CAP, ASCO University and AMP partner to create Molecular Oncology Tumor Board series

The College of American Pathologists (CAP), the American Society of Clinical Oncology's (ASCO) ASCO University®, and the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) recently announced their partnership in the creation of the Molecular Oncology Tumor Board series, an online and user-driven resource designed to help cancer care providers with the interpretation and understanding of tumor molecular profiling tests and studies.

The new crowd-sourced series allows for maximum user input and interaction, and encourages a multidisciplinary discussion of this rapidly growing area of cancer care. Access to the Molecular Oncology Tumor Boards is now available for free through the ASCO Connection website, ASCOConnection.org.

"A healthy flow of information between oncologists and pathologists is critical to meeting each cancer patient's unique goals and needs during treatment," said CAP President Gene N. Herbek, MD, FCAP. "The Molecular Oncology Tumor Board series offers an education opportunity for pathologists and oncologists to share the latest information and best practices in genomic medicine in a convenient, real-time format."

Each month the Molecular Oncology Tumor Boards will feature a case-based discussion involving genetic or genomics in the treatment of cancer. The open forum will allow participants to post questions or comments about the cases, engage in discussion, and compare approaches.

"Understanding the results of tumor molecular profiling studies is challenging, and the field of cancer genomics is rapidly changing with new information being generated at a dizzying pace," said ASCO Chief Medical Officer Richard L. Schilsky, MD, FACP, FASCO. "All oncologists struggle to keep abreast of this information and to learn how to use tumor molecular profiling to deliver high-quality, personalized cancer care. We hope that this new educational program will foster learning about tumor molecular genomics in an engaging and interactive format fueled by real-world case studies."

Two rotating faculty members, a pathologist and medical oncologist, will lead the case discussion each month, provide input, and after two weeks of discussion, will post a summary of the case discussion that addresses actionable aberrations identified and treatment options available based on clinical parameters. The information provided in the case discussions are designed to be educational and are not intended to make treatment recommendations.