The Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) represents the primary clinical investigative effort of the section of hematology-oncology of the department of medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC). This effort results in the enrollment of a consistently high number of eligible, evaluable patients into cooperative, group-based clinical trials. SWOG protocols at the University of Oklahoma remain the main opportunity for Oklahoma residents to participate in clinical oncology trials. Patients are accrued via both the parent institutions and associated CGOPs which serve large Native American populations and rural Oklahomans; annual accrual approximates 50 patients at Oklahoma Memorial Hospital (OMH), 20 patients at the Veterans Administration Hospital (OKC-VAMC), 10 patients at Presbyterian Hospital, 5 patients at South Community Hospital, and 55 patients through CGOPs. The participating faculty includes medical oncologists, hematologists, radiation oncologists, surgical specialists, and pathologists. This proposal is a concerted effort to organize these subspecialists into an efficient institutional cooperative group that can substantially increase our contributions to SWOG. Patient accrual has been a noteworthy strength of the OUHSC SWOG contribution, and has been characterized by a 50% rise over the last three years. In an effort to increase participation in the scholarly activities of clinical trials, the University has devoted considerable resources to develop an active inpatient oncology ward and bone marrow transplant unit and to recruit several new faculty members who will have an immediate impact on patient accrual and concept development. Preliminary effort toward developing new therapeutic approaches have been focused in the areas of bone marrow transplantation, head and neck cancer, and urological cancer. The final aspect of this proposal involves exploitation of the University of Oklahoma basic research base. The strong institutional commitment necessary for this effort is exemplified by the considerable local financial support and the number of new faculty and support personnel since the last submission of this grant, and the extensive inter-disciplinary collaborations which have occurred because of these changes.
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