Earlier this week at City of Hope, we celebrated World Cancer Day by announcing ambitious solutions to tackle some of the most pressing challenges in cancer care. This includes groundbreaking advancements in microbiome research aimed at improving cancer survival, increased emphasis on cancers that disproportionately affect women and people of color, and enhanced access to advanced cancer treatment.
Here are several of the 10 bold solutions that City of Hope is getting behind in the coming year:
Making Equity in Cancer Care the New Frontier of AI
Genomic science for earlier screening tools and risk assessments and clinical trials to understand an individual’s unique biological and psychosocial needs are key approaches that can help close these gaps in cancer mortality and incidence. However, 19 out of 20 cancer patients currently cannot enroll in clinical trials because of rigid eligibility criteria, and genomic data used for clinical studies are still predominantly derived from white European populations, which risks perpetuating existing biases and health inequities.
“To realize AI’s full potential in cancer care, it is crucial to integrate diverse genomic data and address the social determinants of health to ensure equitable treatment outcomes across all racial and ethnic groups,” said John D. Carpten, Ph.D., chief scientific officer at City of Hope and Irell & Manella Cancer Center Director’s Distinguished Chair, who studies how genes affect disease risk and treatment outcomes with particular focus on cancers that disproportionately affect underserved and historically marginalized populations.
Ending Young Women’s Unacceptably Higher Risk
The ACS reports that younger women are an astounding 82% more likely to be diagnosed with cancer compared to men, with Black women among those most at risk – a situation that underscores the urgent need for targeted research, more accessible screening, and tailored interventions that not only address cancer for the short term but also address the risk of recurrence.
“We are making progress,” says Veronica Jones, MD. ” Research is underway to understand the multiple contributors of the higher breast cancer mortality rate in Black women. This research incorporates tumor biology and social determinants of health to advance precision medicine in historically underserved populations.”
Systems Tested in Space Will Revolutionize Cancer Surgery on Earth
Remarkably, a miniature surgical robot on the International Space Station recently completed a surgical simulation guided by surgeons on Earth; this new technological advancement will help forge a new generation of remote cancer surgeries, enabling patients across geographies to access the surgical expertise of highly specialized physicians.
Said Yuman Fong, M.D., City of Hope’s Sangiacomo Family Chair in Surgical Oncology and professor and chair of the Department of Surgery. “Another benefit is greater patient safety because we are allowing for immediate intraoperative consultation amongst surgeons when unexpected findings are encountered.”
The next generation of robots are more compact, easier to train on and able to help underserved communities have access to surgical experts, Dr. Fong said. Already, he and others are performing preclinical studies on remote cancer surgeries.
You can read more about other specific strategies to address rising cancer rates among women and young people and other cancer trends at www.CityofHope.org/cancercare.
City of Hope®, one of the largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations in the U.S. with its National Medical Center named top 5 in the nation for cancer by U.S. News & World Report. To learn more about City of Hope, visit: www.cityofhope.org.
