FL Legislative Briefing: The Promise of Precision Medicine in Cancer Care: Improving Patient Access to Targeted Cancer Therapies - A Virtual Event

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EVENT OVERVIEW

This educational briefing will provide an overview of the rapidly advancing world of precision medicine in cancer care, as well as the importance of increasing patient access to biomarker testing and targeted cancer therapies.  A panel of experts will discuss exciting recent developments in precision medicine, the current landscape in terms of patient access to appropriate biomarker testing, and strategies to reduce barriers to testing. 

PANELISTS:

• Moderator: Michael Diaz, MD, Assistant Managing Physician & Vice-President, Florida Cancer Specialists 
• Matthew Schabath, PhD – Associate Member, Departments of Cancer Epidemiology and Thoracic Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center
• Omar Rashid, MD, JD – Surgical Oncology, Robotic & General Surgery, Medicus Elite - TopLine MD Alliance

FOCUS OF THE FORUM

Precision medicine (also known as personalized or genomic medicine) uses information about a person’s own genes or proteins to prevent, diagnose, or treat disease.  Advancements in precision medicine in cancer have led to targeted cancer therapies, which offer a personalized approach to cancer treatment using information in a patient’s own genetic profile.

Treatment with targeted cancer therapy often requires diagnostic testing to analyze biological samples (e.g. blood, tumor tissue) taken from patients to identify and evaluate specific biomarkers. Biomarkers are biological molecules found in blood, tissues, or other bodily fluids that provide insight into normal or abnormal physiological processes, medical conditions, or diseases. Currently, targeted therapy is the exception rather than the rule and is more developed in some cancers than in others, but in cases where patients can be treated with targeted therapies, studies have shown improved patient outcomes across cancer types.

As precision medicine shifts the way health care providers and patients think about cancer treatments, it is important to identify and address obstacles to biomarker testing. While biomarker testing is integral to precision medicine in cancer care, many patients who should be tested are not.  Patient access to appropriate biomarker testing relies on a combination of factors including reliable, valid, and relevant tests, insurer coverage, knowledgeable health care providers, and health care facilities equipped with the appropriate testing infrastructure for the efficient and sufficient collection and handling of tissue for testing.

For additional information contact [email protected]