UTHealth Houston researchers are partnering with eight Texas main care group well being facilities on an intervention examine looking for to enhance outcomes for most cancers survivors and improve main care capability.

Funded with a $4.8 million grant from the Nationwide Most cancers Institute, the Undertaking CASCADE initiative will give attention to under- and uninsured sufferers.

CASCADE stands for Neighborhood and Tutorial Synergy for Most cancers Survivorship Care Supply Enhancement.

The intervention will search to assist group well being middle clinics enhance identification and monitoring of most cancers survivors by modifying current clinic workflows and coordinating survivors’ care by way of a chosen care coordinator champion. It would additionally use Undertaking ECHO – a telementoring technique to reinforce main care clinicians’ information about most cancers survivorship care, recognition and administration of the consequences of most cancers and its remedies, and communication between oncologists and first care crew. 

Researchers count on this intervention to extend charges of guideline-recommended screenings for secondary cancers, main care clinician information of most cancers survivorship care, and patient-reported expertise of care coordination. Researchers may also measure adherence to the Nationwide Complete Most cancers Community surveillance tips for survivors with probably the most prevalent most cancers sorts, comparable to breast, colorectal, prostate, and lung.

“Undertaking CASCADE focuses on how main well being care groups present whole-person and coordinated care to underserved sufferers who’ve a historical past of most cancers,” mentioned Bijal Balasubramanian, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., professor of epidemiology at UTHealth Houston Faculty of Public Well being, in an announcement. 

“Major care is uniquely suited to ship whole-person and coordinated look after most cancers survivors as a result of, at its core, it prioritizes, personalizes, and integrates well being look after all circumstances, not simply the most cancers,” added Balasubramanian, Rockwell Distinguished Chair in Society and Well being, and a principal investigator of the examine.

Balasubramanian, who can be co-director of the UTHealth Houston Institute for Implementation Science and regional dean of the Faculty of Public Well being in Dallas, mentioned 70% of most cancers survivors produce other power circumstances and obtain care from a number of medical groups, which might create gaps within the coordination of care. Most cancers survivors are additionally at larger danger for creating different cancers and power circumstances. This, coupled with a rising variety of most cancers survivors and an anticipated scarcity of oncology subspecialists, makes the examine much more well timed and important.

Undertaking CASCADE is considered one of 4 Nationwide Most cancers Institute-funded U01 grants awarded in response to a particular request for purposes targeted on addressing the first care wants of most cancers survivors. 

Simon Lee, Ph.D., M.P.H., chair and Sosland Household Professor in Preventive Drugs on the College of Kansas, is a co-principal investigator. Roxana Cruz, M.D., chief innovation officer for the Texas Affiliation of Neighborhood Well being Facilities, will probably be an advisor for the examine.