cancer care. Through its Community Oncology Research Institute (ACORI), ACCC is helping establish clinical trials as a standard of care in treatment plans and achieve equitable cancer care delivery for all patients. Through the organization's robust network of partnerships, ACORI enables community oncology programs and their multidisciplinary teams to access tools, knowledge, effective practices, and peer mentorships that can increase their ability to offer clinical trials to all of their patients. The ACORI Call to Action Executive Summary describes the initiative’s concrete strategies for engaging patients, their caregivers, and their communities to strengthen equal access to oncology research.

Equity in the Workforce

The importance of diversity and inclusion in the oncology workforce has long been recognized as essential to achieving equitable cancer care for all. ACCC recognizes the role oncology advanced practitioners (APs) such as physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and pharmacists, all play in promoting equitable cancer care delivery. The Virtual Summit to Define the Role of Oncology Advanced Practitioners in Equitable Cancer Care Delivery, co-hosted by ACCC, gathered a select group of thought leaders to discuss the role of APs in oncology. Participants identified ten opportunities—including advocating for inclusive clinical trials, creating equity in medical professional curricula, and encouraging shared decision-making—that APs can adopt to promote equitable cancer care.

Equity in Precision Medicine

Precision medicine, also known as “personalized medicine,” offers cancer care teams and patients a more targeted option for treatment via biomarker and molecular testing. To eliminate disparities in the delivery of precision medicine, ACCC launched Transforming Complex to Clear, a campaign that has produced a range of tools and resources to help providers obtain clarity when making complex patient care decisions regarding precision medicine. Designed for multidisciplinary cancer care teams, these resources—including podcasts, webinars, videos, and publications—can help clinicians make educated and confident decisions that can positively influence patient outcomes, regardless of race. More information on ACCC’s work in eliminating disparities in precision medicine, including a resource library, can be found here.

Equity for All

Although there have been significant advances during the past several decades in cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment, not all Americans have benefited equally from them. To help address identified gaps in care, the Hawaii Society of Clinical Oncology, Arizona Clinical Oncology Society, and Texas Society of Clinical Oncology—all ACCC Chapter Members—are developing and implementing a community-based educational initiative that will identify and address disparities among groups specific to each state’s population. This program will task each state society with aggregating three “go-to” resources to advance equity in cancer care, make two recommendations to eliminate disparities in care, and identify one major gap in care that the organization wants to address. This effort helps ACCC take its work directly into the community.

It is through these four initiatives, and many others to come, that ACCC is advocating for and educating cancer care teams about how to successfully address disparities in cancer care delivery and achieve health equity for all patients with cancer nationwide.