ACCC Offers Ovarian Cancer Education Initiatives: Aims to Help Cancer Care Providers Overcome Barriers to Comprehensive, Quality Care for Ovarian Cancer

Rockville, MD—September marks Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and in the U.S., it is estimated that 19,880 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2022, and 12,810 women will die from the disease this year.  The Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) is offering two Ovarian Cancer Education initiatives, directed at oncology care programs across the country, to improve the delivery of comprehensive, quality ovarian cancer care.

The two education resources are now available to cancer programs and cancer care professionals across the country, focused on barriers to care and improvement of patient outcomes using advanced treatments. Ovarian cancer is the fifth-most diagnosed cancer in the U.S.

The initiatives and overview of each program are below:

Barriers to Quality Care in Ovarian Cancer

ACCC and its partner organizations are implementing Phase II of an education project titled, “Barriers to Quality Care in Ovarian Cancer”, testing the model developed in Phase I to optimize care for patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer. Phase I key recommendations highlighted integrating genetic testing and counseling, clinical trial enrollment, and coordinated care across the multidisciplinary care team in quality improvement initiatives.

In phase II, ACCC is conducting three quality improvement workshops to test, validate, and implement quality-of-care recommendations developed in Phase I.

Optimizing Outcomes in Ovarian Cancer Using Personalized Medicine

ACCC has partnered with The Society of Gynecologic Oncology to develop a continuing education project titled, “Optimizing Outcomes in Ovarian Cancer using Personalized Medicine.” Several knowledge, competence, and performance gaps exist in the optimal management of ovarian cancer in the community setting. This initiative seeks to address specific unmet needs and clinical gaps related to the role of biomarkers in personalizing treatment for patients with ovarian cancer.

“Despite advances in the treatment of ovarian cancer over recent years, the quality of care varies across geographic locations and hospital settings,” said Premal Thaker, MD, gynecologic oncologist, Professor of OB/GYN at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine. “Identified areas of need include improved access to genetic counseling and testing, clinical trials, and multidisciplinary team care.”