May 14, 2020   SOURCE: PR NewsWire

2020 ASCO Annual Meeting Publishes Three New Abstracts Based on Real-World Data Generated from Belong.Life's Patient Engagement Network

NEW YORK, May 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Belong.Life, a developer of social networks for managing and navigating treatments, and the creator of the world's largest social network for cancer patients, announced today that the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is including three abstracts in its 2020 Annual Meeting Abstract Book based on data aggregated from the Belong Beating Cancer Together networking and navigation app. The abstracts provide key insights into major oncological issues such as BRCA testing, financial toxicity, and treatment delays.

"From day one, Belong.Life set out to not only become a successful tech company, but to provide true value for the global cancer community - for patients, caregivers, health professionals, providers and pharma," said Belong.Life CEO Eliran Malki. "We are deeply committed to helping advance the state of cancer research with quality real world data and advanced technology. Our ability to use AI to analyze patient journeys, in cooperation with leading physicians, provides invaluable insights that are helping to improve outcomes. I want to thank the doctors and researchers who developed these studies along with the wonderful Belongers who participated."

One significant study (Abstract e19357) raised questions regarding clinical practice undertesting for the BRCA gene, which can help physicians and patients better plan for breast cancer treatment. 110 of the 302 participating breast cancer patients participating in the study did not undergo a BRCA test. Nearly two thirds of those 110 patients (68%) were not advised by a doctor to get tested, and a third of them (32%) even met the United States Preventative Services Task Force guidelines for people who should receive the test. Most of those not tested were above the age of 50. The study demonstrates the importance of encouraging physicians to follow the established guidelines, especially while treating older patients

The other two published studies based on Belong's data include:

    --  Abstract e19331: Financial toxicity (FT) real-world data evidence (RWDE)
        in American patients (pts) receiving cancer immunotherapy drugs (IOT).
        Key Findings: Financial toxicity is most prevalent in American patients
        older than 61. Half of those patients were unaware of possible issues of
        financial toxicity and only 29.3% received pre-treatment FT advice from
        their doctors. Those who did receive advice saw a 41% reduction in
        financial toxicity incidence.
    --  Abstract e19346: Time from diagnosis to 1(st) line immunotherapy (IOT)
        and its challenges, in a retrospective, multicenter study of Israeli
        patients (pts) with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Key
        Findings: There is significant variability in the start of first line of
        treatment for Israeli patients diagnosed with advanced non-small cell
        lung cancer. This is most commonly due to the time it takes to obtain
        molecular test results to define targeted drugs. Treatment delays are
        likely to impact patient well-being negatively and developing a time to
        treatment protocol would be valuable.

"The biggest takeaway from these studies is that physicians play an important role in patient well-being beyond basic treatment," said Belong.Life Medical Director Dr. Daniel Vorobiof. "The more we can help physicians deliver clear and concise information to patients while helping them to understand ideal treatment paths the better off patients will be. These studies also demonstrate the value of using social networking to engage patients and better understand their individual treatment journeys."

ASCO's annual meeting is taking place from May 29-June 2 online due to COVID-19.

About Belong.Life

Belong.Life develops social networks for managing and navigating treatments and is the creator of the world's largest social network for cancer patients, BelongMS, CoronApp and IQVIA's OPE (Orchestrated Patient Engagement) solution. Utilizing proprietary mobile, AI and Machine Learning technology, Belong.Life builds and operates patient engagement and navigation mobile applications for patient communities, healthcare organizations, pharma and hospitals. Belong's Patient Engagement Platform (PEP) is an easy to navigate end-to-end solution that encourages the formation of patient communities, providing care coordination, customized content, and advanced management features. Delivering actionable insight into patient journeys, Belong uncovers key trends and patterns that can help improve global care.

For more information visit https://belong.life.

Follow Belong on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:

Ellie Hanson
Finn Partners for Belong
929-222-8006
Ellie.Hanson@finnpartners.com

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SOURCE Belong.Life