Surveys on MBC Patients’ Pandemic Experience to Inform Advances in Care

NEW YORK, NY, April 27, 2021 – The Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance has launched two new surveys that seek to understand the experiences of patients during the pandemic to help oncologists provide better care.

Sponsored by the Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance and Medaptive Health in collaboration with Pfizer, REthink Access to Care & Treatment (REACT): Experiences of Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer During the COVID Pandemic in the US aims to gain a deep understanding of the challenges and benefits people have encountered over the past year, through surveys developed with patient input.

“This initiative may help clinicians and researchers learn about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer treatment and clinical trial participation from the patient perspective,” said Dr. Neil Iyengar, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the project’s principal investigator. “The pandemic has transformed healthcare delivery, and these surveys will provide critical information for oncology providers to ensure that patients are getting the best care possible.”

The project aims to gather responses from at least 500 patients. Findings will be shared with a top journal to help healthcare providers understand and adopt best practices.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on the challenges faced by patients with cancer and further exposed the gaps, inequities and opportunities that exist in ensuring optimal care for those living with metastatic breast cancer,” said Lynn McRoy, M.D., FACS, Global Medical Breast Cancer Lead, Pfizer Oncology. “We’re pleased to collaborate with Medaptive Health and the Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance on the REACT surveys, which will help us to better understand the profound effect the pandemic has had on patients living with metastatic breast cancer and, in turn, help inform advocacy organizations and the medical community as they work to put in place long-term plans to address the challenges these women and men are facing every day.”

Survey responses will be collected through MBC Connect™, a mobile and web-based patient experience registry from the MBC Alliance that connects users to potential matches to clinical trials. Participants will be asked to complete two surveys, including their basic treatment history for the period of the pandemic.

“Patient-powered research is the only way we can get an accurate view of what it is like to manage MBC during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Clay Williams, Founder & CEO of Medaptive Health, the developer of the Interactive Study™ platform that powers the MBC Connect registry. “Listening to the voices of patients tells us what did and did not work during these challenging times. Patients who participate in MBC Connect contribute to this essential research, while benefiting from automated clinical trial matching and supportive insights about what MBC Alliance researchers are learning from the registry.”

“Metastatic breast cancer patients live in every State in the U.S., and we each have been impacted by COVID in unique ways,” added Shirley Mertz, President of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network. “The REACT surveys give us all the opportunity to share our experiences during these tough times so that the medical community can hear us and learn how to better treat us. Together, our voices can and will make a real difference!”

The surveys are open for a limited time to all metastatic breast patients via the MBC Connect app. To participate from any device, patients can download the MBC Connect app or visit MBCconnect.org on their web browser and join the patient registry.

About the MBC Alliance

As a consortium of cancer nonprofits, biotech industry partners and patient advocates, the Alliance is a national leader in collaborative action to transform and improve the lives of people with metastatic breast cancer. Through collective resources, it educates the public on the disease and advances policy and research funding that holds the potential to extend and enhance life – and ultimately end MBC. Learn more at MBCAlliance.org.

About Medaptive Health

Medaptive Health develops and operates regulatory-compliant cloud-based technology that helps researchers conduct clinical studies and trials. Pharmaceutical and biotech companies, academic institutions, and disease foundations use the Medaptive Health Interactive Study™ platform to collect participant data while maintaining engagement through the delivery of personalized information and support. Learn more at MedaptiveHealth.com.