City of Hope Study Shows Targeted Outreach Cuts Skin Cancer Risk in Bone Marrow Transplant Survivors — City of Hope

Event summary

City of Hope's study published in JNCCN on August 6, 2026, found that a targeted education program for bone marrow transplant survivors and their primary care doctors significantly improved skin cancer screening rates.
The randomized trial involving 720 patients showed that sending educational materials to physicians increased in-office skin checks by 40% compared to patients whose doctors did not receive the materials.
Patient activation through mail and text messages alone nearly tripled self-exam completion rates, even without intensive intervention.
City of Hope's model engages both survivors and primary care physicians, offering a scalable approach for high-risk cancer populations.

The big picture

City of Hope's study highlights a critical gap in post-transplant care, where survivors face elevated skin cancer risks but often lack proper screening. The research underscores the need for coordinated patient and provider education—an approach that could reshape survivorship care delivery. As healthcare systems increasingly focus on long-term outcomes, scalable models like this one may gain traction, particularly with support from institutions like the National Cancer Institute.

What we're watching

Scalability Potential: Whether City of Hope can expand this model to other high-risk cancer survivor populations beyond bone marrow transplant patients.
Provider Engagement: The effectiveness of physician education in sustaining long-term screening adherence among primary care doctors managing transplant survivors.
Technology Integration: How remote, low-intensity strategies will evolve as part of broader risk-based survivorship care models across healthcare systems.