Cancer incidence and mortality are higher in African-Americans for almost every kind of cancer. The Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Minority-Based Community Clinical Oncology Program (MBCCOP) is designed to increase the availability of state-of-the-art cancer treatment and cancer prevention and control research trials to the urban and rural minorities of Richmond and Southside Virginia. Over forty percent of new cancer cases seen in the VCU MBCCOP are minority, nearly all African-Americans. Organizational and operational plans, which will provide the structure for the effective implementation of multidisciplinary research, are presented. This application emphasizes the unique urban and rural population available to the VCU MBCCOP, the history of extensive participation by primary health care providers and specialists, in particular, surgeons and pediatric oncologists, in clinical research at VCU, and VCU initiatives in cancer outreach conducted at rural MBCCOP sites. Currently, the VCU MBCCOP has affiliations with three research bases: NSABP, CALGB, and COG. It is seeking CCOP affiliation with GOG. It also participates in trials available through the Cancer Trials Support Unit (CTSU). The application describes the working relationships with the research bases and the methods used to enable the VCU MBCCOP to accrue significant numbers of minority participants to both treatment and cancer prevention and control clinical trials. Working relationships of the VCU MBCCOP investigators and the clinical research teams aredescribed. The role of the MBCCOP in bringing state-of-the-art treatment and cancer prevention and control studies to traditionally underserved segments of the population, urban and rural minorities, is discussed, and successes to date by the VCU MBCCOP are described.
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