On July 20, 2026, the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) announced that PanOncology Research Foundation, together with PanOncology Trials, has been selected as one of six organizations to receive funding through its Quality Improvement Grant Program in metastatic colorectal cancer. Awards range from $185,000 to $250,000.
The initiative is being carried out in collaboration with Pfizer and with participation from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), in response to a Request for Proposals (RFP) announced by ASCP in January 2026. PanOncology is the only institution from Puerto Rico and the Caribbean among those selected, which also include MAWD Pathology Group, Northwell Health / Feinstein Institutes, TriHealth Cancer Institute, Tufts Medical Center, and University of Chicago Medicine.
More than 150,000 new colorectal cancer cases are diagnosed each year in the United States, and metastatic colorectal cancer remains an area of significant unmet medical need. In Puerto Rico, it is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death across both sexes combined, claiming more than 600 lives every year.
Treatment of this condition depends increasingly on biomarker testing being performed accurately and on time, because those results determine the therapy a patient will receive. In alignment with National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines, the program focuses on improving testing practices for key biomarkers: RAS (KRAS/NRAS) mutations, BRAF mutations, HER2 amplification, and microsatellite instability (MSI) and mismatch repair (MMR) status.
The funded projects are designed as pathology-centered, multidisciplinary efforts, with particular emphasis on community care settings. Participating institutions will bring together pathologists, laboratory professionals, oncologists, surgeons, and other members of the cancer care team to identify barriers, optimize workflows, and improve coordination across the entire continuum of care.
The projects will assess current biomarker testing practices, identify variation in test ordering and reporting protocols, and implement targeted interventions to improve the efficiency, speed, and communication of results.
Key objectives of the initiative include:
- Understanding current biomarker testing practices and identifying variation in ordering protocols.
- Evaluating turnaround times, reporting workflows, and operational efficiency.
- Addressing communication gaps to ensure results reach the care team promptly.
- Establishing pathways for accelerated molecular diagnostics that support optimal frontline treatment decisions.
- Improving patient safety by ensuring guideline-concordant testing and therapy selection.
- Strengthening care team capabilities by equipping pathology and laboratory professionals with tools to improve communication and coordination.
Commenting on the program’s recipients, Ali Brown, MD, Interim CEO of ASCP, said:
“These grant recipients represent a diverse group of healthcare organizations committed to advancing precision medicine and improving outcomes for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Through these projects, participants will help strengthen biomarker testing pathways, improve communication across multidisciplinary care teams, and develop scalable solutions that ensure patients receive timely, guideline-concordant care.”
Ali Brown, MD, Interim CEO, ASCP
For PanOncology Research Foundation, the selection is both a recognition of the work the institution carries out in Puerto Rico and an opportunity to bring the most current standards in precision oncology into local clinical practice.
“In metastatic colorectal cancer, a biomarker test result is not an additional data point: it is what defines the right treatment for that patient. When that result is delayed or never ordered, we lose time the patient does not have. Being the only institution in Puerto Rico selected for this program gives us the opportunity to examine our processes in depth and to ensure that our patients receive the same molecular testing, just as promptly, as the leading cancer centers in the world.”
Marcia Cruz-Correa, MD, PhD, gastrointestinal oncologist, Medical Director, PanOncology Trials, and PanOncology Research Foundation President
Beyond the improvements achieved within each participating institution, the program seeks to generate practical knowledge and best practices that can be shared widely to advance biomarker testing and precision cancer care nationwide.