SITC ACCC Expanding Access to Cellular and Bispecific Therapies Workshop

The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) and Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) hosted the Expanding Access to Cellular and Bispecific Therapies Workshop, a collaborative cancer immunotherapy education program live streamed on March 14, 2024.

Program Organizers

• Sigrun Hallmeyer, MD – Advocate Aurora Health
• Ivo Abraham, PhD, RN – University of Arizona
• Omid Hamid, MD – The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute
• Jason Luke, MD – University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Background

As immunotherapies continue to show efficacy and safety for the treatment of various cancers, it is of crucial importance that access to these therapies continues to expand. While academic medical centers often have infrastructure in place to adapt to the changing immunotherapeutic landscape, community cancer centers that serve the significant portion of cancer patients across the US face unique challenges that limit accessibility. In particular, novel cellular therapies and bispecific molecules for the treatment of patients with both solid and liquid tumors require sufficient infrastructure, specialized monitoring, dedicated administration protocols, and individualized training to facilitate safe and effective administration. To help promote rapid patient access to novel immunotherapeutics, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) and the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) collaborated to host a joint workshop in Boston, Massachusetts, to discuss how to apply lessons learned from academic cancer centers in the community care setting. Workshop participants included leadership representatives from academia, community providers, industry, and hospital administrators.

Program Goals and Structure

The overarching goal of the SITC ACCC Expanding Access to Cellular and Bispecific Therapies Workshop was to identify primary hurdles and potential solutions for providing novel therapeutics in the community care setting and provide community cancer centers with recommendations to consider when exploring implementation of these novel therapies. Workshop participants were divided into five breakout groups, each dedicated to a specific topic area related to providing cellular therapies and bispecifics.

The breakout group topics included:

1. Education
2. Coding and Billing
3. Continuity of Care
4. Team Management
5. Economics

Click here to view full program details for the SITC ACCC Expanding Access to Cellular and Bispecific Therapies Workshop.