Special Operations Forces (SOF) share a spirit of service and commitment to this country; unfortunately, they also share a disproportionate risk of early-onset, aggressive cancers. Coupled with a lack of access to genomic profiling, one of precision medicine’s most powerful tools, SOF patients are fighting an uphill battle. SOTERIA is committed to improving outcomes for our veteran military members with cancer.

The Problem/Challenge:

Navy SEAL Foundation Cancer Impact Forum

Military Cancer Diagnoses
One in seven active duty service members will be diagnosed with cancer.  Those diagnosed will be far younger than the national average age of civilian cancer diagnosis.  They will be fit, will most likely not fall into the standard of care for cancer screening/potential diagnosis, and many will be undiagnosed or misdiagnosed until later stages, resulting in a significantly lower lifespan after diagnosis.

Genomic Profiling Gap
Data show that between 50-80% of patients do not receive genomic profiling9 as recommended by ASCO and NCCN guidelines; yet, when sequenced, more than 80% have at least one actionable mutation.

Clinical Impact
Data has demonstrated that treatments based on comprehensive genomic profiling leads to significantly better clinical outcomes, as evidenced in non-small cell lung cancer patients.

Incorrect Diagnosis
Approximately 20% of cancers are misdiagnosed, with patients placed on ineffective treatment options.

According to a recent study across all ages, military service history was strongly associated with being diagnosed with cancer.

Access Disparities
More than half of veterans in the VA system reside in rural areas, where 66% of U.S. counties lack immediate access to oncologists.

Precision Medicine (PM) Navigation Value
PM navigation improves outcomes and quality of life, providing timely access to targeted testing and treatment options, yet alarmingly few SOF with cancer receive it.

 

Why SOF:

  • The physical strain and multiple deployments endured by SOF personnel can complicate their long-term health, requiring tailored healthcare solutions such as precision medicine navigation.

  • Suspected significantly higher exposures: bullets fired, explosives handled, lifestyle risks, etc.

  • The initiative starts with SOF and creates an opportunity to scale to broader military cancer cohorts.

The Solution:

Every SOF member deserves leading-edge testing for targeted treatment.

SOTERIA is launching a precision medicine navigation program aimed at enhancing cancer care for veteran SOF members. This initiative offers specialized support tailored to the unique needs of these individuals, building on SOTERIA’s extensive experience with prior patients. The program is designed as a foundational step to ultimately support 1000’s of military patients each year.

At no cost to the SOF patients or to their family, SOTERIA is offering a leading-edge program to demonstrate improved health outcomes when combining the power of navigation overlayed on a highly technical and advanced precision medicine program. The first phase of this program will serve as a demonstration project to measure SOF patient impact and aim to improve health outcomes.

SOTERIA stands at the ready to serve the deserving men and women of the SOF suffering with cancer and ensure they are provided with the most innovative care possible towards improved outcomes and survival.

 
 

SOTERIA Precision Medicine Foundation

The SOTERIA Precision Medicine Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to advancing the use of precision medicine in informing targeted treatment options through a sophisticated navigation program. It focuses on developing personalized treatment plans by leveraging cutting-edge genomic data and technologies. The foundation aims to improve patient outcomes by tailoring medical interventions to individual genetic profiles, ultimately leading to more effective and targeted therapies. SOTERIA’s mission is to help patients navigate the complexities of cancer by accessing the power of precision medicine.

Contact us: sofsupport@soteriaone.com

 

The Program:

  • Central to the program is the nurse navigator who collaborates with a team to deliver personalized patient care and navigation.

    SOTERIA’s program framework overlays precision medicine with traditional patient navigation: 

    • The Precision medicine component is a complex, rapidly advancing, multi-disciplinary effort requiring deep expertise. This includes comprehensive genomic testing & data analysis, translational interpretation, clinical trial search & evaluation, predictive analytics, scientific & medical subject matter experts, and molecular tumor boards. 

    • The Patient Navigation ensures smooth and accelerated program execution, reducing the burden on behalf of the patient. The high-tech, high-touch navigation enables patient empowerment through precision medicine education & interpretation of complex content, navigator compassionate & cadenced communications to manage varying circumstances, and structure to maintain program integrity with flexibility to customize to the individual.

    SOTERIA patient navigation includes comprehensive medical record review, gap analysis, and logistics management with a multidisciplinary team of experts to deliver a best-in-class precision medicine navigation program for SOF cancer patients.

    Speed and accuracy matter. The financial and health implications of being placed on the wrong treatment or receiving a misdiagnosis are significant, as approximately 20% of cancer cases are misdiagnosed. This highlights the critical need for accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment to avoid unnecessary costs and health risks.

  • SOTERIA partnering with research institutions and CLIA-certified laboratories to offer cutting-edge genomic diagnostic tests and advanced data analytics.

    Comprehensive genomic tumor profiling analyzes thousands of genes to identify key biomarkers related to cancer development.

    This profiling helps distinguish actionable mutations and biomarkers, potentially linking patients with relevant clinical trials.

    Genomic testing can qualify patients for targeted therapies tailored to their unique genetic profiles.

    Recent studies show that patients undergoing comprehensive genomic profiling paired with patient navigation experience improved clinical outcomes.

  • A government-approved IRB study is set to onboard patients to capture essential datasets.

    Soldiers represent a unique demographic with specific habits and exposures that may influence health.

    Understanding the genomic drivers of disease can help identify factors that may increase cancer risk among soldiers.

    Insights into how soldiers' experiences lead to genetic changes could enhance the understanding of cancer risk.

    This knowledge could lead to improved diagnostic methods, more effective treatments, and potentially finding a cure for cancer.

  • SOTERIA partners with multiple SOF charitable organizations to serve as referral channels for its program.

    There is an urgent need to support SOF patients facing cancer diagnoses, as they are being referred to SOTERIA by partners.

    The biology of cancer is unique to each individual, necessitating personalized treatment plans.

    Timely selection of the appropriate treatment can significantly impact survival outcomes.

 
 

THE ASK:

Your support matters!

With a focus on establishing a best-in-class, scalable precision medicine navigation program for SOF, the initial funds will establish infrastructure for scaling and execution of a 100-patient demonstration crawl phase, ultimately positioning to expand the effort to help more military patients.

Efficacy and scale of SOTERIA’s program will demonstrate the impact of precision medicine navigation and reduce the cost of the program.