Newswise — FORT WASHINGTON, PA [March 5, 2018] — The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN®) is hosting the 23rd NCCN Annual Conference to address some of the biggest emerging issues in oncology today, including receiving cancer care in value-based healthcare models, managed care and CMS reimbursement. The NCCN Conference will also highlight new treatment advances in immunotherapy, genetic testing, and the latest developments in breast cancer care. The conference will take place March 22 – 24, at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando Florida.

“The NCCN 23rd Annual Conference is designed to address important educational needs to help cancer care providers improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of cancer care so that patients can live better lives,” said Robert W. Carlson, MD, Chief Executive Officer, NCCN. “The NCCN Annual Conference focuses on the practical management of patients with cancer, provides updates of NCCN Guidelines, and follows new trends for treatment. With the increased pace of cancer research, the large number of disease sites and biologically distinct subtypes, the emergence of new diagnostic markers and multi-gene assays, and the expansion of new treatment options, there is tremendous need for clinicians to maintain and continually add to their knowledge of scientific concepts and how to apply them in the everyday practice setting.” 

The keynote address will feature Ron Kline, MD, FAAP, Medical Officer, Patient Care Models Group; ‎Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS); and Lee N. Newcomer, MD, MHA, former Senior Vice President, Oncology and Genetics, UnitedHealthcare, offering payers’ perspectives on how cancer care in America is evolving.

Following the keynote addresses, will be a roundtable on Emerging Issues in Oncology – A Multidisciplinary Discussion on Delivering and Receiving Cancer Care in Value-Based Healthcare Models. The roundtable will be moderated by Clifford Goodman, PhD, Senior Vice President, The Lewin Group, and feature the following panelists:

  • Travis H. Bray, PhD, Founder, Hereditary Colon Cancer Foundation
  • Randy Burkholder, Vice President of Policy and Research, PhRMA
  • Ron Kline, MD, FAAP, Medical Officer, Patient Care Models Group,‎ CMMI, CMS
  • Daniel P. Mirda, MD, President, Association of Northern California Oncologists (ANCO)
  • Michael N. Neuss, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
  • Lee N. Newcomer, MD, MHA, former Senior Vice President, Oncology and Genetics, UnitedHealthcare
  • Bhuvana Sagar, MD, National Medical Director, Cigna

Three new NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines for Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) will be presented during the conference, including:

  • Management of Immunotherapy-Related Toxicities
  • Cancer in People Living With HIV
  • Uveal Melanoma

There will also be presentations featuring updates on treatments for the following types of cancer:

  • Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
  • Acute Myeloid Leukemia
  • Breast
  • Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
  • Colorectal
  • Head and Neck
  • Kidney
  • Lung
  • Melanoma
  • Multiple Myeloma
  • Ovarian
  • Prostate
  • Urothelial Carcinoma

New developments in supportive care will also be addressed in various sessions. The agenda includes:

  • Educational Presentations: More than 20 educational sessions will provide an overview of the current state-of-the-art in oncology care across multiple cancer sites.
  • General Poster Sessions: Approved research abstracts will offer new data in the areas of clinical and pre-clinical oncology, epidemiology, genomics, clinical practice guidelines, quality improvement, outcomes and information technology.
  • Young Investigator Presentations: Young Investigators who received research grants from the NCCN Foundation’s Young Investigator Awards program will present data about their research.

For Nurses:

The NCCN 2018 Oncology Nursing Program will take place from 8:00 am - 3:00 pm on Wednesday, March 21. It will provide oncology nurses with comprehensive and clinically relevant information to optimize patient education and care focused around following topics:

  • Improving Quality of Care for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Patients
  • Substance Use in Patients with Cancer; Optimizing Oral Therapy in Kidney Cancer
  • Management of Cardiovascular Toxicities Associated with TKI Therapy
  • Management of Hypersensitivity Reactions to Systemic Therapy
  • Safe Handling of Hazardous Drugs
  • and Implementing a CAR T-Cell Therapy Program

For Industry:

The NCCN Academy for Excellence & Leadership in Oncology™ will offer pharmaceutical and biotechnology professionals a rare opportunity to view the oncology space from the provider and payer perspective. The program will take place Wednesday, March 21, from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm. Modules include:

  • Discovery and Innovation: Redefining Cancer Care, Quality, and Value
  • Meet the NCCN Guidelines Panel Experts
  • Supporting the Patient Journey: Advances and Best Practices in Supportive Care, Survivorship and Patient Advocacy

To view the full conference agenda or to register, visit NCCN.org/conference. Join the conversation online with the hashtag #NCCNac18.

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About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®), a not-for-profit alliance of 27 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 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; 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; 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 @NCCNnews and Facebook @National.Comprehensive.Cancer.Network.