CANCER BUZZ

Association of Cancer Care Centers

CANCER BUZZ features fresh perspectives on hot topics in oncology care delivery. CANCER BUZZ is where stakeholders from the front lines of care to the C-suite, from research to the registry, from chairside to benchside, talk about top-of-mind questions and real-world impact.

  1. 12/16/2025

    Training the Next Generation of Oncology Leaders

    Cancer cases, cancer-related deaths, and survivorship are projected to rise exponentially—yet oncology faces critical workforce shortages. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Tristan Blanco, a biology major and fellow in VCU Massey's Cancer-focused Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) Program, who shares his experience as part of a program designed to scale oncology education and meet the evolving needs of cancer care nationwide. Get behind the scenes of an innovative training model that's preparing the next generation of oncology leaders. "It's one of the smartest ways to address the workforce shortage. We're making sure more students get the chance to discover oncology and have that opportunity." — Tristan Blanco Tristan Blanco Biology major and fellow in the Cancer-focused Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) Program VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center Richmond, VA  Resources:   Building a Scalable Model to Train the Next Generation of Oncology Leaders   Pipeline Partners: Developing Training and Recruitment Programs for the Oncology Workforce   Pipeline Partners - [mini podcast] Ep 183   Combatting Healthcare Workforce Issues with Proven Leadership Skills   Onboarding Experienced Non-Oncology Nurses to Address Staffing Shortages   (Re)Building the Oncology Workforce: ACCC President Dr. Ajayi's 2023-2024 Theme   VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center Spotlight   Addressing Social Determinants of Health through a Medical-Legal Partnership

    5 min
  2. Introducing Oncology Unscripted

    12/10/2025 · VIDEO

    Introducing Oncology Unscripted

    Introducing a brand new podcast from ACCC: Oncology Unscripted. In this inaugural episode, hosts Mark Liu and Deirdre Saulet lay out what listeners can expect from the show, including unfiltered, honest dialogue about the state of cancer care today, the most pressing challenges providers are facing, and how they can move forward with hope amid unpredictable headwinds. Liu and Saulet will approach a variety of topics, from operational to financial to clinical, as they explore how providers can help one another, continue to hold important conversations, and act as agents of change in oncology. "I think about my grandmother who spoke Spanish, Chinese, and English...If she was here, and needed to navigate our health care system with a serious illness or diagnosis of cancer, what would that look like for her? I often put my family members in these scenarios...What would they do? What would I do if I was on the other side?...How can we make a complicated health care system work for everyone?" -- Mark Liu, MHA "We can have all the innovations in the world, but if the people who need them most can't access them, what's the point? What are we doing this for?" -- Deirdre Saulet, PhD Mark Liu, MHA Senior Director of Oncology Strategy Transformation & Analytics Mount Sinai Health System Deirdre Saulet, PhD Chief Strategy Officer Jasper Health

    29 min

  3. 12/09/2025

    CAR T-Cell Therapy Insights from the Field

    CAR T-cell therapy is a potentially life-saving treatment for patients with certain hematologic malignancies. Yet, the logistical challenges and the need for specialized management of adverse events have limited its availability in community settings. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Jeremy M. Pantin, MD, FACP, clinical director of the Adult Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program at TriStar Centennial Medical Center, part of the Sarah Cannon Transplant and Cellular Therapy Network. Dr. Pantin discusses the cancer center's community-based, outpatient model, impact on outcomes for patients with hematologic malignancies, and shares his perspective on future changes needed to help further expand access to CAR T-cell therapy.     "Education of community oncology staff at their offices—coordinators, nurses, physicians, advanced practice providers—also goes a long way in helping facilitate patients to be recognized when they are candidates for cell therapy." - Jeremy M. Pantin, MD, FACP "It did not matter the distance to the center; did not matter the socioeconomic background. Many of the other factors one would think would lead to decreased access, we did not find among our centers. It was really the delay from consult to treatment." - Jeremy M. Pantin, MD, FACP    Guest:                  Jeremy M. Pantin, MD, FACP Clinical Director, Adult Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program Sarah Cannon Transplant and Cellular Therapy Network At TriStar Centennial Medical Center Nashville, TN   Resources: Bringing CAR T-Cell Therapies to Community Oncology   Outpatient Administration of Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy Using Remote Patient Monitoring   FDA Eliminates Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) for Autologous Chimeric Antigen Receptor CAR T cell Immunotherapies

    6 min

  4. 12/04/2025

    Claudin 18.2 Reshaping Gastric Cancer Treatment

    Claudin 18.2 is a novel biomarker for advanced gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancer. Patients who test positive for claudin 18.2 may be candidates for the monoclonal antibody, zolbetuximab, which directly targets this biomarker. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Manish A. Shah, MD, FASCO, director of the Gastrointestinal Oncology Program at Weill Cornell Medicine, about how claudin 18.2 is shaping treatment decisions and some of the clinical trials pursuing more information about the potential for this biomarker. CANCER BUZZ also speaks with Sasha Watson, PharmD, outpatient medical oncology clinical pharmacist at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, about the importance of engaging the whole multidisciplinary team in biomarker testing for optimal patient outcomes.   "I often talk to my gastroenterologist and ask them to get more than 1 biopsy to make sure that we have enough tissue for now and even in the future." - Manish A. Shah, MD, FASCO Instead of lumping all gastric cancers into one group, we use these biomarkers to split them out... We have more refined and tailored treatments for patients with gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma based on these biomarkers." - Manish A. Shah, MD, FASCO "Nurses in the infusion center are a huge help that we absolutely need, and administering this treatment would be very difficult if we didn't have scaled and experienced nurses here." - Aleksandra (Sasha) Watson, PharmD "What I see is just a lot of patients having hope—some new part of their cancer that we can target with a drug that we previously didn't have any options for." - Aleksandra (Sasha) Watson, PharmD   Guests:               Manish A. Shah, MD, FASCO  Director, Gastrointestinal Oncology Program Weill Cornell Medicine New York, NY Aleksandra (Sasha) Watson, PharmD  Outpatient Medical Oncology Clinical Pharmacist (GI + Sarcoma) Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center Miami, FL Resources ACCC Biomarkers Webpage ACCCBuzz Blog: Importance of Biomarker Testing, Patient Goals and Education When Treating Gastric Cancer

    15 min
  5. Navigating R/R FL: A Patient Centered Approach

    11/20/2025

    Navigating R/R FL: A Patient Centered Approach

    Relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma (R/R FL) is challenging to treat, requiring thoughtful clinical decision-making during treatment selection and sequencing. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Benjamin Heyman, MD, hematologist and clinical associate professor at City of Hope, about the importance of individualized care, shared decision-making, clinical trial referrals, and multidisciplinary collaboration. CANCER BUZZ also speaks with Laurie Adami, patient advocate with R/R FL, about her real-world experience with multiple lines of therapy, clinical trials, and patient advocacy.     "There are lots of options available, which is really great for patients, so you get to have a good conversation with patients about what they value." - Benjamin Heyman, MD   "The medications you receive in clinical trials may not be the standard of care today, but it may be the standard of care 5 years from now." - Benjamin Heyman, MD   "Patient advocacy organizations have patients that can talk to you. They know what you're talking about. They're on the road ahead of you." - Laurie Adami   Guest:                    Benjamin Heyman, MD Hematologist Clinical Associate Professor City of Hope San Diego, CA   Laurie Adami R/R FL Patient Advocate Los Angeles, LA Received care at UCLA Lymphoma Program   Additional Reading/Sources ACCC Follicular Lymphoma Effective Practice Guide: Multidisciplinary Approaches to Treating Patients With R/R FL Putting Guidance Into Practice: Real-World Approaches to Relapsed/Refractory Folicular Lymphoma ACCC's Community Oncology Research Institute

    16 min
  6. 1st Guest 6 Years Later

    11/18/2025

    1st Guest 6 Years Later

    After 6 years of bringing listeners key insights into the most pressing topics in oncology, ACCC's podcast, CANCER BUZZ, has gotten a facelift! In this episode, CANCER BUZZ brings back our first podcast guest, Tina Curtis, DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, executive director of cancer services at Froedtert Hospital. In the June 26, 2019, inaugural CANCER BUZZ episode, Dr. Curtis spoke about her institution's 24-hour, oncology-only urgent care clinic, which earned the cancer program a 2018 ACCC Innovator Award. Today, she's returned with her colleague Jayme Cotter to share an update on that program, as well as recent innovations happening at Froedtert Hospital. "I would venture to guess I've probably talked to no less than 20 or 25 different organizations that found out about the 24-hour urgent care clinic through ACCC's journal and podcast…to have meaningful conversations about where and how to start." Tina Curtis "Another piece that we are looking at expanding is the ability to have a virtual visit from the 24-hour clinic advanced practice providers." Jayme Cotter Guests Tina Curtis, DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC Executive Director of Cancer Services Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Clinical Cancer Center, Froedtert Hospital Campus Milwaukee, WI   Jayme Cotter, DNP, RN, ACNS-BC, AOCNS Director for Clinical Practice & Program Development for the Cancer Service Line Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Clinical Cancer Center, Froedtert Hospital Campus Milwaukee, WI   Additional Resources: A Pilot 24-Hour Urgent Care Oncology Clinic Reduces ED Use and Cuts Costs Ochsner Chemotherapy Care Companion: Improving Outcomes through Digital Medicine Leveraging Technology to Develop an Express Symptom Management Program & Prevent ED Visits Expediting Cancer Treatment Through a Rapid Access APP-Led Diagnostic Clinic Shaw at Home: An Oncology Specific Home and Community-Based Palliative Care Program – [Mini Podcast] Ep 193 Delivering Hospital Level Acute Care at Home: Learning from Huntsman at Home

    8 min

  7. 11/12/2025

    Championing Lung Cancer Clinical Trials in the VA

    US Veterans are at a heightened risk for lung cancer due to service-related exposures. Integrating clinical research into routine oncology care at the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) can help bring clinical trials closer to where Veterans live and improve access to cutting edge therapies. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Millie Das, MD, chief of oncology at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, about the collaborations and institutional support that allowed them to launch lung cancer clinical trials and the role industry has played.     "My primary motivation was just to allow veterans access to trials in the same way that I saw my patients at Stanford have access to clinical trials." - Millie Das, MD   "One of the biggest myths is that you can't work with pharma within the VA and I think just trying to break down some of these old myths was a challenge." - Millie Das, MD     Guest:                  Millie Das, MD Chief, Oncology VA Palo Alto Health Care System Clinical Professor Stanford University Stanford, CA     Additional Reading/Resources   ·      Veterans Care Resource Library ·      Improving Cancer Care for Native American Veterans: A Model of Interagency Collaboration

    13 min

  8. 11/06/2025

    Exploring FGFR2b in Gastric and GEJ Cancer

    Fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 isoform IIIb (FGFR2b) is an emerging biomarker present in about 38% of patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Nataliya Uboha, MD, PhD, a medical oncologist at University of Wisconsin Health, about current recommendations for biomarker testing in this population, emerging biomarkers such as FGFR2b, and how multidisciplinary collaboration can ensure patients receive timely biomarker testing. CANCER BUZZ also interviews Wendi Waugh, BS, RT(R)(T), CMD, ODS, FACCC, administrative director of cancer services and ambulatory infusion at Southern Ohio Medical Center, about care coordination strategies and lessons learned from her team's experience administering biomarker testing. Finally, Kristina A. Matkowskyj, MD, PhD, pathologist at Mayo Clinic, explains the vital role of pathologists in identifying biomarkers and strategies for success in biopsies.   "We have to work closely with our pathology colleagues to make sure that all of the tests are done quickly and so that they are readily available by the time the patient is seen in clinic." - Nataliya Uboha, MD, PhD   "Tracking, knowing what and when new things come out, being able to mine your data to find those things, I think is going to be uber critical." - Wendi Waugh, BS, RT(R)(T), CMD, ODS, FACCC   "I believe that the precision medicine testing that we're doing today... is going to change the face of cancer care." - Wendi Waugh, BS, RT(R)(T), CMD, ODS, FACCC     "As a pathologist, if I was able to stress one thing, it would be to collect as many biopsies as is safely possible for that particular patient." - Kristina A. Matkowskyj, MD, PhD       Guests:                 Nataliya Uboha, MD, PhD Medical Oncology University of Wisconsin Health Madison, WI   Wendi Waugh, BS, RT(R)(T), CMD, ODS, FACCC Administrative Director of Cancer Services & Ambulatory Infusion Southern Ohio Medical Center Portsmouth, OH   Kristina A. Matkowskyj, MD, PhD Pathologist Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN

    14 min
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5
out of 5
30 Ratings

About

CANCER BUZZ features fresh perspectives on hot topics in oncology care delivery. CANCER BUZZ is where stakeholders from the front lines of care to the C-suite, from research to the registry, from chairside to benchside, talk about top-of-mind questions and real-world impact.

Information

  • Creator
    Association of Cancer Care Centers
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2025
  • Episodes
    300
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024
  • Show Website
    CANCER BUZZ

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