The Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) Immuno-Oncology Institute released an assessment of the current state of immuno-oncology that highlights for cancer care professionals the current research, utilization trends, and coming advances for immunotherapies.
“Immuno-Oncology in 2020: What We’ve Learned and What Lies Ahead” provides access to the most recent ACCC resources to meet the needs of multidisciplinary care teams and describes next steps for supporting optimal delivery of immunotherapies.
“The huge learning curve that immuno-oncology presented has significantly flattened out just by virtue of the explosive availability of immuno-oncology therapies in the community, and the sheer necessity for physicians to learn to work with this particular class of drugs,” stated Sigrun Hallmeyer, MD, chair of the ACCC Immuno-Oncology Institute executive committee, in a press release (June 29, 2020). “In many cases, it has become the standard of care, and if you want to practice oncology today, you have to understand it.”
The white paper points to the likelihood of further expansion of immunotherapy to treat more patients in the future. Factors that support this belief include the emergence of checkpoint inhibitors as feasible therapies in a variety of adjuvant and neoadjuvant settings, an increase in utilization of immuno-oncology therapies as part of combination regimens or in sequence with chemotherapy or targeted agents, and the increase of immuno-oncology delivery in the community setting.
Additionally, the report highlights the need to more fully address survivorship needs and care planning for patients treated with these therapies. Needs include unpredictable and delayed immune-related adverse events, follow-up, psychosocial support, and ongoing financial strain.
The Immuno-Oncology Institute is offering a multidisciplinary survey related to real-world challenges of immunotherapy delivery. ACCC hopes to use the results of the survey to inform the creation of new resources for cancer programs.—Zachary Bessette
