Loyola University of Chicago has made significant contributions to the Southwest Oncology Group(SWOG) during the current grant cycle by accruing large numbers of patients, with submission of high quality data, and by making significant scientific contributions to SWOG. Loyola has continued to maintain excellent accrual in spite of the threats to clinical research from managed care. During the last year they had 143 registrations with 106 (74 percent) coming from the member institution; 55 percent of those patients were female and 15 percent were minorities. Ninety-eight percent of those cases were considered evaluable. Five faculty members have served as Chairs or Co-Chairs of committees or subcommittees. Thirty-eight faculty members actively participated in one or more committees. Seventeen faculty members have served as principal or co-coordinators of over 73 protocols. Twenty-three of these protocols were based on pilot studies conducted by Loyola investigators. Twelve faculty members have made significant contributions to SWOG core services. Eleven faculty members have published over 63 SWOG papers and 53 abstracts. The multi-disciplinary nature of Loyola's participation is evidenced by the fact that hematologists/oncologists, surgeons, radiotherapists, and pathologists have each made scientific contributions to SWOG. Multi-disciplinary interactions are also fostered by the movement of faculty clinics and offices to the newly opened Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center. In addition. the Cancer Center will replace Hematology/Oncology as the organization responsible for this grant and data management will become a Cancer Center core service. In the latest SWOG evaluation of Loyola, this institution ranked in the top quartile of all members in the following categories: patient registration, committee membership, study coordination, and authorship. In addition, the Loyola SWOG grant has always been viewed as having a low cost per case and the grant has never had a Type V funding reduction. As outlined in the CCIRC guidelines, support is requested to permit continuation of Loyola's scientific leadership and patient accrual during the next grant cycle.
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