RYE BROOK, N.Y., May 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS)
announced today the launch of the IMPACT (Influential Medicine
Providing Access to Clinical Trials) research grants to increase
enrollment of individuals from underrepresented communities in
clinical trials. Clinical trials are vital to improving cancer
treatment, giving newly diagnosed patients access to
state-of-the-art therapies, and providing a lifeline when other
treatments have failed. Yet, clinical trials overwhelmingly fail to
represent certain patient populations such as ethnic and racial
minorities and people in rural communities.
To overcome these inequities, LLS created the IMPACT research
grants, which will award funding to major cancer research and
treatment centers to establish a "hub and spoke" infrastructure to
expand access to clinical trials in their region. Each of the
"hubs" or major cancer centers will develop networks of trial sites
in local community-based hospitals and clinics with significant
underserved populations. The $3.75
million five-year program, designed with a unique and
tailored approach to building engagement in underserved
communities, is the first undertaking of its kind by a blood cancer
organization.
"To get the full benefit of cancer research, we need clinical
trials to reflect the diversity of the U.S. population," said
Lee Greenberger, Ph.D., LLS Chief
Scientific Officer. "But this is also about health equity, which is
central to the LLS mission. Blood cancer does not discriminate, and
people of every age, gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic status are
affected and deserve the same choices in their care." Research has
shown that populations at risk for cancer health disparities are
also less likely than other groups to participate in clinical
trials.
LLS has selected three projects for the first round of funding:
Mayo Clinic in the upper Midwest, Vanderbilt
University Medical Center in the rural south and Weill
Cornell Medicine in New York City.
Each five-year initiative anticipates increasing trial enrollment
from underrepresented communities to at least 20 percent. An
overview of the programs is below:
IMPACT at Mayo Clinic: Mayo Clinic Cancer Center partnered with
the Minnesota Cancer Clinical Trials Network and Mayo Clinic Health
System to address major barriers to clinical trials enrollment for
minority patients with blood cancers. The program includes a
network of 35 clinical sites throughout rural, underserved
communities in Minnesota,
Wisconsin and Iowa. The program also focuses on economically
disadvantaged minority patients in urban areas of metropolitan
Minneapolis.
IMPACT at Vanderbilt University
Medical Center: This effort, which leverages the Vanderbilt Health
Affiliated Network and Baptist Memorial Health Care (Baptist),
includes nearly half of the counties and parishes in the Delta
Regional Authority, one of the most economically vulnerable areas
in the United States. This area
also has some of the country's highest cancer incidence and
mortality rates. The LLS IMPACT program at Vanderbilt will increase clinical trial access,
with the option to enroll in ten clinical trials across seven blood
cancer types that will be open at nine Baptist locations around the
region.
IMPACT at Weill Cornell Medicine: While Weill Cornell Medicine
is located in Manhattan, more than
half of the annual blood cancer cases in New York City occur in residents who reside in
nearby Queens and Brooklyn. Direct access to cutting-edge
clinical trials is limited at the community hospitals that service
those boroughs. The Weill Cornell Medicine IMPACT project, also
supported by Genentech, is collaborating with New York-Presbyterian
Queens and New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital to
build an infrastructure to increase enrollment in clinical trials
at these sites. The program will provide education for community
physicians, including training primary care physicians as clinical
trial advocates, and community oncologists as experts in clinical
trial protocols.
"Our team at Weill Cornell Medicine is thrilled to collaborate
with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society on this important
initiative," said Dr. John Leonard,
senior associate dean for innovation and initiatives and the
Richard T. Silver Distinguished Professor of Hematology and Medical
Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine, and
a hematologist and medical oncologist at New
York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. "Our efforts to
provide state-of-the-art care and research opportunities to all
blood cancer patients – including those from under-resourced
backgrounds – synergize closely with those of LLS through the
IMPACT program. We are committed to these efforts and are excited
to accelerate our research programs through this collaboration and
close engagement with our community."
Mayo, Vanderbilt and Weill are
co-funding the IMPACT grants, demonstrating their partnership with
LLS and commitment to the program. This program was also made
possible by philanthropic investment from companies including
Bristol Myers Squibb and MorphoSys Foundation, as well as LLS donor
investment from Louise and John
Bryan, Edward J. Phillips Family Foundation, Rahr
Corporation and Cal Turner, Jr.
LLS works on multiple fronts toward health equity for all
blood cancer patients
LLS has programs in place across research, advocacy and patient
services to address health disparities. These efforts
include Myeloma Link, a community-based outreach and
education program in African American
communities, Spanish-language resources and services for
patients and caregivers, and the Equity in Access research program,
which will advance the study of underlying causes of inequitable
access to care and identify policies, strategies and interventions
to effect change. LLS is also leading a national study with the
University of Florida to increase
primary care providers' capacity to educate diverse patients with
cancer about clinical trials.
Through its advocacy work, LLS is pursuing efforts to improve
access to trials for underrepresented patients. For example, LLS
and its advocacy partners played a key role in developing the
Clinical Treatment Act, which requires Medicaid to cover
trial-related care starting in 2022. LLS is also working to advance
policies that will localize access to more care associated with
trial participation, reducing the time and expense associated with
travel. LLS's Urgent Need Program, in partnership with Moppie's
Love and Charlie's Fund, Co-Pay Assistance Program, and Susan Lang
Pay-It-Forward Patient Travel Assistance Program, all provide
financial assistance supporting underserved patients.
LLS Clinical Trial Nurse Navigators, registered nurses with
expertise in blood cancer, are available to personally assist all
blood cancer patients and caregivers throughout the entire
clinical-trial process. For information, patients can contact an
LLS Information Specialist at (800) 955-4572, via live
chat or email.
About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society® (LLS) is a global leader in
the fight against cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma,
Hodgkin's disease and myeloma. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer
research around the world, provides free information and support
services, and is the voice for all blood cancer patients seeking
access to quality, affordable, coordinated care.
Founded in 1949 and headquartered in Rye Brook, NY, LLS has regional offices
throughout the United States and
Canada. To learn more, visit
www.LLS.org. Patients should contact the LLS Information Resource
Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., ET.
For additional information visit lls.org/lls-newsnetwork. Follow
us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Contact:
Irene Tung
Senior Manager, Mission Communications
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Irene.tung@lls.org
(718) 414-7910
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SOURCE The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society