July, 2025
July 2025
M T W T F S S
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031  
Robert Miller: The Importance of Increasing Access to Specialized Oncologic Expertise
Jul 12, 2025, 16:50

Robert Miller: The Importance of Increasing Access to Specialized Oncologic Expertise

Robert Miller, Chief Medical Science Officer at CancerLinQ, shared on LinkedIn about a recent paper shared by Jennifer L. Caswell-Jin et al. published in ASCO Publications:

“Very interesting paper from Stanford using SEER-Medicare data showing that women with breast cancer residing in high-income ZIP codes and/or cared for by oncologists specializing in breast cancer were more likely to receive ‘updated’ guideline concordant care (e.g., adjuvant APT for low-risk HER2+ or neoadjuvant Rx for TNBC or N+HER2+) than those living in lower income areas or receiving care delivered by oncologists not specializing in breast cancer.

However, the impact of income largely went away when those patients received care by oncologists specializing in breast cancer vs. generalists. The authors stated: ‘Our findings emphasize the importance of increasing access to specialized oncologic expertise, particularly for patients in lower-income areas who may otherwise experience disparities in the adoption of updated breast cancer treatments…

Structural solutions are urgently needed. These may include telehealth-enabled second opinions, formal consult pathways between community and academic oncologists, and insurance reimbursement models that recognize and support collaborative care.’ ”

Title: Physician Specialization and Receipt of Updated Breast Cancer Care in the United States: A SEER-Medicare Analysis

Authors: Jennifer L. Caswell-Jin, Marissa B. Reitsma, Hao Tang, James C. Dickerson, Shannon Phillips, Esther M. John, Allison W. Kurian, Becky Staiger, Jeremy D. Goldhaber-Fiebert

Read full article.

Robert Miller

More posts featuring Robert Miller.