Medical Records & Precision Medicine

Jun 2, 2022

June is the 10th Annual Cancer Immunotherapy Month hosted by colleagues at Cancer Research Institute (CRI). Working with a global network of researchers, supporters, patients, and advocates, CRI is funding the best scientists doing the most promising research.

You can learn more about the lifesaving potential of immunotherapy here: https://www.cancerresearch.org/en-us/join-the-cause/cancer-immunotherapy-month

IMPORTANT FACT : Did you know that immunotherapy is the fourth pillar of cancer treatment?

Talk to your doctor and care team about the potential of immunotherapy as part of your treatment planning discussions. It’s never too early to talk about the role of immunotherapy or to consider clinical trials.

Here are some other important tips to be aware of as we celebrate Cancer Immunotherapy month:

Request copies of your medical records so you can provide all the information to your care team and can answer all of your care team’s questions about your diagnosis, treatment history, pathology, biomarkers, etc. Having copies of your medical records also can help uncover gaps in your care. For example, if you are newly diagnosed with cancer, facing treatment complications, your treatment is no longer working, or you are facing metastatic/progressing disease, it’s important to understand what treatments you have already tried, what imaging and tests have been performed, and if your tumor has any specific biomarkers. It’s important to know if you have had any surgeries to remove tumor tissue or biopsies to see if the pathology department has left over tissue to run additional tests without the need to harvest more tumor tissue. Without your medical records, you are wading in the darkness of your cancer diagnosis with more uncertainty than necessary. Having a copy of your medical records can help you explore immunotherapy as a treatment option!
Ask for more information on biomarker testing; check out One Cancer Place and The Biomarker Collaborative.
Reach out to peer health support and disease specific advocacy groups for more information on immunotherapy, biomarker testing, questions on QoL; check out The Advocate Collaborative, an exceptional group of advocates from all different cancer disease states who are super connectors and subject matter experts across a broad spectrum of cancers and treatments.
Explore Cancer Research Institute (CRI) site for more information on immunotherapy and check out their clinical trial navigators for help with researching trials https://lnkd.in/ggfkrQS9
Follow research based organizations like The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC). SITC is a not-for-profit multi-stakeholder medical professional society whose mission is to improve cancer patient outcomes by advancing scientific research and application of cancer immunotherapy.
Learn more about immunotherapy through patient summits like the CRI Patient Immunotherapy Summits.
Get up to speed on the field of Precision Medicine; check out https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/precisionmedicine/definition

Have your medical records handy when you reach out to these websites and groups so you have the information you need at hand if questions arise. This will help you connect to the care you need faster.

Medical Records & Precision Medicine

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