The Metro-Minnesota Community Clinical Oncology Program (MMCCOP) represents a consortium of nine hospitals which, through its NCI-funded Community Hospital Oncology Program (""""""""CHOP"""""""") and operation CCOP, has developed a common approach to the management of cancer patients and has an established mechanism for identifying, entering and following patients on treatment and cancer prevention and control protocols. The consortium has a community wide-computerized data management system capable of prospective data collection. The community offers PPOs, HMOs and commercial healthcare programs, all of which are represented among these nine consortium hospitals. Together, the nine hospitals see an average of 8900 new analytic cancer patients per year. The 88 core investigators, representing oncology, hematology, radiation, oncology, urology, gynecologic oncology, neurology, ENT, Family Practice, general and specialty surgeons, have worked extensively together on cancer program development and protocol management. The MMCCOP staff is qualified and trained in oncology and data management, and has been involved in the development of the current program structure and operation. During the most recent NCI-funded grant year (6/98-5/99), the MMCCOP entered 344 new patients/participants (209.9 treatment credits/185.1 cancer control credits) into NCI-approved studies. The MMCCOP intends to sustain a region wide community and hospital consortium, which provides the community with the most recent advances in cancer prevention, control and treatment. This will be accomplished through expansion of the CCOP into established outreach communities; work with hospitals, foundations, insurers and Integrated Service Networks (ISNs) to develop funding and reimbursement support for participation in clinical trials; increased involvement of primary care physicians; providing the expertise, resources, and large population base to develop, implement and evaluate clinical cancer treatment and control trials through affiliation with the NCI, ECOG, M.D. Anderson, NSABP, RTOG, URCC and pilot project with the NCCTG; improve and expand the current MMCCOP data management and communication system to increase the number and liver of participation of the investigators in accrual, program operations and research base activities; implement new strategies to improve access and participation of minority and underserved groups; and increase the professional and lay community awareness of the CCOP and benefits of clinical cancer trials. Based upon past experience, the availability of two large prevention trials, addition of a new hospital and a sixth research base, and improved cancer control implementation models, MMCCOP investigators intend to accrue 532 (4370 credits) patients/participants onto NCI-approved cancer treatment and control studies during the first year, with the goal of continually exceeding the NCI requirements for both types of studies. The projected accrual of 350 patients stated in the last MMCCOP application was viewed by reviews at that time as """"""""overly optimistic"""""""", but was exceeded by 33 patients in the first year of funding (1995-96). The goal for the first year of this grant is again optimistic, but realistic given the expertise of the group, available protocols, the established systems and strong support of the physicians and hospitals.
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