CANCER ORGANISATION ALL.CAN INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHES LANDMARK REPORT: ‘HARNESSING DATA FOR BETTER CANCER CARE’
CANCER ORGANISATION ALL.CAN INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHES LANDMARK REPORT: ‘HARNESSING DATA FOR BETTER CANCER CARE’
Presented today at the All.Can Global Summit, the report calls for policymakers to maximise the potential of data for the benefit of all people with cancer.
Brussels, 27 May 2021 – Today at the All.Can Global Summit, All.Can International published a major new report: Harnessing data for better cancer care. Matthew Hickey, Chief Executive Officer of The Health Value Alliance and All.Can International Research and Evidence Working Group Co-Chair, presented the findings to a global audience of cancer policy leaders.
The report offers policymakers, care providers, patients and decision-makers a forward-looking view of how to ensure high-quality health data are systematically collected and used to improve outcomes for patients across the entire cancer care pathway. The recommendations are based on a structured literature review, 16 expert interviews and consultation with the All.Can International Data Working Group and an External Advisory Committee. All.Can aims to identify ways of optimising the use of resources in cancer care to deliver the best-quality care for patients – and data are central to achieving this.
‘Healthcare systems around the world have not fully harnessed the potential of data to transform cancer care – but we hope to move the needle forward with our report findings and recommendations,’ said Matthew Hickey.
There are numerous types of data that play a role in cancer care, and the report looks in particular at cancer registry data, electronic health and medical records, genomic data, and patient-generated health data. These data have shown the ability to drive quality, innovation and efficiency in cancer care. This brings tremendous value to individual patients through more accurate diagnosis,
personalised treatment and follow-up care. It also helps healthcare professionals better understand their patients’ needs and adapt care accordingly. At a system level, large-scale data collection can lead to improvements in care and provide insights into which aspects of care offer the greatest impact on patients and health system efficiency.
The report also includes case studies that provide concrete examples of how data have transformed cancer care, which can be emulated elsewhere.
‘Having good data is everything,’ said Prof Christobel Saunders, Professor of Surgical Oncology at the University of Western Australia and All.Can International Research and Evidence Working Group Co-Chair. ‘We need good data on individual patients, on how our teams and hospitals are functioning, and we must be able to compare these data to ensure we can correct any unwanted variations in patient outcomes.’
She added: ‘Currently, data siloes, a lack of interoperability, unclear actionability of existing data, complex data governance, and limited ability to re-use data for other purposes are all ongoing challenges in many countries, and we often fall short in our ability to analyse and extract meaningful insights from the data available to guide decision-making.’
Overcoming these challenges is integral to ensuring the sustainability of health systems and delivering better care for patients. These goals are especially pertinent in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and health system recovery.
‘We need to think of data as an investment, but also as an innovation. Having the correct data systems in place, to be able to harness their value, is as important to the future of cancer care as new medicines and other advances,’ said Dr Vivek Muthu, Managing Director of Marivek Healthcare Consulting and All.Can Member.
To download a full copy of the report, Harnessing data for better cancer care, visit: all-can.org
You can download the full press release here.
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About report
Harnessing data for better cancer care has been produced by The Health Policy Partnership and Intacare International on behalf of All.Can International. Its creation was led by the All.Can Data Working Group, made up of All.Can International members, and an External Advisory Committee.
Health data
For the purpose of the report, All.Can defines health data as ‘any data describing a person’s health, their healthcare or anything affecting any health issues or diseases they may have. This includes information created by health and care professionals, as well as information generated by patients; from illnesses monitored through mobile applications and smart devices, to screening tests and nutritional data.’[1]
[1]Data Saves Lives. 2020. Overview – Health Data. Available from: https:// datasaveslives.eu/health-data- overview [Accessed 22/10/2020]
About All.Can international
All.Can International is a multi-stakeholder, not-for-profit organisation (ASBL) registered in Belgium. It brings together representatives from patient organisations, policymakers, healthcare professionals, research, and industry. It is made up of All.Can International as well as All.Can national initiatives established in 18 countries (at the time of writing). To find out more about the membership of All.Can, visit: https://www.all-can.org/about-us/members/
All.Can’s work is made possible with financial support from Bristol Myers Squibb (main sponsor), Roche (major sponsor), MSD and Johnson & Johnson (sponsors), Baxter and Illumina (contributors), with additional non-financial (in kind) support from Helpsy, Intacare International and Goings-On. In addition to the general financial support provided by the companies listed above, Novartis has
contributed to the production of this policy report.
In alignment with its statutes and bylaws, all activities and outputs of All.Can represent consensus of members, who have full editorial control. For more information about All.Can, its full membership and governance, visit: http://www.all-can.org/
For further information, contact: All.Can Secretariat, secretariat@all-can.org