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�鶹������ý has joined more than 50 cancer organizations from 25 countries as a member of the Global Alliance for Cancer Patient Navigation (the Alliance), a collaborative effort spearheaded by the American Cancer Society (ACS) to advance sustainable patient navigation worldwide. Its mission is to develop a unified framework and shared principles for implementing sustainable, evidence-based patient navigation models across all resource settings.  

“ASCP is honored to join the Alliance as a Steering Committee member to ensure that laboratory medicine is represented in this global dialogue,” says Ken Landgraf, MS, Executive Director of ASCP’s Center for Global Health. “Accurate, timely pathology is foundational to patient navigation, and our voice is essential as these frameworks take shape.”  

Patient navigation goes global 

Patient navigation refers to a patient-centered approach to guiding individuals through the often complex journey of cancer diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. While the concept has been embraced for years in the United States, there is growing momentum to make navigation a standard of care across health systems worldwide. Navigators help patients overcome barriers, such as lack of transportation, language obstacles, or confusion about treatment regimens. 

Recognizing the global rise in cancer incidence, particularly in medically underserved areas, the Alliance seeks to build adaptable navigation models that can be applied in a variety of health systems, from highly resourced to more limited environments. 

“ASCP has played a key role in patient navigation for a long time. It also understands the environment of working in other countries, as well as with policymakers,” said Anu Agrawal, MD, ACS’s Vice President of Global Cancer Support.  

�鶹������ý’s contributions: Global experience, local insight 

�鶹������ý brings more than two decades of global health experience to the Alliance, having worked extensively in Sub-Saharan Africa and other regions to strengthen diagnostics and care coordination through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief program. Through its leadership in the Coalition for Implementation Research in Global Oncology (CIRGO), ASCP has provided grant funding to researchers from several low- and lower-middle income countries (LMICs) to research approaches to patient navigation. These have included: 

• In Côte d’Ivoire, a CIRGO-funded project connected clinicians and patient advocates to oncologists via WhatsApp to improve coordination and communication. 

• In Malawi, a mobile “friendship intervention” provided peer support for women with cervical cancer and depression. 

• In multiple countries, ASCP has supported applications of the Project ECHO model to improve early diagnosis of cancer and link local providers to specialist expertise. 

This on-the-ground knowledge gives ASCP a practical and policy-relevant lens as it works with fellow Alliance members to shape scalable and sustainable solutions.  

Looking ahead: A global call to action 

The Alliance was officially launched in February to coincide with World Cancer Day, and the Steering Committee held its first meeting in June.  

“One of our first goals is to develop a Call to Action to create awareness around patient navigation,” Dr. Agrawal says. “We are additionally planning to analyze national cancer control plans (NCCPs) as to their current inclusion of patient navigation as a baseline step.”  

Dr. Agrawal says he is very pleased with all the positive energy among the participants thus far.  

“The Alliance’s goal is to amplify diverse voices and identify best practices to make patient navigation a global standard of care,” says Mr. Landgraf. “ASCP is proud to represent the laboratory and pathology community in that effort.”