Susan G. Komen and Guardant Health have formed a new partnership to help improve breast cancer outcomes by including the input of patient advocates. These advocates, who serve as Susan G. Komen Advocates in Science, will provide a first-hand understanding of what matters most to patients in the development of research studies to find more effective ways to care for patients with early-stage breast cancer.
Through this new partnership, advocates will have the ability to inform the design of clinical trials to help Guardant Health better understand the need to monitor patients who have completed breast cancer treatment but are at greater risk for recurrence and would benefit from personalized cancer care. Komen believes that engaging advocates early and often will provide the greatest impact in our collective quest to develop patient-centered approaches to research to improve patient care and save lives.
“When companies involved in cancer research or drug development try to build something without patient involvement early, it usually means that it takes longer to get buy-in or to be successful,” said Komen Advocate in Science Rebecca Seago-Coyle. “We’re all on the verge of being a patient, so we should be treating everyone equally and working to provide a life that everyone can live the best and that starts with involving patients early in the design phase to understand what patients need and want.”
Susan G. Komen is committed to supporting anyone who has been impacted by breast cancer and ensuring the patient perspective is at the heart of its mission. This partnership allows Komen to provide Guardant Health with diverse patient perspectives, reflective of the entire breast cancer community, so that all patients can benefit from advancements in breast cancer research.
Komen is the first breast cancer organization to provide patient advocates to Guardant Health to influence breast cancer research and patient outcomes. As an organization that values and prioritizes the patient perspective, Komen is eager to work with a leading oncology company to improve the patient experience during and after treatment.
