NCODA Fall Summit Recap: Key Sessions and Expert Interviews From the 2024 Meeting

Pharmacy Times® covered the 2024 NCODA International Fall Summit in Orlando, Florida, from October 23 to October 25. The meeting was full of clinical science breakthroughs and inspiring stories from patients. The summit opened with a powerful keynote speech from Chaunte Lowe, OLY, 4 time Olympian and breast cancer survivor, who shared her journey and emphasized the significance of every specialist in the room in advancing cancer care to help patients, or survivors, like herself. The speech was followed by informative sessions about novel treatments and best practices based on data from various clinical trials that help professionals enhance and streamline patients' care.

The summit took place at the Orlando World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida. Image Credit: © imageegami stock.adobe.com

“One of the most impactful aspects of the International Fall Summit is its focus on equipping decision-makers at every professional level—from practice leadership to clinicians and technicians—with the tools they need to enhance access to therapies and streamline patient care operations,” said Michael Reff, RPh, MBA, NCODA Executive Director and Founder. “Our sessions are designed to foster practical learning and collaboration, ensuring that all participants leave with actionable strategies that support both their professional growth and their ability to deliver better patient outcomes.”

In her presentation “Advances in Breast Cancer Treatment and Current Updates,” Joyce O’Shaughnessy, MD, hematology and oncology specialist at Texas Oncology, shared recent advancements in early and metastatic breast cancer, focusing on benefits of adjunct CDK4/6 and checkpoint inhibitors, as well as how to decide which populations best benefit from chemotherapy or endocrine therapy. Her insights and trial data provide a comprehensive view of current standards of care and how to best navigate treatments across breast cancer subtypes.

Stephanie White, PharmD, CSP, from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, spoke with Pharmacy Times in an interview to share her journey to becoming an oncology and hematology pharmacist, her involvement in NCODA, and the power of PQI and medically integrated systems to improve patient cancer care.

Liz Vogel, CPhT-Adv, CSPT, pharmacy technician instructor from Mayo Clinic, shared crucial information about safety in hazardous drug compounding for pharmacy technicians. In her session “Environment Matters: Ensuring Safety in Hazardous Drug Compounding Areas,” she covered content including the US Pharmacopeia <800> standards, the 3 engineering controls, environmental cleaning, and monitoring procedures, and the difference in hazardous and non-hazardous drug compounding practices.

In an interview, Nathan Vanderford, PhD, MBA, associate professor of toxicology and cancer biology in the College of Medicine at the University of Kentucky, discussed the various factors, such as limited institutions and resources, that prevent health care professionals from providing the care that many patients need, particularly in rural Kentucky.

In a session titled “Precision Medicine in Lung Cancer: The Role of the Medically Integrated Team,” panelists from the Moffitt Cancer Center shared their approaches to treating stage 3A adenocarcinoma of the lung, highlighting the importance of genetic testing, the efficacy of adjuvant immunotherapy and targeted treatments, insurance coverage, and the role of multidisciplinary teams in optimizing patient care.

Doug Long, vice president of Industry Relations at IQVIA, discussed the evolving trends in the oncology market in his presentation “New Options for Patients: Latest Oncology Drug Trends,” highlighting expansion of the US oncology market, rising costs, research and development, and equity issues.

To follow coverage of the conference, please look to the NCODA International Fall Summit page and follow Pharmacy Times on social media.