Newswise — FORT WASHINGTON, PA — The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) Oncology Research Program (ORP), in collaboration with Pfizer Independent Grants for Learning & Change (IGLC), has awarded 10 grants for project proposals to develop and adopt evidence-based initiatives to improve patient care and outcomes in metastatic breast cancer. In 2015, NCCN ORP and Pfizer IGLC issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to any organization with an interest in improving patient care including academic and community hospitals.
“NCCN is proud of its ongoing collaboration with Pfizer IGLC to enhance the quality of treatment of people with metastatic breast cancer in both academic and community settings,” said Robert C. Young, MD, Interim Vice President, NCCN ORP. “Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer death in women in the United States, and these projects indeed couple education with performance in order to heighten awareness and utilization of evidence-based treatment guidelines for the disease.”
“Metastatic breast cancer is a disease for which there currently is no cure, so improving patient care, support, and outcomes is critical,” said Julia Perkins Smith, MD, North America Medical Affairs Lead, Pfizer Oncology. “We are excited to collaborate with NCCN to support these 10 projects, which have the potential to make a meaningful impact on patients’ lives.”
The following proposals have been awarded funding: • Baylor College of Medicine; Education & Recruitment in Metastatic Breast Cancer Clinical Trials• Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; Strengthening Existential Resiliency among Women with Metastatic Breast Cancer• Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center; EMBRACE Program: A Comprehensive Approach to Improve the Care of Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer• Duke Cancer Institute; Reimagine End of Life: An Online, Personalized Coping and Decision Aid for Breast Cancer Patients and Providers• Fox Chase Cancer Center; Improving the Approach to and Management of the Older Metastatic Breast Cancer Patient via a Provider Didactic Intervention• Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University; Personalizing Patients’ Metastatic Breast Cancer Treatment and Supportive Care Plans• Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center; Empowering Patients to Achieve Individualized Care for Advanced Breast Cancer• Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center; A Collaborative Palliative and Oncology Care Model to Improve End of Life (EOL) Care for Patients with Poor Prognosis Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC)• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Implementing and Evaluating Medication Assistance Programming in Metastatic Breast Cancer• Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital; Optimizing Patient Engagement in Reporting Outcomes among Women with Metastatic Breast Cancer
The awardees responded to an RFP from NCCN ORP and Pfizer IGLC seeking concepts for initiatives focusing on the following areas where gaps in care currently exist: • Provider education and provider/patient treatment shared decision-making• Adoption of evidence-based recommendations for management of metastatic breast cancer• Information related to patient assistance programs and other patient-centered resources• Comprehensive approaches to improving health care delivery systems
The NCCN ORP, organized to obtain funding to support scientifically meritorious research studies at NCCN Member Institutions, was the lead organization for review and evaluation of applications. A review committee, led by NCCN and including a medical representative from Pfizer, determined which proposals received funding. Grant funding is provided by Pfizer IGLC.
For more information about NCCN ORP, visit NCCN.org/ORP.
### About the National Comprehensive Cancer NetworkThe National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®), a not-for-profit alliance of 26 of the world’s leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education, is dedicated to improving the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of cancer care so that 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. As the arbiter of 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.
The NCCN Member Institutions are: 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 Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, 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; Roswell Park Cancer Institute, 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; University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center, Birmingham, AL; 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 Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; 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.
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