Survey Data: Oncology Education Needs
AACI and Medlive surveyed U.S. oncologists asking what topics they need education on, which formats they prefer, and which sources they trust.
Here’s what we found…
SURVEY DATA
Emerging and novel therapies top oncologists’ education priorities.
80% of oncologists are very interested in education on emerging and novel therapies.
% of Oncologists “Very Interested” by Topic
- Emerging & novel therapies 80%
- Biomarker & genomic testing 56%
- Diagnostic & staging tools 44%
- Case studies & treatment sequencing 34%
- Referral & tumor board coordination 22%
- Patient & caregiver communication 18%
Key insight
Interest Clusters Around What’s New in Cancer Care
The three topics oncologists rate highest all cover new science: therapies, biomarker testing, and diagnostic tools. Emerging therapies leads among the radiation oncologists in the sample (75%) and among medical, hematology, and surgical oncologists (85%). The top finding therefore holds across both halves of the practice mix.
EMERGING THERAPY INSIGHTS
8 in 10 Oncologists Lack Confidence Discussing Oncolytic Viral Therapy
Q: Which categories of emerging or recently introduced cancer therapies are you least confident discussing with patients and caregivers?
- Oncolytic viral therapy 80%
- CAR T and other adoptive cell-based immunotherapies 56%
- Cellular therapies beyond CAR T (TIL, NK-cell) 48%
- Bispecific antibodies 44%
- Novel radiotherapy techniques (radioligand therapy) 32%
- Antibody-drug conjugates 26%
- Targeted small-molecule therapy for actionable mutations 24%
- Immune checkpoint inhibitors 22%
- Precision therapy matched to molecular/genomic biomarkers 18%
- Combination immunotherapy-chemotherapy regimens 16%
- Multi-modality combination approaches 14%
0%80%
Key insight
Foundational Education Is Priority for Viral and Cell Therapies
When we asked which emerging cancer therapies oncologists feel least confident discussing with patients and caregivers, the top two answers were viral- and cell-based treatments, which are still less common in routine oncology practice. Oncolytic viral therapy (80%) and CAR T and other adoptive cell therapies (56%) need foundational, category-level education so clinicians can make informed decisions as the evidence on each one develops.
WHO THEY TRUST
Why the Messenger Matters
- 88%of oncologists trust their medical association or professional conferences for clinical information
- 74% trust their peers/colleagues or key opinion leaders for clinical information
“With its focus on digital education, Medlive is a natural partner. Medlive’s platform provides the infrastructure for AACI to share clinical knowledge with our members at a speed that keeps pace with advances in cancer research and care.”
— Jennifer W. Pegher, Executive Director, Association of American Cancer Institutes
AI AND ONCOLOGY PRACTICE
Where Oncologists Want AI to Help
Interest is spread evenly across four jobs: matching patients to clinical trials, reading an image or pathology slide, sharpening diagnosis and staging, and flagging progression patterns buried in EHR data. Each one was named by more than a third of respondents. Only 4% say AI is not a priority for them.
- 46%AI in clinical trial matching
- 44%AI-supported imaging or pathology interpretation
- 44%AI-assisted differential diagnosis and staging
- 36%AI tools that flag disease progression patterns in EHR data
TIME AND PLACE
Medlive Platform Engagement Insights
- 76.9%of learning sessions happen on desktop
- 1 PM ETis the peak engagement hour
- Tuesdayis the busiest day of the week on the platform
Desktop vs. Mobile
- Desktop 76.9%
- Mobile 23.1%
Device share varies by audience. Oncologists fall in the middle of the specialties we analyzed: more mobile than rare neurologists (84% desktop), and more desktop-leaning than rare oncologists (73% desktop).
In response
Building Education That Aligns With Clinician’s Needs
Visit the programs below to see how AACI brings trusted oncology education to clinicians through the Medlive platform.
Start Learning
Explore AACI’s educational offerings on CAR T-cell therapy, precision oncology, clinical trials, and patient advocacy in research.
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