Leveraging technology to transform cancer care and improve equity is the industry's biggest opportunity for growth, according to leaders from two top-five cancer centers, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report, who shared their insights with Becker's.
Question: What is the industry's biggest opportunity for growth?
Editor's note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Peter Pisters, MD. President of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston): Unleashing the full power of artificial intelligence and data science is a critical component to making progress against cancer. There are major opportunities to transform operations and the provider and patient experience if we leverage these tools in new ways.
From uncovering new insights in imaging and pathology data to improving scheduling and access to care, fully integrating data science and AI tools across multiple disciplines is imperative. MD Anderson is embracing this opportunity for growth through the Institute for Data Science in Oncology, which integrates the most advanced computational data, AI and scientific approaches to significantly improve patients' lives by transforming cancer care and research.
Robert Stone. CEO of City of Hope (Duarte, Calif.): At City of Hope, we've made tremendous strides in ensuring that our lifesaving innovations reach a broad range of patients. We launched AccessHope in collaboration with institutions such as Dana Farber, Emory and Johns Hopkins to export the virtual expertise of NCI centers to rural and other underserved regions. This program now serves nearly 7 million members through more than 400 employers.
As science evolves at an extraordinary pace, we will continue working toward accelerating the translation of these breakthroughs and making sure they are accessible to more people with cancer. A ZIP code should not dictate whether or not you receive care. Lifesaving treatments are only impactful when they reach those who need them.
Read about the best leadership advice oncology leaders have received here, how they are tackling recruitment here, what they would change about the industry here and where they have seen the most progress over the past five years here.