Clinical interaction with patients and health care providers is crucial to the success ofthe research studies proposed within the SPORE and to the long-term success of translational ovarian cancer research. The Patient Recruitment, Enrollment and Characterization Core (referred to in this document as the Clinical Core) provides the clinical expertise and the physician and patient interaction which is necessary for the successful completion of the research objectives of the SPORE projects and pilot activities. The POCRC Clinical Core has demonstrated a strong track-record in recruiting large cohorts of women at risk for developing ovarian cancer (pre-diagnosis cohort) and women with ovarian cancer at the time of diagnosis (incident cases cohort) and during treatment and follow-up (post diagnosis cohort). Using uniform protocols to approach, consent, enroll, and track participants, over 3400 women have been enrolled into POCRC SPORE (n=1740) inter-SPORE (n=1112) and investigator initiated ROI funded (n= 637) ovarian cancer research projects. As in prior years, continued success ofthe Pacific Ovarian Cancer Research Consortium depends on the recruitment of participants into research studies including clinical trials. Building on our prior success and experience, the POCRC Clinical Core will refine participant contact and enrollment procedures to support all ofthe projects in this SPORE application as well as developmental research activities and collaborations within and outside ofthe SPORE. Working in concert-with the Clinical Specimen Management and Characterization Core and the Biostatistics and Informatics Core, the clinical core will identify participants for clinical trials and provide bio-specimens and associated clinical data that are necessary to meet the research objectives ofthe SPORE. The activities of the Clinical Core are expanding to include sites at Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, California and City of Hope, Duarte, California. The addition of these sites is consistent with our goal of uniting major ovarian cancer research centers along the West Coast.
The goal of this ovarian SPORE is to demonstrate better strategies for 1) screening high-risk women using novel serum markers and state-of-the-art imaging without the need for another large trial, by integrating our Phase 1 trial results with reports from ongoing Phase 111 efficacy trials;2) selecting women for neoadjuvant therapy by testing their blood for a resectability signature;and 3) immunizing women against their own tumors to prevent recurrence. Success in one or more of these efforts will significantly reduce the burden of ovarian cancer.
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