NCI Provides Funding to Enhance the Virtual Delivery of Cancer Care

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) aims to expand  virtual delivery of cancer care through the creation of the MATCHES (Making Telehealth Delivery of Cancer Care at Home Effective and Safe) Telehealth Research Center at MSK following the reception of a grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

As a broad and experienced cancer center, MSK prioritizes care quality and research efforts.

The core aspect of MATCHES, known as Making Telehealth-delivery of Cancer Care at Home- Upscaled Services Protocol (MATCH-UP), aims to evaluate the quality of telehealth services. Specific aspects of its mission include determining the system’s level of efficacy, determining whether patient and clinician experience improves, and determining the type of relationship that exists between telehealth and cancer care.

Overall, MSK believes that MATCHES has the ability to live up to the Biden Administration’s efforts to advance cancer care.

Earlier in 2022, President Biden established various goals related to improving cancer health following the announcement of the Cancer Moonshot reactivation. The plans included reducing the cancer death rate by 50 percent in the coming 25 years, assisting the lifestyle of those with cancer, and of course, the overall mission to conclude the current state of cancer. 

“Technology enables us to bring healthcare visits right into the living rooms of our patients, provides new access points for care, and creates a more convenient experience,” Michael J. Morris, MD, medical oncologist and Prostate Cancer Section Head at MSK, said in a press release. “Through our research, we hope to prove over the next five years, that providing access to telehealth not only improves the overall patient experience but enables us to reach under-served communities by removing certain barriers to cancer care.”

A study from February 2022 described that privileged people, particularly those with high socioeconomic status, are often the first to receive virtual cancer care. Researchers concluded that patients in lower index quartiles were far less likely to engage in a telehealth cancer visit.

Another study from April 2022 found that low-income, male, and Black cancer patients were not as likely to participate in video-based telehealth.

Studies such as these demonstrate the need to confirm that resources are not biased and have the potential to provide for all.