ACCC, SFA Partner to Provide Sarcoma Information and Resources to Community Cancer Centers

A new web portal provides community oncologists, patient navigators, and other community cancer center staff with essential sarcoma information and resources.

DAMASCUS, MD, UNITED STATES, October 16, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Sarcoma Foundation of America (SFA) has launched a strategic partnership with the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) to provide community oncologists, patient navigators, and other community cancer center staff with essential sarcoma information and resources. SFA has developed a new online portal accessible through the ACCC website to help community cancer center staff better treat and support sarcoma patients and their families.

Studies show that outcomes are improved when people diagnosed with sarcoma are treated at a sarcoma specialty care center. However, approximately 80 percent of sarcoma patients in the U.S. receive care from a community provider or facility. Given that sarcoma is a rare disease, their visit could be the only, or one of few, sarcoma patients local cancer centers have treated.

“If we want to improve outcomes for sarcoma patients, we have to meet them where they are. For socioeconomic and other reasons, most patients in the United States cannot make it to a sarcoma specialty care center,” said Brandi Felser, CEO of SFA. “This resource for community care centers will assist in providing sarcoma patients access to quality care.”

Sarcoma patients receive care at community centers for a variety of reasons. Patients may lack the time, money, or ability to travel to a sarcoma specialty center on a regular basis. Cost also reduces access for patients who are uninsured, underinsured, or lack the money to pay for out-of-pocket expenses. Some patients may not know of the benefits of a sarcoma specialty center. Often, a combination of factors is involved.

SFA developed the resources in the portal, which include both educational material and referrals to outside services. Hour-long video discussions explore topics such as sarcoma clinical trials and narrated patient and caregiver perspectives; an illustrated iconographic provides a basic introduction to sarcoma and common subtypes. Other resources include a listing of sarcoma treatment centers in each state, an online support community for sarcoma patients, and a link to SFA’s Clinical Trial Matching Service, which offers patients, caregivers, and health care professionals with up-to-date information about sarcoma clinical trials across the U.S. and Canada. Additional resources will be added in the coming months.

About Sarcoma
Sarcoma is a rare cancer in adults (1 percent of all adult cancers) but rather prevalent in children (15-20% of all childhood cancers). At any one time, 200,000 patients and their families are struggling with sarcoma. Every year, nearly 17,370 new cases are diagnosed and more than 7,200 people die from the disease.

About the Sarcoma Foundation of America
The Sarcoma Foundation of America (SFA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization, is an advocate for increased research to find new and better therapies with which to treat patients with sarcoma. The organization raises money to privately fund grants for sarcoma researchers and conducts education and advocacy efforts on behalf of sarcoma patients. For more information, please visit www.curesarcoma.org.

William Alexander
Sarcoma Foundation of America
919-414-9919
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