Glossary

A virtual cancer clinic is an oncology-led care model that provides cancer screening, diagnostic follow-up, treatment support, and survivorship care remotely.

A virtual cancer clinic combines oncology expertise, virtual visits, test ordering, diagnostic follow-up, treatment review, symptom management, behavioral health, and survivorship care in one clinical model.

Cancer survivorship care is post-treatment care that helps survivors monitor recurrence risk, manage long-term effects, and return to daily life.

Cancer survivorship care helps people manage life after active treatment by monitoring recurrence risk, addressing long-term and late effects, and supporting a safe return to daily life and work. It may include surveillance orders, symptom treatment, mental health care, nutrition, and return-to-work planning. For many survivors, this support continues for years and may become part of their long term health care.

Early cancer detection means finding cancer at an earlier stage, often before symptoms appear or before the disease progresses.

Early cancer detection depends on risk assessment, evidence-based screening, and timely diagnostic follow-up. Detecting cancer earlier can improve treatment options and may reduce the intensity and cost of care.

A virtual oncology center of excellence is a cancer care model that delivers high-quality, specialized, cancer expertise remotely and extends that expertise into the patient's local care through direct clinical action.

An oncology center of excellence is associated with specialized cancer expertise, evidence-based care, multidisciplinary review, and treatment planning. A virtual model makes that expertise available regardless of geography while allowing patients to receive tests, procedures, and treatment locally.

Employer-sponsored cancer care is a workplace benefit that helps employees access cancer screening, diagnosis, active treatment, and survivorship care.

Employer-sponsored cancer care brings together services across the cancer journey, from risk assessment and screening to diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, and return to work. The model is designed to give employees and dependents a clearer path to appropriate cancer care.

Cancer risk screening identifies people who may have a higher likelihood of developing cancer before symptoms or diagnosis occur.

Cancer risk screening evaluates age, personal and family history, inherited risk, lifestyle, environmental exposures, and screening history to identify people who may benefit from earlier or more frequent screening. Diagnostic testing is different: it evaluates a specific symptom, abnormal result, or suspected cancer.

Precision oncology is cancer care that uses tumor biology, biomarkers, and clinical context to match patients with more targeted treatment options.

Precision oncology considers cancer type and stage together with biomarkers, genomic alterations, protein expression, pathology, imaging, treatment history, and the patient’s clinical condition to help guide treatment options.

Clinical cancer care management is oncology-specific care management that includes clinical guidance, care planning, symptom support, and follow-up across cancer care.

An oncology center of excellence is associated with specialized cancer expertise, evidence-based care, multidisciplinary review, and treatment planning. A virtual model makes that expertise available regardless of geography while allowing patients to receive tests, procedures, and treatment locally.

Oncology care coordination organizes the tests, specialists, treatment decisions, records, and follow-up involved in cancer care.

Traditional care coordination often focuses on appointments, records, benefits, and communication. A clinically led model goes further by giving licensed cancer clinicians the authority to identify care gaps and act on them.

Cancer screening adherence means completing recommended cancer screenings on time based on age, risk level, and clinical guidelines.

Cancer screening adherence measures whether people who are eligible for screening actually complete it. It applies to screenings such as mammography, colon cancer screening, cervical cancer screening, lung cancer screening, prostate cancer screening, and skin checks.

Care gaps in healthcare are missed, delayed, or incomplete steps in care that prevent patients from receiving timely clinical support.

A cancer care gap can occur at any stage, from screening and diagnosis through treatment and survivorship. Examples include missed screenings, delayed follow-up, incomplete diagnostic workups, treatment delays, unmanaged symptoms, and absent survivorship care.

Oncology case management supports an individual patient through a complex cancer episode by organizing care, benefits, symptoms, social needs, and follow-up. Unlike utilization management, which evaluates the appropriateness and cost of services from the payer perspective, case management focuses on the member’s needs and care experience.

Oncology case management is often used by health plans, employers, and care teams for members with high-cost or complex cancer diagnoses. It may include care planning, benefits navigation, peer-to-peer provider work, symptom escalation, and support for social or financial needs.

An abnormal cancer screening result means a screening found something that needs follow-up, but it does not always mean cancer.

An abnormal cancer screening result can happen with blood tests, stool tests, Pap or HPV tests, mammograms, low-dose CT scans, skin checks, or other screening methods. Most abnormal results require additional testing to understand what the result means.

AI in cancer care is the use of artificial intelligence to support cancer risk detection, diagnosis workflows, treatment planning, monitoring, and care operations.

AI in cancer care analyzes clinical data such as images, pathology, genomics, symptoms, and medical records to identify patterns and help care teams prioritize work. It supports clinical decision-making but does not replace physician judgment or assume responsibility for diagnosis or treatment.

Oncology symptom management is clinical support for cancer symptoms and treatment side effects during and after cancer care.

Oncology symptom management is one component of broader clinical cancer care management. It focuses specifically on assessing, monitoring, and treating cancer symptoms and treatment side effects, including pain, nausea, fatigue, fever, neuropathy, dehydration, bowel changes, anxiety, and sleep problems.

Cancer care ROI, or return on investment, measures the financial and clinical value generated relative to the amount invested in a cancer care program.

Cancer care ROI is influenced by early detection, screening adherence, faster diagnostic follow-up, care gap closure, symptom management, appropriate treatment decisions, survivorship care, and avoided acute care. The calculation should compare program cost with documented value and clearly state its assumptions.

Cancer benefits management is the strategy employers use to design, administer, and measure cancer-related benefits for employees and dependents.

Cancer benefits management is the employer strategy for designing, integrating, administering, and measuring cancer-related benefits. Employer-sponsored cancer care is the benefit or care model employees use; cancer benefits management is the broader strategy used to select, connect, and evaluate those programs.

Workforce cancer screening is an employer-sponsored program that helps employees and dependents complete recommended cancer screenings.

Workforce cancer screening programs are designed to increase screening access and adherence across an eligible population. They may include education, risk assessment, at-home screening kits, imaging referrals, onsite events, reminders, and clinical follow-up.

Return-to-work cancer support helps employees transition back to work after cancer treatment while managing physical, emotional, and practical needs.

Return-to-work cancer support is one component of broader survivorship care. It focuses on helping employees resume work while managing recovery, symptoms, medical appointments, accommodations, and ongoing clinical needs.

Oncology utilization management helps health plans ensure cancer services are clinically appropriate, evidence-based, timely, and cost-effective.

Oncology utilization management evaluates whether cancer services are clinically appropriate, evidence-based, timely, covered, and delivered in a cost-effective setting. It may include prior authorization, treatment pathway review, specialty drug review, site-of-care decisions, imaging review, and peer-to-peer consultation. Unlike case management, its primary lens is the appropriateness and use of services rather than day-to-day member support.

Preventive oncology focuses on reducing cancer risk and detecting cancer earlier before it becomes harder to treat.

Preventive oncology is an umbrella approach that includes cancer risk assessment, risk reduction, evidence-based screening, early detection, and follow-up after abnormal results.

Fragmented cancer care happens when cancer tests, providers, records, decisions, and support services are disconnected across the care journey.

Fragmented cancer care occurs when primary care, oncology, imaging, pathology, labs, surgery, radiation, pharmacy, benefits, behavioral health, and survivorship teams operate in silos. Patients are often left to carry records, reconcile advice, and determine the next step themselves.

Oncologist-led care is cancer care directed by oncology clinicians who can guide diagnosis, treatment, symptom management, and survivorship.

Oncologist-led care differs from navigation because oncology clinicians can diagnose, order tests, prescribe, manage symptoms, review treatment plans, and work directly with treating providers.

Expert medical opinion in cancer care is a specialist review of a diagnosis, diagnostic workup, or treatment plan to confirm or change the clinical path.

In cancer care, an expert medical opinion, or second opinion, may include review of pathology, imaging, biomarkers, labs, diagnosis, staging, treatment plan, clinical trial options, and symptom concerns. The most advanced models make expert review ongoing, not just a one-time second opinion.

The Triple Wave Effect describes three major shifts that are changing cancer and increasing its clinical and financial impact on employers: younger diagnoses, more complex treatment, and a growing survivor population.

The Triple Wave Effect is Color's framework for understanding why cancer has become one of the fastest-growing drivers of healthcare costs. Rather than a single trend, it describes three changes happening simultaneously that are reshaping workforce health and employer-sponsored benefits.

Oncofertility support helps cancer patients understand and preserve fertility options before, during, or after cancer treatment.

Oncofertility combines oncology and fertility care. It is especially relevant when cancer treatment may affect fertility, including chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, hormone therapy, stem cell transplant, or other therapies.