Newswise — PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA [March 9, 2020] — The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) Oncology Research Program (ORP) announces four projects selected to receive support directed towards improving the quality of care for advanced ovarian cancer patients. The chosen projects are intended to be reproducible, scalable, and rapidly implementable while providing quantifiable outcome measures. The projects will begin in the third quarter of 2020 and continue for two years. The projects are being funded through a collaboration with AstraZeneca, a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company, which is also currently funding a similar program for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

“Advanced and recurrent ovarian cancer is currently the deadliest gynecologic cancer,” said Wui-Jin Koh, MD, Chief Medical Officer, NCCN. “It requires a multi-disciplinary approach for management, which can provide challenges for optimal coordination. These projects will explore opportunities to leverage technology in order to improve patient outcomes and quality of life through supportive services, shared decision-making, and innovative methods of care delivery. They also focus on approaches which will hopefully help reduce disparities within current health delivery systems.”

The selected projects are:

  • CommunityRx-Cancer: An IT-enhanced Patient Navigation Program for Social Determinants of Health in Advanced Ovarian Cancer
  • Feasibility and Impact of a Comprehensive Telehealth Program on Reducing Geographic Barriers to Treatment and Improving Symptom Management in Rural Patients with Advanced Ovarian Cancer
  • REVITALIZE: A Telehealth Intervention for Women with Advanced Ovarian Cancer and PARP Inhibitor-Related Fatigue

“Approximately 22,000 women in the US are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year, making it the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths among women,” said Adrian Kilcoyne, MD, VP, US Medical Affairs, AstraZeneca. “We are pleased to partner with NCCN in support of this important work in ovarian cancer. AstraZeneca’s commitment to eliminating cancer as a cause of death must extend beyond innovative medicines and include partnerships that seek to improve the quality of cancer care for patients.”

The NCCN ORP fosters innovation and knowledge discovery that improves the lives of people with cancer and supports preclinical, translational, clinical research and quality improvement projects in oncology at NCCN Member Institutions. In an effort to improve collaboration in cancer research, the NCCN ORP also maintains a shared resources website and an informed consent database. For more information, visit NCCN.org/orp.

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About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) is a not-for-profit alliance of 28 leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education. NCCN is dedicated to improving and facilitating quality, effective, efficient, and accessible cancer care so patients can live better lives. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. By defining and advancing high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers around the world.

The NCCN Member Institutions are: Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Omaha, NE; Case Comprehensive Cancer Center/University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland, OH; City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA; Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center | Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA; Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC; Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA; Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, WA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ, Jacksonville, FL, and Rochester, MN; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH; O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB, Birmingham, AL; Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY; Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital/The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN; Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford, CA; UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA; UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA; University of Colorado Cancer Center, Aurora, CO; University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, WI; Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN; and Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital, New Haven, CT.

Clinicians, visit NCCN.org. Patients and caregivers, visit NCCN.org/patients. Media, visit NCCN.org/news. Follow NCCN on Twitter @NCCN, Facebook @NCCNorg, and Instagram @NCCNorg.

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