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Hope on the horizon: A new era of compassionate cancer care
June 28, 2024
ACS chief patient officer (center), Arif Kamal, MD, pictured with ACS colleagues Shanthi Sivendran, MD, MSCR, MBA, senior VP of cancer care support (left), and Bonny Morris, PhD, MSPH, RN, senior director of patient navigation (right) at the Alliance Annual Meeting in Richmond, Virginia.
For the first time, the American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates over two million new cancer cases per year and more than 600,000 cancer-related deaths in 2024. Incidence for many common cancers — including breast, prostate and pancreatic — are on the rise despite declining mortality rates.
ACS’ first-ever chief patient officer, Arif Kamal, M.D., delivered a compelling keynote presentation at the Alliance for Equity in Cancer Care (Alliance) annual meeting held in Richmond, Virginia this spring. The event was hosted by the VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center and VCU Center on Health Disparities, which jointly serve as the National Program Office for the Alliance.
Titled “Cancer Support 3.0: A New Era in Compassion,” Dr. Kamal’s speech covered the history and continued evolution of cancer care, dividing it into three eras:
- Era 1: Specializing Care (2,500 BC – present)
- Era 2: Personalizing Treatment (1980s – present)
- Era 3: Professionalizing Compassion (2000s – present)
When expanding on the third era, Dr. Kamal enthusiastically shared, “We are deliberately leaning into the idea that compassion is a top priority. There are so many opportunities where the patient experience and patient outcomes could be better. When providing complete care, it’s not just about a person’s biology. It’s also about their emotional health, culture, lived experiences, physical environment and social support network.”
According to the National Academy of Medicine, 80 to 90 percent of patient outcomes are not driven by biology. National initiatives such as the Alliance and the Biden Cancer Moonshot are positioned to shed light on factors contributing to cancer disparities and strategies to reduce barriers to care. In recent years, social drivers of health have been found to contribute to cancer incidence, mortality and overall health disparities, particularly among underserved populations who are often disproportionately affected by this disease. These non-medical factors affect different populations in different ways, collectively contributing to worse outcomes across the cancer continuum.
“The responsibility of acting on the information we have around social drivers of health is ours. We can’t ignore these factors when it comes to delivering holistic, accessible care for all,” Dr. Kamal said. “The burden of cancer is already unacceptably high. When we’re talking about solutions and innovation, injustice is rooted in the fact that not everyone has access to those things. We must work together to be successful in closing that gap.”
The era of personalizing treatment was introduced in the 1980s. Known today as precision medicine, this development uses a patient’s unique genetic or molecular profile to tailor treatment approaches. Advancements such as targeted drug therapy and immunotherapy have revolutionized cancer treatment in the last several decades.
Today’s “professionalizing compassion” era is centered around shared decision making and supportive services, such as patient navigation and palliative care. Driven by a notable shift from availability to accessibility, oncologists’ roles have transitioned significantly along with the ever-changing field of oncology. Specific skill sets are required beyond medical training and board certifications: while noble in their mission, doctors must be human in their approach.
“My job isn’t just to treat a patient’s disease. My job is to lead with empathy, to have an open mind and to actively listen,” Dr. Kamal said. “A person often doesn’t know how much you care or how invested you are until you show them. It’s so important to ask the right questions. By discussing non-biological factors, such as their values, preferences, fears, goals and hopes, I’m aligning with them emotionally. Those feelings of alignment and unconditional support are what they remember.”
In his role as chief patient officer, Dr. Kamal oversees the organization’s cancer support network, patient navigation services, education programs, patient and caregiver lodging and transportation solutions, global initiatives and digital support resources.
“Nobody experiencing cancer should feel alone. I try to provide patients, caregivers and their loved ones with as many resources as possible to make informed decisions,” Dr. Kamal said. “Initiatives like ACS CARES and the Alliance empower and benefit everyone involved.”
ACS CARES™ (Community Access to Resources, Education and Support) provides personalized resources through a mobile-based application. App users can speak to cancer information specialists 24/7/365, connect virtually with trained community volunteers and access trusted information that’s been curated just for them.
Through the Alliance, an initiative funded by Merck Foundation, eight national grantees are working alongside community-based organizations to improve access to timely, culturally responsive cancer care among vulnerable populations. In addition to navigation-based approaches, the Alliance works to strengthen patient-provider communication and patient engagement in treatment decisions, empowering patients and caregivers to be actively engaged in their cancer journey.
Alliance director Robert A. Winn, M.D., who also serves as director and Lipman Chair in Oncology at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, recognizes the value of such initiatives and their role in a larger conversation around health equity and community partnerships.
“An alliance, by its very definition, is the union formed for mutual benefit. When it comes to cancer, there is one goal. We have to all work together — institutional partners, competing health systems, community organizations — to truly move the needle when it comes to health equity,” Winn said.
With the number of cancer survivors expected to reach 26 million by 2040, cancer is becoming a chronic disease. This requires an emphasis on treating patients well beyond their diagnosis.
“In cancer care, survival rates are increasing. Patients are living longer with cancer, and they are living longer post-treatment. This means the resilience of a person with cancer will be tested for a longer period of time,” Dr. Kamal shared. “Providers and caregivers have to be better prepared to support patients through their own cancer eras — and do so with compassion.”
With supportive care leading the way, there is hope on the horizon.
Written by: Grace Hummel in partnership with ACS