How To Reduce Cancer Mortality By A Dramatic 20%: Oncology Association Leader Hudis Says Improving Access to Already Existing Standard of Care & Prevention Would Make Enormous Impact

Every year, thousands of experts and advocates in cancer treatment and research converge for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference, which is the largest cancer conference of the year. SurvivorNet sat down with ASCO CEO Dr. Clifford Hudis , who explained that one of the mot powerful ways to make progress for patients is to improve access and implementation for the basic standards of care already in place when it comes to prevention and treatment. “If we only made sure that all patients in the United States had access to current proven standards, it is estimated that we would improve overall cancer mortality by about 20%,” says Dr. Hudis. Before leading ASCO, Hudis was a noted breast cancer specialist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. For years now, he has been deeply engaged in the management of an organization that plays a huge role in the ongoing education of oncologists and the propagation of research. There is an enormous ecosystem of important players in the cancer world, and when ASCO holds its main annual meeting, the idea that 40,000 some people show up still astounds even veterans attendees. As a professional field, oncology is a mission, a business, and a calling. Sitting with Dr. Hudis, you get the profound sense that more effectively bringing together some of the  constituencies that matter (physicians, pharmaceutical companies, advocates, and local community practices), is hugely important for making progress. That's also part of the legacy Hudis hopes to leave behind. "The question of legacy is a great one, and it actually hearkens back to the reason that I wanted this role in the first place, and that is to make a difference and very specifically, to help ensure that the clinicians who take care of patients have all the resources they need to not only do a great job," Dr. Hudis said.

Improving Access to Clinical Trials

What else can be done to make really big strides for patients? Clinical trials advance our understanding of cancer and lead to more effective treatments. They also empower patients by offering them the opportunity to try innovative treatments before they are officially approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This potential for life-changing treatment is a testament to the power of patient participation in clinical trials. However, Dr. Hudis points out that many patients did not have access to potentially life-saving therapies for far too long until the passage of the Clinical Treatment Act , which took effect in January 2022. “It requires all insurance carriers in the U.S. to provide coverage for patients who were enrolled in clinical trials – specifically, Medicaid beneficiaries who are disproportionately from underserved groups,” Dr. Hudis explained. Dr. Hudis calls this major step “the single most important advancement” made in the last few years, and ASCO is focused on ensuring the Clinical Treatment Act is implemented at the state level so it can positively impact millions of patients in need of added hope. Clinical trial efficiency has been another focus for ASCO as the organization uses its resources to help eliminate unnecessary testing and eligibility requirements, which act as barriers to enrollment. WATCH: Clinical Trials Test State-of-the-Art Cancer Treatments “ASCO has written and conducted TAPUR (The Targeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry), which is a registry study that looks at extended or off-label use of targeted therapies in patients with genomic alterations in their cancer, but with cancer types that were not part of the original approval of a specific drug,” Dr. Hudis said. If you want to learn more about clinical trials, see SurvirorNet’s helpful resource in the Clinical Trial Finder .

Using Technology to Reduce Mundane Tasks and Provide More Care

Dr. Hudis says advancements in technology are slowly but surely entering all aspects of healthcare, and it couldn’t be more beneficial than with mundane tasks like what the electronic medical record (EMR) system handles. “We are aiming for an era where these emerging tools actually do ease all matters of our mundane, repetitive tasks, making it possible for doctors to pivot back and to the patient in the clinic and rely on automation tools to actually do a lot of the so-called grunt work,” Dr. Hudis explained. This is an area where ASCO hopes to see continued progress and lend its resources.