LSU was a funded Minority-Based Community Clinical Oncology Program (MB CCOP) from 1994 to 2000. Last year's submission received a favorable review but not funding. This submission is an amended application which addresses the points raised in the Summary Statement of last years submission, expands on previous descriptions of our program, and updates our current status. The proposal demonstrates our continued commitment to efforts to cancer control in the minority and under-served populations of southern Louisiana. Cancer mortality is greater than expected based on cancer incidence in Louisiana. This, in part, is due to advanced stage at diagnosis which appears to be greater among underserved and minority population. Access to care is available through a statewide hospital system for indigent populations so the barriers may be more informational than physical or financial. Outreach is what is needed and that is our strength. Although we are successful in treatment efforts, our results in minority enrollment onto cancer prevention studies and the outreach efforts which produces those enrollments will have a greater impact in cancer control. During our first year of the STAR program we enrolled 19% minority women which was roughly ten times that of the national study. This follows a similar success we enjoyed with PCPT where we had four times higher minority enrollment percentage than did the national study. When SELECT opens in September, we are confident the outreach efforts we have established will result in large numbers of African-American men joining the study. We have reversed declines in treatment and cancer control enrollments and propose continued success via the following goals: (1) Continue the collaborative efforts of our capable data management team, (2) Increase participation in STAR and add SELECT, (3) Continue to open only those studies likely to achieve accrual, (4) Increase physician incentives for support of the MB CCOP trials, (5) Carefully weigh expansion opportunities to remain focused on our goal of outreach to minority and under-served populations of Louisiana. The financial support of the National Cancer Institute will assure our continued success.
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