By Mary O’KEEFE

Treating cancer is different. That statement is the foundation of what powered the recent passage of the Cancer Patient Bill of Rights, a resolution that was adopted by both the California State Senate and Assembly.

The Cancer Bill of Rights adopted in California is the first resolution in the nation that highlights six rights that every California cancer patient should have from first diagnosis onward.

“Doctors witness when patients don’t receive optimal care,” said Dr. Harlan Levine, president of strategy and business ventures at City of Hope.

The Bill of Rights states:

• Cancer patients have a right to understand fully their diagnoses and be informed about treatment options in culturally appropriate and understandable languages.
• Cancer patients have a right to transparent and timely processes that ensure access to contracting oncology specialists, diagnostic testing and accurate interpretations of those tests.
• Cancer patients have a right to contracting cancer sub-specialists who have expertise in the treatment of their subtypes of cancers when complex decisions are needed.
• Cancer patients have a right to medical treatments for pain management and other services that support their overall health.
• Cancer patients have a right to contracting National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers and leading academic medical centers for the management of complex cancers that require multiple experts or high-risk or emerging therapies.
• Cancer patients have a right to relevant clinical trials, medical research and cutting-edge innovation, including evidence-supported precision medicine.

Cancer is Different is a coalition led by City of Hope and includes partners California Chronic Care Coalition, American Cancer Society, Cancer Action Network and International Myeloma Foundation. All worked to get this bill of rights adopted including numerous members in the state Senate and Assembly.

“The bill of rights starts with the diagnosis,” Levine said. “I would say there are groups of the population that [were] left behind by the current systems.”

Some patients are treated differently from others depending on where they get medical help, their insurance plan and/or their lack of insurance.

“The goal of this resolution is to make a statement of what we stand for as a society,” he added. “The focus is on the patient and the family [and] anything that helps patients get to the right level of care.”

The resolution was the result of years of taking care of patients with cancer.

“We have heard from countless patients of how hard their cancer journey is,” Levine said.

Levine said he cannot do justice to the number of stories he has heard on a regular basis about the challenges faced by those coping with cancer; however, hearing those stories of people not getting the treatment needed or not being told what their planned treatment will be is something that had to change and what sparked the creation of the Cancer is Different coalition.

The resolution also gives patients the right to gain access to clinical trials, which often are not even mentioned to patients.

“The Cancer Patients Bill of Rights is a statement of values in regard to cancer patients and treatment,” stated State Senator Anthony Portantino. “With significant advancements in cancer treatment, it was important for [me] to go on record in support of patient rights and to increase awareness about available information. Increasing communication and transparency will lead to greater care.”

“We want to reimagine the cancer care experience,” Leviner said. “Patients with cancer have enough to worry about.”