Cancer Statistics has shown that minority populations have higher incidence, higher mortality and lower survival when compared with U.S. white population. The reasons for such a difference are not immediately apparent but it is suggested that delay in diagnosis, poor compliance, lack of access to large cancer centers and inadequate treatments can be some of them. The NCI Community Clinical Oncology Program is a research tool that can study minority populations and deliver state of the art treatment and cancer control research in their individual communities. It will involve a wider segment of the community primary health care providers and specialist in research thus providing educational and training opportunities. The minority-based CCOP will provide an operational base for accelerating the transfer of new technology in cancer prevention and selected areas of patient accrual and compliance. The cancer populations in P.R. has shown similar statistical findings as in U.S. mainland minority group. It is the aim of this application to create a San Juan City minority-based CCOP among three institutions in the Puerto Rico Medical Center. Those institutions and its investigators have ample experience in cancer treatment and control research, have the patient population base (approx. 1600 new cancer cases), have been working together for at least 10 years, and have the desire to participate jointly in this research project. The proposed San Juan City m-CCOP will be located in the P.R. Medical Center. The principal institution will be the San Juan City Municipal Hospital. The principal investigator will be Dr. Luis Baez and co-principal investigator, Dr. Francisco Robert. The three component institutions share various resources in cancer care including multiple cancer specialist with academic appointments and direct patient care duties. Almost all of the cancer care is institutionalized at oncology beds and outpatient clinics. There is adequate prior experience in the implementation of clinical trials among the three institutions with a common data base management. There is a strong commitment of the participating investigators and staff for academics and research.
| Bhatia, Aarti K; Lee, Ju-Whei; Pinto, Harlan A et al. (2017) Double-blind, randomized phase 3 trial of low-dose 13-cis retinoic acid in the prevention of second primaries in head and neck cancer: Long-term follow-up of a trial of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (C0590). Cancer 123:4653-4662 |
