In early 2018, CancerLinQ LLC, a wholly owned nonprofit subsidiary of ASCO, entered into three new collaborations with leading genetics societies—the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC), Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), and American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG)—that will contribute their knowledge and expertise to CancerLinQ^®.

The CancerLinQ health information technology platform is designed to leverage the power of big data to help conquer cancer. The national initiative will allow cancer care providers to improve the quality and value of their care by aggregating and analyzing medical records of patients with cancer and measuring their care against that of their peers and recommended guidelines.

Genetic counseling and molecular and genomic laboratory medicine are all increasingly important aspects of cancer care. These three organizations bring important new voices to CancerLinQ from across the entire medical genetics field.

As the professional society for genetic counselors, NSGC drives the integration of genetic counselors throughout the health care delivery system. At present, there are more than 4,000 genetic counselors in the United States who provide personalized help to patients as they make decisions about their genetic health conditions. They have advanced training in medical genetics and counseling to identify risk factors in family history, interpret genetic test results, and guide and support patients seeking more information.

Founded in 1995, AMP has more than 2,300 members from academic and community medical centers, government, and industry in professions that include pathologist and doctoral scientist laboratory directors, basic and translational scientists, technologists, and trainees. Drawing on this wealth of expertise, AMP is a resource for education and collaboration in the field of molecular pathology. The association also works with its members to advance policy, regulation, and innovation in this field, as well as patient access to high-quality applicable testing.

ACMG is an interdisciplinary professional membership organization that represents the interests of the entire medical genetics team, including clinical geneticists, clinical laboratory geneticists, and genetic counselors. The organization is committed to developing and sustaining genetic and genomic initiatives in clinical and laboratory practice, education, and advocacy.

Representatives from each of these organizations will also serve on the CancerLinQ Oncology Leadership Council, the strategic advisory body composed of all official partner organizations that guides the growth and direction of CancerLinQ. They will have the ability to access CancerLinQ Discovery™—which provides access to curated sets of statistically de-identified clinical data from the CancerLinQ platform—to learn from and analyze the current, real-world state of cancer care.

These three societies join a coalition of partners and thought leaders, including government agencies, medical specialty societies, and life sciences companies brought together by CancerLinQ. Since 2016, the American Academy of PAs, American Society of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Informatics for Cancer Centers, College of American Pathologists, DIA, Food and Drug Administration, Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association, National Cancer Institute, Oncology Nursing Society, and Society of Gynecologic Oncology have joined forces with CancerLinQ LLC. Additionally, in November 2016, AstraZeneca became a founding enterprise partner with CancerLinQ Discovery. These partnerships offer the CancerLinQ team guidance and insight that ultimately can contribute to the quality and efficiency of the cancer care delivery system.