PCOC: Patient-Centered Oncology Care

COA's Nicolas Ferreyros discusses real-world survival data for community oncology, health system consolidation, and barriers to CAR T-cell access.

Cathy Eng, MD, discusses a BREAKWATER post hoc analysis showing poorer survival in early-onset BRAF V600E colorectal cancer.

Cleveland Clinic's Beth Faiman, PhD, MSN, discusses AP-led clinics, managing talquetamab taste changes, and infection prophylaxis with bispecifics.

OneOncology's Edward "Ted" Arrowsmith, MD, MPH, explains how patient-reported outcomes and national disease groups can make cancer pathways more dynamic.

Panelists ask whether cancer care will shift toward home-administered infusions as payers push for change. Other topics in this forward-looking session include new delivery tech and practice-led solutions.

Mitchell Blewett, PharmD, MS, of Cleveland Clinic, explains why formulary approval is only the midpoint before a new oncology drug reaches patients.

Cathy Eng, MD, explains how young adults with cancer face career, fertility, and body image concerns as well as where to find support.

AI, patient voice in pathways, and caregiver support are shaping community oncology, AON leaders said at Patient-Centered Oncology Care.

Cathy Eng, MD, FACP, FASCO, says young patients with colorectal cancer often look healthy and present at stage IV, making symptom awareness critical.

Panelists say drug price negotiation, Medicaid changes, prior authorization, and 340B reform strain community oncology.

Mayo Clinic's Scott Soefje, PharmD, MBA, explains how logistics, contracts, and cost shape access to new cancer drugs and high-cost drug reviews.

Payers cover novel cancer drugs but not the staffing, training, and monitoring to deliver them, leaving practices to absorb costs.

Caregiver shortages limit access to transplant, CAR T, and bispecific therapies, and no system offers replacement support, says Duke's Thomas LeBlanc, MD, MA.

The IRA's Medicare out-of-pocket cap is easing costs for patients with cancer, but community oncology leaders warn price cuts are straining practices.

Even top academic centers struggle to keep pace with precision medicine, says William K. Oh, MD, who is prioritizing clinician education at Yale.

AI could ease oncology's drug development "traffic jam," while biomarker subsetting drives more personalized cancer care, David Spigel, MD, says.

Community oncologists cited prior authorization as a care barrier, even as AI adoption doubled in 2026, according to the Oncology Care Index.

Community oncology faces high costs and staffing hurdles for trials; Lucio N. Gordan, MD, urges pragmatic designs matching real-world patients.

Payers say NCCN guideline concordance sets a baseline for cancer coverage, but cost and formulary variation may still limit access.

Liquid biopsy and at-home phlebotomy are closing precision medicine access gaps nationwide, though tissue remains the gold standard.

Accelerated approvals, surrogate end points, and high drug costs are reshaping cancer center formulary decisions, explained panelists at PCOC.

Physicians to Discuss 2026 Oncology Care Index at Patient-Centered Oncology Care®, Premier Annual AJMC® Event Starting Today in Nashville | 60% of Community Physicians Say Clinical Trial Options Are Limited; 93% Say Pragmatic Designs Would Help

Stephen "Fred" Divers, MD, previews PCOC 2026, including his session on the Oncology Care Index and the gap in AI adoption in oncology.

J&J's Oncology Care Index finds a systems problem, not a confidence gap, in community oncology, Mahadi Baig, MD, says.

Oncology experts at PCOC 2025 discuss breakthrough therapies, AI-driven care, and evolving care delivery models shaping the future of oncology.

Patients beginning their cancer journeys should advocate for themselves and use support groups to help navigate survivorship challenges.

Payer contracts should incentivize the delivery of comprehensive, total-person cancer care, says Brian Mulherin, MD.

Many cancer survivors face ongoing physical and mental health challenges, which peer support and online resources can help address, says Brian Koffman, MDCM, DCFP, FCFP, DABFP, MSEd.

Despite systemic challenges, oncology practices use value-based care, community partnerships, and clinical trials to improve patient access and outcomes, says Brian Mulherin, MD.

Vivek Subbiah, MD, says artificial intelligence (AI) should assist clinicians in precision oncology, not replace human decision-making.