The Dayton Community Clinical Oncology Program (DCOP) provides access to national cooperative clinical trials for over 1.5 million people in 11 counties in southwestern Ohio. Against this background, we have developed a nine-hospital consortium for the conduct of community clinical trials. The 9 registries in the consortium report over 5,000 new cancer patients per year, an increase of over 100% since 1980. The DCOP brings together the strength and resources of a group of multidisciplinary investigators who collaborate in the conduct of studies from SWOG, NSABP, and MDACC. The investigators number 49 including 22 hematologists/oncologists and 27 colleagues in surgery, urology, pathology, and radiation therapy. Over the next five years, the overall aim is to reduce cancer incidence, morbidity, and mortality by accelerating the transfer of newly developed cancer prevention, early detection, treatment, patient management, rehabilitation, and continuing care technology to widespread community application. By careful design, the program will focus over 50% of our attention and resources on cancer control research. These complementary objectives of both treatment and cancer control are a ready match for the patient population and fit within DCOP interests and capabilities. The immediate goals of the DCOP are to continue our strong accrual rate to treatment trials; to facilitate wider community participation, including minority groups and underserved populations in treatment and cancer control research approved by NCI; to use professional education symposia as a tool for technology transfer; to cultivate contacts with primary care physicians and other specialists who may contribute to cancer control initiatives; and to continue to refine cancer control data management capabilities, including the use of a range of resources to identify potential candidates for cancer control research projects. The continuation of the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial (BCPT) and the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) are primary objectives. We expect to earn over 1500 credits by the Year 2000. In summary, the DCOP track record demonstrates the ability to manage complex clinical research and cancer control activities while producing the highest quality data. The DCOP has the facilities and well-trained professional personnel to support both cancer treatment and cancer control trials. The DCOP staffing pattern, protocol management procedures, patient / participant management approaches, quality control mechanisms, pharmacy control mechanisms, IRB structure and liaison are all in place and functioning to support current and future therapeutic and cancer control activities.
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