New Research Findings from Cancer Commons & Collaborators Published in JAMA Network Open

Cancer Commons Virtual Tumor Board Shows Early Promise for Pancreatic Cancer Patients

A virtual tumor board program launched at Cancer Commons in 2020 has shown preliminary promise in helping pancreatic cancer patients identify and access treatments, clinical trials, and diagnostic opportunities tailored to each patient’s individual case.

Our Director of Scientific and Clinical Affairs, Lola Rahib, PhD, led evaluation of the initial success of the program, which is presented today at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)’s Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.

“We are pleased to share the initial findings from our pancreatic cancer virtual tumor board initiative, and we look forward to working with many more patients and learning from them to help future patients,” Rahib says.

A tumor board is a group of physicians and scientists who combine their knowledge to discuss treatment and testing options for individual patients. When conducted via video call, these efforts are known as virtual tumor boards. Each patient receives a full report of the board’s suggested options, which they can use to help them and their medical team decide how to proceed.

In September 2020, Cancer Commons launched its virtual tumor board for pancreatic cancer patients. By December 2021, the board had reviewed a total of 103 cases, most of whom had advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. Patients received reports outlining the board’s suggested personalized options for clinical trials, molecular testing, and other treatment—including off-label treatments for some patients.

Today’s poster presentation, titled “Cancer Commons’ Virtual Tumor Board program- a patient-centric advisory panel and Real-World Data registry,” details the characteristics of the participants so far, the types of treatment and testing suggestions they received, and the types of treatment decisions they subsequently made.

This program is ongoing. Patients who are interested in the possibility of participating in the Cancer Commons virtual tumor board for pancreatic cancer can register for our complimentary services. Our expert team will review each patient’s case, and if appropriate, enroll them in the virtual tumor board program.

Cancer Commons has several key partners in this initiative, including xCures, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, Let’s Win! Pancreatic Cancer. Coauthors on the ASCO presentation include David Chang of the University of Glasgow, Davendra Sohal of the University of Cincinnati, Conan Kinsey of the University of Utah Huntsman Cancer Institute, Deb Christensen of Cancer Commons, Mark Shapiro of xCures, Fatima Zelada-Arenas of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, Scott Paulson of US Oncology, and M. Shaalan Beg of UT Southwestern Medical Center.