National Comprehensive Cancer Network Announces Collaboration with Blood Cancer Experts in Poland

New international agreement builds on existing work to improve cancer care and outcomes worldwide by adapting and implementing evidence-based guidelines for Poland and beyond.

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., Feb. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network^® (NCCN^®)—a not-for-profit alliance of leading United States cancer centers—announced a new collaboration with the Institute of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine in Poland (IHIT), and the Alliance For Innovation—Polish-American Foundation (AFI). The three organizations have signed an agreement enabling clinicians to share their established expertise and international experience in order to improve quality of care and outcomes for patients with hematologic malignancies in Poland and around the world.

"This new agreement highlights our commitment to continue advancing our ongoing collaboration with Polish colleagues to standardize and improve how cancers are managed," said Robert W. Carlson, MD, Chief Executive Officer, NCCN. "The Institute of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine in Poland is the leading medical and research hospital in Poland for hematology; it serves as a national clinical and diagnostic reference center. Together, we can make sure more people with blood cancers receive region-appropriate treatment based on the latest evidence and expert consensus."

This new agreement builds on a multi-year collaboration between NCCN, the Marie Curie-Sklodowska National Research Institute of Oncology, Republic of Poland Ministry of Health, and AFI to improve country-specific guidelines for solid tumor diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in Poland, based on the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines^®) —as called for in Poland's National Cancer Strategy. NCCN Guidelines^® are the recognized standard for clinical direction and policy in cancer management and the most thorough and frequently-updated clinical practice guidelines available in any area of medicine. They have been translated, adapted, and harmonized in collaboration with local and regional experts, advocates, and policymakers across Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), the Caribbean, Asia, South America, and Europe, in order to make them more relevant and accessible to patients and care providers worldwide. The initial work with Poland launched in 2021; to date, the groups have co-developed Polish NCCN Guidelines Adaptations for:

• Central Nervous System Cancers,
• Cervical Cancer,
• Colon Cancer,
• Head and Neck Cancers, and
• Ovarian Cancer

"Our main goal is to improve the quality of care and outcomes for hematologic patients in Poland," said Prof. Ewa Lech-Marańda, Director of the IHIT. "The cooperation between our institutions will include the development of adapted clinical guidelines based on NCCN's knowledge, experience, and expertise, as well as longstanding procedures for continuous updates."

"The signing of an agreement between such important cancer control institutions is of great importance for patients and the oncological community, as well as for the further development of Polish-American cooperation," said Marcin Hańczaruk, Co-Chairman of AFI.

NCCN's resources for cancer patients and providers are widely accessed and utilized free-of-charge around the world. Nearly half of the 1.7 million registered users who view NCCN Guidelines at NCCN.org or via the Virtual Library of NCCN Guidelines^® app are located outside of the U.S. Learn more about NCCN's collaborative work to define and advance high-quality, high-value, patient-centered cancer care globally at NCCN.org/global.

About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network^® (NCCN^®) is a not-for-profit alliance of leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education. NCCN is dedicated to improving and facilitating quality, effective, equitable, and accessible cancer care so all patients can live better lives. The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines^®) provide transparent, evidence-based, expert consensus recommendations for cancer treatment, prevention, and supportive services; they are the recognized standard for clinical direction and policy in cancer management and the most thorough and frequently-updated clinical practice guidelines available in any area of medicine. The NCCN Guidelines for Patients^® provide expert cancer treatment information to inform and empower patients and caregivers, through support from the NCCN Foundation^®. NCCN also advances continuing education, global initiatives, policy, and research collaboration and publication in oncology. Visit NCCN.org for more information.

Media Contact:
Rachel Darwin
267-622-6624
darwin@nccn.org

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