The Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) and Pfizer Global Medical Grants will award more than $1.8 million in funding to 15 quality improvement (QI) projects aimed at improving BRCA genetic testing for eligible breast cancer patients.
According to a recent ACCC survey, more than 80 percent of community oncology practitioners said that 50 percent or fewer of their patients with early stage or metastatic breast cancer have had germline BRCA mutation testing. These 15 QI projects are designed to “address barriers to counseling and testing” and “extend best practices to a much larger patient population.”
“ACCC is pleased to collaborate with Pfizer Global Medical Grants in supporting these critical QI projects, each aimed at increasing patient access to evidence-based BRCA testing,” Tom Gallo, MS, ACCC president, said in a prepared statement. “Expanding the reach of these advances is an important step in the delivery of quality care close to home.”
“As we learn more about the biology of cancer, it has become clear that we need to address the unique needs of patients living with hereditary forms of breast cancer,” Lynn McRoy, MD, Pfizer Oncology’s global medical breast cancer lead, said in the same statement. “We are excited to partner with ACCC on this project, which we hope will result in an improvement in provider and patient understanding of the role genetic testing can now play in not only risk assessment, but also treatment planning for those with hereditary forms of breast cancer.”
The QI projects are scheduled to launch in January 2019 and last for two years.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.