Access & Advocacy

SITC Policy Blog

SITC Hosts Advanced Biomarker Development and Clinical Translation: Computational Science in Immuno-oncology Webinar

By SITC Advocacy posted 8 days ago
This webinar on April 2 explored what b iomarker discovery for cancer immunotherapy entails using high-dimensional multi- omic assays that can be difficult to interpret, particularly in the setting of challenging clinical trial designs such as small cohort size or unbalanced response rates. This webinar therefore addressed advances in computational science and biostatistics that allow for rigorous interpretation of complex exploratory biomarker ...
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Announcing the publication of “Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) consensus statement on essential biomarkers for immunotherapy clinical protocols”

By SITC Advocacy posted 22 days ago
The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) is pleased to announce the publication of a comprehensive manuscript, “Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) consensus statement on essential biomarkers for immunotherapy clinical protocols” in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (JITC). This work provides an in-depth examination of evidence-based biomarkers that measure the potential for therapeutic response and/or toxicity are critical ...
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Kick-off of SITC’s 2025 Capitol Hill Visits!

By SITC Advocacy posted 03-03-2025
SITC is pleased to announce the kickoff of SITC’s 2025 Capitol Hill Visits! SITC members are meeting with congressional offices to advocate for inclusion of SITC’s FY26 appropriations language aimed at utilizing novel technologies to advance the field’s understanding of the tumor microenvironment and AI’s potential for developing next generation immunotherapies. SITC members are also sharing with their representatives our recent statement regarding ...
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SITC Statement on NIH to Indirect Costs

By SITC Advocacy posted 02-19-2025
SITC released a statement addressing their concerns for the recent announcement from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that will cut billions of dollars in indirect costs for current and future grants to research institutions across the U.S. Read the full statement and find out how to push back against cuts to NIH indirect costs here .
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SITC Participates in Sign on Letter to Support the AKACA

By SITC Advocacy posted 12-11-2024
SITC has recently signed on to a letter from the Leukemia Lymphoma Society advocating congress to pass the Accelerating Kids Access to Care Act (AKACA). SITC joined 230 other organizations in supporting this important piece of legislation. More information on the bill as well as the final letter can be found at this LINK . #Letter #Policy
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Cancer Research Policy User-Generated   Letter

SITC Hosts Tumor Biomarkers and Assessing PD-1: Increasing Access to IO Webinar

By SITC Advocacy posted 12-04-2024
This webinar on November 21st examined how biomarkers are used to define “PD-L1” positive patients around the globe and in resource limited settings. It provided a forum for physicians to discuss their experience assessing different criteria, as well as the solutions that were implemented to overcome specific challenges. Additionally, this topic reviewed the global availability of different platforms/clones and tumor mutational burden (TMB). View ...
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Cancer Research Policy Modality Webinar

Annual Meeting Session Highlight: Cellular Therapies/Regulatory/Manufacturing

By SITC Advocacy posted 11-06-2024
Cellular therapies offer great promise as a cancer therapy. They are living biological drugs, and often personalized, which gives them unique properties, characteristics, and great variability. These factors have made adhering to existing regulatory requirements challenging and requires significant collaboration and interactions with the FDA and other health authorities. Commercializing approved cellular therapies requires novel strategies for adoption, ...
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User-Generated   SITC2024

Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TIL) Symposium

By SITC Advocacy posted 11-04-2024
As part of the 39th Annual Meeting & Pre-Conference Programs (SITC 2024), the SITC Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TIL) Symposium pre-conference program provides an opportunity for an in-depth discussion on a specific topic in the field of IO. This program will provide an overview of the path to approval for TIL therapy, current clinical management, and the impact of recent FDA-approved therapies while exploring next generation TIL and innovative ...
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User-Generated   SITC2024

SITC Hosts Monitoring Response to Cancer Immunotherapy: Increasing Access to IO Webinar

By SITC Advocacy posted 10-30-2024
This webinar on October 16th examined the importance of monitoring response to cancer immunotherapy, with a specific focus on image evaluation and predictive AI. The program featured discussions from leading scientists and radiologists in the field of IO on how feasible these tools are in a clinical setting outside of a clinical trial and, most importantly, in different settings around the world. View the webinar for FREE on-demand HERE. ...
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Cancer Research Policy Modality Webinar

SITC Hosts Rationalized Patient Match and Clinical Trial Design with Large/Moderate Language Models on EHR Data: AI in Immuno-Oncology Webinar

By SITC Advocacy posted 10-23-2024
Thousands of IO clinical trials are currently available to cancer patients, all of which are aiming to identify the next generation of potential life-saving treatments. However, it can be difficult to design trials that will be able to efficiently enroll patients, especially in the field of immunotherapy where mechanisms of action have increased in complexity. This webinar on October 15th described advances in AI application for analyzing electronic ...
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SITC Hosts Rare and Challenging Cases: Increasing Access to IO Webinar

By SITC Advocacy posted 10-09-2024
This webinar on September 26th examined how rare and challenging cases, such as extremes of age, immunocompromised, autoimmune conditions, co-morbidities, pregnancy, and transplant cases impact immunotherapy treatment around the globe and in resource limited settings. It featured physicians from the United States and India to discuss their experience and knowledge overcoming specific challenges related to treating rare cases in IO. View the webinar ...
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Cancer Research Policy Modality Webinar

SITC Hosts Predicting Drug Resistance and Drug Repurposing with Imaging-Based AI: AI in Immuno-oncology Webinar

By SITC Advocacy posted 10-02-2024
Increased understanding of immunotherapy mechanisms of action may enhance researchers’ ability to circumvent resistance and identify alternative therapeutic uses. Imaging-based AI that can closely analyze drug-specific structures and interactions are being developed to help expedite discoveries in these two critical areas. This webinar on September 25th discussed specific applications of imaging-based AI for better understanding of immuno-therapeutic ...
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SITC Comments on FDA Guidance

By SITC Advocacy posted 09-26-2024
SITC has provided comment on the recently posted "Diversity Action Plans to Improve Enrollment of Participants from Underrepresented Populations in Clinical Studies; Guidance for Industry - Draft Guidance". SITC was pleased to see FDA incorporate feedback and topics that have stemmed from recent SITC DEI efforts including a corporate roundtable in 2022. Please find SITC's full comment letter HERE . #FDA #Policy
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SITC Hosts Predicting Early Diagnosis and Response with Multimodal AI: AI in Immuno-Oncology Webinar

By SITC Advocacy posted 09-16-2024
Earlier cancer diagnosis, as well as rapid determination of tumor response after treatment, could lead to enhanced immunotherapy patient outcomes. Multimodal AI that can accept various data inputs, especially as treatments become more personalized, are prime for helping facilitate advances in cancer diagnosis and response classification. This webinar on August 29th described current efforts in the development of multimodal AI for these purposes, with ...
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SITC Hosts Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: Increasing Access to IO Webinar

By SITC Advocacy posted 08-21-2024
This webinar on August 15th examined how immune checkpoint inhibitors are being utilized around the globe and in resource limited settings. It provided a forum for physicians from Brazil, Lebanon, and Malawi to discuss their experience in evaluating checkpoint inhibitors as a treatment option as well as how they overcame challenges related to manufacturing, access, regulation, and toxicity management. View the webinar for FREE on-demand HERE . ...
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Cancer Research Policy Modality Webinar

SITC Hosts Social Determinants of Health with Large/Moderate Language Models on EHR Data: AI in Immuno-oncology Webinar

By SITC Advocacy posted 08-06-2024
Social determinants of health are becoming increasingly understood as having significant impact in immunotherapy patient care. Many of these determinants are captured in the electronic health record (EHR), but very few methods can effectively analyze these data to better determine correlations between determinants and immunotherapy outcomes. This webinar on July 30th focused on new, prospective methods to analyze health record data for social determinant ...
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Cancer Research Policy Modality Webinar User-Generated   AIinIO

Crisis in Clinical Research, a Commentary

By SITC Advocacy posted 07-22-2024
The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) is pleased to announce the publication of a commentary detailing what is being described as a Crisis in Clinical Research. The clinical research pipeline is critical to ensuring continued development of novel treatments that can offer patients with cancer safe and effective options. Unfortunately, progress has slowed since the COVID-19 pandemic due to uncovered, systemic inefficiencies across critical ...
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SITC Hosts Cell Therapy Administration: Increasing Access to IO Webinar

By SITC Advocacy posted 07-17-2024
This webinar on July 10th examined how cell therapies are being utilized around the globe and in resource limited settings. It featured physicians from India, Mexico, and Egypt to discuss their experience in evaluating cell therapies as a treatment option as well as how they overcame challenges related to manufacturing, access, regulation, and toxicity management. View the webinar for FREE on-demand HERE . #Policy #Webinar
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Cancer Research Policy Modality Webinar

Call for Comment - Surrogate Endpoints Virtual Summit Executive Summary

By SITC Advocacy posted 07-12-2024
The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) is pleased to announce the publication of a comprehensive summary on the Surrogate Endpoints Virtual Summit , which was held on April 5, 2024. Surrogate endpoints have been instrumental for the advancement of immunotherapy, including dozens of approvals for a multitude of modalities across various disease states. These approvals are often facilitated through the use of endpoints that serve as surrogates ...
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Cancer Research Policy

SITC Hosts Opportunities and Implications for IO Using AI and Digital Pathology: AI in Immuno-Oncology Webinar

By SITC Advocacy posted 06-27-2024
Digital pathology is becoming an increasingly important technique for immunotherapy drug development and clinical care. As AI becomes further entrenched across the field of immunotherapy, researchers have begun considering how AI and digital pathology may coexist for enhanced pathologic analyses as well as scientific and clinical decision making. The focus of this webinar on June 20th was to better understand the benefits and caveats of mixing AI ...
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SITC Co-Hosts Briefing on “The Promise of Cancer Immunotherapy”

In collaboration with the House Cancer Caucus, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) co-hosted a congressional briefing, “The Promise of Cancer Immunotherapy,” on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019, in the Rayburn House Office Building. Leading experts discussed various aspects of cancer immunotherapy and the promise that lies ahead with further support from the federal government. Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY), a co-chairman of the House Cancer Caucus, also delivered remarks.

Panelists included:

  • George J. Weiner, MD – University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • Marc S. Ernstoff, MD – Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • Michael B. Atkins, MD – Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • Crystal L. Mackall, MD – Stanford University
  • Kathryn Bell  –  Cancer Patient Survivor

As always, SITC encourages stakeholders in the field to reach out to members of Congress in support of funding and advancing cancer immunotherapy research.

More details and photos can be found by viewing past tweets and by searching the hashtag, #SITContheHill.



SITC co-hosts a briefing on “The Promise of Cancer Immunotherapy”

Cancer Immunotherapy Fact Sheets

Transforming Cancer Treatment

Advances in cancer treatment have evolved dramatically during the past decade, and continue to change and shape the way oncologists treat patients and train staff. Understanding cancer treatment options can be confusing for patients and their families.

In collaboration with Friends of Cancer Research (Friends), the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) has developed new value fact sheets in a language accessible by both patients and advocates outlining the pathways and unique benefits of immunotherapy compared to other cancer treatments.

Please click on the infographics below to learn more about critical data and basic information regarding cancer immunotherapy.

IO1-v4-72dpi.jpg IO2-v4-72dpi.jpg IO3-v4-72dpi.jpg IO1-v4-72dpi2.jpg

This project is supported, in part, by a grant from Pfizer, Inc./EMD Serono.

Appropriations Report Language

SITC annually drafts report language for consideration by the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate Appropriations Committees to be incorporated into appropriations bills. Incorporation of report language helps advocate for funding of federal agencies supporting cancer immunotherapy research and regulation, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and National Cancer Institute (NCI). Continue reading below to view past language submitted on behalf of the society to the FDA and NCI.

Policy Comment Letters

SITC volunteers draft and provide comment when federal agencies offer opportunities to discuss relevant efforts that may affect the field of cancer immunotherapy. SITC comment letters ensure that the society provides a voice during consideration of policy changes that may affect cancer immunotherapy research, regulation, or reimbursement. The comment letters include those submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Please continue reading below to view past submitted letters on behalf of the society.

Contact SITC

If you have partnership or policy-related questions, please contact SITC staff at SITCExecOffice@sitcancer.org.

Archive

Read about how SITC has been active in policy and advocacy in recent years: