Main Line Health Ccop

Gilman, Paul

Abstract

In this reapplication for the CCOP grant, we propose to maintain the Main Line Health CCOP as a consortium of oncology research programs between the 3 hospitals in the Main Line Health System: Lankenau Hospital, Bryn Mawr Hospital and Paoli Hospital. Our broad and long term objective is to provide access to and opportunity for participation in state-of-the-art cancer clinical trials and cancer prevention trials to the over 1.3 million people residing in the Main Line Health System community service area. This service area represents a diverse population including West Philadelphia, Montgomery and Delaware Counties and the fastest growing county in the United States, Chester County. Of the over 1.3 million residents in these counties, it is estimated that 15 % are over age 65. As part of these public health initiatives, our CCOP has partnered with the Main Line Health system's genetics programs to offer studies for cancer prevention to the public by providing genetic counseling and offering prevention trials to people with familial cancer histories. We currently have studies available for women at risk for ovarian and breast cancer and for siblings of patients with colon cancer. Our system wide smoking cessation trial and our outreach program have considerable impact on public health. Main Line Health has placed research and education among the top five strategic initiatives in the coming years. Our participation in large national clinical trials provide the opportunity to serve our community with options for cancer care by inclusion in research protocols to which they otherwise would not have had access. It is the mission of the oncology programs at Main Line Health to offer protocols that provide innovative treatment strategies as well as those that create approaches for cancer prevention and symptom management. Our alliance with the Fox Chase Research Base, M.D. Anderson Research Base, the Gynecologic Oncology Group, The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project, and the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group has allowed us to accomplish this.