Guidelines Available on Outcomes4Me Mobile App Can Help Reduce Racial Disparities in Cancer Care and Increase Accessibility to Life-Saving Genetic Information
BOSTON, Oct. 18, 2021— Outcomes4Me Inc., developer of a leading free mobile app and platform to empower cancer patients with the information and tools to navigate their care, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) announced today the addition of the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) for Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Breast, Ovarian and Pancreatic into the Outcomes4Me mobile application. NCCN and Outcomes4Me first joined forces in 2019 to integrate the NCCN Guidelines for Breast Cancer into the Outcomes4Me direct-to-patient mobile app. This additional integration leverages Outcomes4Me’s platform to enable millions of people to be able to identify whether they should be tested for inherited cancers.
Despite the long-standing availability of testing for inherited cancer, only a small portion of the at-risk population has taken advantage of it. In fact, recent data suggests that fewer than 20 percent of patients with breast or ovarian cancer who meet national criteria for inherited cancer risk testing receive it.
“We hope that by integrating these NCCN Guidelines into the Outcomes4Me app thus making them more accessible to every patient wherever they are, we will not only better democratize life-saving information, but also help address some of the disparities we see in cancer care,” said Osama E. Rahma, MD, Outcomes4Me’s co-founder and medical consultant. “These disparities are extremely unfortunate, as we know that cancer risks are much higher among individuals with inherited cancer predisposing gene mutations.”
NCCN is a not-for-profit alliance of 31 leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education. The organization is dedicated to improving and facilitating quality, effective, efficient, and accessible cancer care so patients can live better lives. The NCCN Guidelines for Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Breast, Ovarian, and Pancreatic provide recommendations for genetic testing and counseling for hereditary cancer syndromes and risk management recommendations for patients identified as being “increased risk.” Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at its member institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information and guidance to the numerous stakeholders in the healthcare delivery system.
“We’ve been very impressed with the work Outcomes4Me has done to integrate our physician-facing breast cancer guidelines to make them more accessible for breast cancer patients using their app. This expanded collaboration will improve accessibility of the NCCN Guidelines for Genetic/Familial High-Risk assessment as well,” said Robert W. Carlson, MD, CEO of NCCN. “Outcomes4Me is dedicated to empowering patients. By expanding the availability of this information, it will increase awareness in genetic testing, share tools for a more proactive approach to health, and provide greater access to genetic counseling and testing, ultimately helping to save lives.”
Outcomes4Me closes the information gap between cancer experts (researchers, physicians, clinical trial developers) and patients by curating and translating the most up-to-date findings and recommendations in a digestible, easy-to-use format. Outcomes4Me empowers patients to take control of their care by providing actionable, evidence-based information about their treatment options and clinical trials. The best-in-class app also helps patients track and manage their medications and symptoms and access personalized resources.
About Outcomes4Me
Outcomes4Me is on a mission to improve health outcomes by empowering patients with understandable, relevant, and evidence-based information. Outcomes4Me has developed a platform for shared decision-making between patients and providers. The platform harnesses regulatory-grade, real-world data, and patient experiences generating deeper insights and better outcomes to improve care and accelerate research. The Outcomes4Me mobile app enables cancer patients to make decisions and take control of their care based on information that is personalized to their specific condition, including finding treatment options, matching to clinical trials, and tracking and managing symptoms. Based in Boston, Mass., Outcomes4Me a woman-led company, comprises seasoned healthcare, oncology, pharmaceutical, consumer, and technology veterans. For more information, visit www.outcomes4me.com.
About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) is a not-for-profit alliance of leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education. NCCN is dedicated to improving and facilitating quality, effective, efficient, and accessible cancer care so patients can live better lives. The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) provide transparent, evidence-based, expert consensus recommendations for cancer treatment, prevention, and supportive services; they are the recognized standard for clinical direction and policy in cancer management and the most thorough and frequently-updated clinical practice guidelines available in any area of medicine. The NCCN Guidelines for Patients® provide expert cancer treatment information to inform and empower patients and caregivers, through support from the NCCN Foundation®. NCCN also advances continuing education, global initiatives, policy, and research collaboration and publication in oncology. Visit NCCN.org for more information and follow NCCN on Facebook @NCCNorg, Instagram @NCCNorg, and Twitter @NCCN.