Originally published May 10, 2018
Precision medicine is changing cancer care in profound ways. It is expected that the number of patients who benefit from precision medicine will continue to increase in the coming years, as treatments become more effective and research yields more insights on patient populations who are most likely to respond to therapies.
However, that promise is only as good as our ability to make precision medicine approaches available to all patients who may benefit. Recognizing the need to confront barriers and identify solutions to expand precision medicine approaches across the country, in January, ASCO convened a panel discussion, Precision Medicine: Expanding Opportunities. The discussion, aimed at examining the issues in deploying precision medicine in oncology practice, was the first in ASCO’s new State of Cancer Care in America™ event series.
“Precision medicine is allowing us to deliver better care, faster than previously possible, and with greater accuracy in well-defined subsets of our patients,” said 2017–2018 ASCO President Bruce E. Johnson, MD, FASCO, in his opening remarks. “It’s transforming cancer care for our patients who are not only living longer, but living better. The outcomes we’re seeing in patients underscore the importance of making precision medicine accessible to every patient with cancer.”
Since 2014, ASCO has published a series of annual State of Cancer Care in America reports to examine important trends in the cancer care delivery system. Now, ASCO is broadening its State of Cancer Care in America initiative to include national events on pressing cancer care topics, timely in-depth articles that explore certain facets of care delivery, and additional materials that detail the current state of cancer care.
Read more in The ASCO Post.
