According to a press release from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), they recently began the ASCO Registry to assist and inform patients with cancer and their families of the interaction between COVID-19 and cancer. Read the full press release here.
About the ASCO Registry
The ASCO Survey on COVID-19 in Oncology Registry, also known as the ASCO Registry, seeks to provide information on COVID-19 and cancer. In particular, the registry will examine data on COVID-19 symptoms in patients with cancer, as well as how COVID-19 has impacted cancer care. While the survey to begin collecting data was launched recently, the ASCO will continue collecting data throughout 2020 and 2021.
The data will be collected from U.S. oncology practices. According to the survey, this will include academic practices, hospital and health system practices, hospitals, and physician-owned practices. Any participating practices will receive funding from Conquer Cancer. So far, eleven practices have discussed participating in the registry, including:
- Virginia Cancer Specialists from Alexandria, VA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Care Center at the University of California, San Francisco
- Mayo Clinic from Rochester, MN; Jacksonville, FL; and Scottsdale and Phoenix, AZ
- Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University from Atlanta, GA
To see the other seven practices, or enroll your practice in the registry, you can visit the newly launched ASCO Registry page.
What is the Registry?
The web-based ASCO Registry is accessible for practices nationwide. This is especially important as it allows for widespread data collection in a time in which many people are unable to travel. The comprehensive data will cover patients with all varieties of cancer who are undergoing varied treatment options. As such, researchers will be able to understand how specific subsets of cancer or treatments respond differently to COVID-19. Additionally, symptoms may present differently, so this is also important to track.
In addition to tracking data, the ASCO Registry will provide resources to patients, delivery teams, and clinicians.
Understanding COVID-19 and Cancer
So why is this registry so important, and how can it positively impact patient outcomes? First off, patients with cancer may be more at risk of developing severe symptoms if they contract COVID-19.
Learning how to handle a pandemic can contribute to better care in the future. After collecting and analyzing data, the registry will be able to provide insight into:
- Symptoms and characteristics of patients with cancer who were heavily affected by COVID-19
- COVID-19 symptom severity
- The impact of telemedicine on cancer treatment
- Any treatment or disease complications relating to COVID-19
- Clinical outcomes for COVID-19 and cancer
- Patient ability to receive treatment
- Any changes needed to improve treatment efficacy
This data will be sourced from patient data capture forms. While identifying data like zip code, data of birth, gender, cancer type, and race may be examined, this is only for longitudinal analysis and will not be used in any additional ways. Follow-up data will include patient status, treatments and their efficacy, and overall patient outcomes.
Additional Research: COVID-19 and Cancer
Beyond the ASCO Registry, other programs are looking to develop data around COVID-19 and cancer. These include:
- The American Society of Hematology (ASH) Research Collaborative COVID-19 Registry for Hematologic Malignancy, looking to address COVID-19 symptoms and patient care for those with blood-related cancers
- The COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium, looking to collect information specifically from 50 or more cancer care centers to determine the relationship between COVID-19 and cancer
