The latest in precision prevention news, curated for CancerIQ's community of oncologists, genetic counselors, breast centers, primary care providers, and anyone interested in staying ahead of cancer.
- How The Healthcare Ecosystem Can Remove Barriers To Precision Health via Forbes
In her latest Forbes feature, CancerIQ CEO & Co-Founder Feyi Ayodele writes, "Personalized prevention only works if it’s accessible to all patients." To make this possible, Ayodele calls on health systems to bring risk assessment into primary care practices, and equip primary care providers with the right tools to make precision prevention available equitably across populations.
"I believe we need to change the system to bring risk assessment and precision prevention services to where patients are and support doctors so they can provide hyperpersonal care." Find out how everyone in the healthcare ecosystem can play a role in making this life-saving shift possible in the full article.
- I Was Too Young for a Mammogram — But Breast Cancer Didn’t Wait via Katie Couric Media
"I was 12 years too young for a routine mammogram when I got cancer. If I had gotten that double mastectomy right when I found out about my BRCA result, I would have had one or two surgeries and gotten on with my life ... Don’t forget about breast cancer when October is over."
This patient advocate's advice doesn't just apply to fellow patients – it's true for breast center providers who are managing them, too. High-risk patients need personalized, scaled services year-round.
- FACT CHECK: Do Colonoscopies Save Lives? via Colon Cancer Coalition
"'The message around this study should be: The best screening test is the one that’s completed, and individuals that choose to undergo colonoscopy can reduce their risk of developing and dying from colorectal cancer,' says Dr. Aasma Shaukat of NYU Grossman School of Medicine."
Colon cancer screening's efficacy – whether through colonoscopy or stool-based DNA tests, isn't just about inviting patients to complete it. At CancerIQ, we know that simply assigning a care plan in an electronic health record—or making a comment in a progress note— doesn’t contribute to increased care plan adherence. With decentralized care navigation as a standard model in most healthcare organizations, this happens with more than just colon cancer.
Patients and providers alike should feel confident that colonoscopies save lives – and to make their care plans more effective and increase adherence, they should feel confident in the clinical guidance they receive from their software, like CancerIQ, too.
- Breast Cancer Death Rates Are Highest for Black Women—Again via American Cancer Society
"Black women still have a 4% lower incidence rate of breast cancer than White women but a 40% higher breast cancer death rate ...
The racial disparity in deaths from breast cancer has remained at 40% or higher for a decade.
- Black women younger than age 50 had a death rate that was twice as high as White women that age. Plus, Black women are more likely than White women to die of breast cancer at any age.
- AIAN women were 17% less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than White women but 4% more likely to die from the disease.
Part of the reason the breast cancer death rate is not dropping as fast as it has in previous years is because screening rates aren’t increasing and too few women are receiving timely and high-quality treatment after they’re diagnosed with breast cancer."
AND, DIRECTLY FROM CANCERIQ
- Genetics Not Generating an ROI? Here’s What You Can Do About It
Early cancer detection and prevention should be the norm for all patients. Many health systems have established cancer genetics programs to help achieve that goal.
But, too often, those programs remain siloed in specialty service lines, unable to demonstrate profitability and secure the staffing and resources necessary to scale. As a result, thousands of patients with clear cancer risk factors don’t receive the care they need to stay ahead of late-stage diagnoses.
CancerIQ’s work in over 200 clinical locations around the country shows it is possible to democratize access to precision prevention. Health systems are beginning to offer broad populations access to genetic testing and personalized cancer prevention pathways, improving clinical outcomes and generating $160-200 per patient in downstream revenue.
Keep reading: What separates the genetics programs that succeed from those that don’t?
- How Breast Centers Can Keep Up with Changing NCCN Guidelines
The 2022 updates to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines for genetics/familial high-risk assessment, were just updated in September 2022. The update changed breast cancer risk management guidelines for patients with different gene mutations, among other revisions, and ultimately, their eligibility for screenings your breast center offers.
Following the latest clinical guidelines not only ensures patients at an elevated risk of hereditary breast cancer gets the level of care they personally need to prevent cancer, or detect it early, but it can also positively impact your breast center’s financial outcomes. Getting patients in at their earliest eligibility for breast MRIs when recommended can lead to thousands in yearly revenue and lifetime loyalty, and avoid late-stage cancer diagnoses that can lead to patients seeking care outside your network.
Keep reading to learn how to keep up to speed with these important changes, especially with the influx of patients throughout the month of October and beyond.
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