The Northern California Cancer Program and its clinical research arm, the Northern California Oncology Group, through the continuation of the Cooperative Group Outreach program, plan to foster state-of-the-art cancer management for all patients treated in the communities by providing the opportunity for community health care teams to participate in cancer treatment protocols. Support to the new and established Outreach communities will be provided; at the same tiem, incentives will be available to enhance protocol accrual and participation. Developing communities will have access to heightened educational opportunities for physicians and a higher quality of care for patients. The Northern California Cancer Program will provide assistance to all communities in meeting responsibilities for the protection of human subjects. The coordinated network of community hospitals and physicians developed by this program will serve as a resource for the implementation of other appropriate cancer control research activities and for the National Cancer Institute evaluation programs related to the Cooperative Group Outreach Program. The Northern California Cancer program and the Northern California Oncology Group will continue to evaluate the extent to which this program performs its stated objectives by the analysis of such criteria as accrual, protocol compliance, data documentation through audits, and participation in all aspects of clinical research including protocol development and attendance at regularly scheduled Northern California Oncology Group meetings.
