Getting medical advancements out of the laboratory and into clinical trials and then making information about the best treatments and interventions available to health care professionals and the general public represent some of the biggest problems facing today's efforts to cure cancer, says a report from the President's Cancer Panel.
The panel, created to monitor and evaluate the National Cancer Program, recently released its annual report to the White House and leaders in government and scientific institutions. From the testimony of 84 experts ranging from academic researchers to care providers to drug manufacturers, the panel compiled several recommendations on how to accelerate improvements in cancer care, said LaSalle D. Leffall Jr., M.D., the chairman of the panel.
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The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), or the Patient Privacy Act, represents another problem, the panel concluded. Those interviewed said that HIPAA has had many negative consequences on cancer research because it bars access to patients' records, which contain important information that cancer researchers need to find patients eligible for trials, offer treatment, and conduct follow-up examinations on cancer survivorsimportant components in studies. The panel recommends reevaluating and modifying the act to aid clinical research.
Other barriers include the complexity of the drug approval and informed consent processes, and a shortage of translational and clinical researchers, whose training in both the laboratory and with patients is needed to more efficiently bring developments made at the bench to patients' bedsides.
Once new treatments and interventions have been rigorously tested, getting out accurate information about their use represents another hurdle. "This process is slow and inefficient," said Kripke. Currently, little attention or funding focuses on the dissemination of such information, and the responsibility for this isn't assigned to any agency. Furthermore, few studies have looked into finding ways to effectively distribute information to the public. Presently, dissemination occurs through printed materials for doctors and patients, a practice which is "largely ineffective," commented Kripke.
Other key recommendations of the panel include renewing the National Cancer Act and improving public access to cancer care.
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