The Metro-Minnesota Community Clinical Oncology (MMCCOP) program has a long-standing history which clearly demonstrates the success of the consortium, as demonstrated by both the ongoing commitment of the original consortium members and the growth of the consortium from 1979 through 2014. The MMCCOP consortium represents an established community program base which began in 1979 through its NCI-funded Community Hospital Cancer Program (CHCP) Award. This same consortium applied for and received the initial Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP) grant from the NCI in 1983, and has received subsequent CCOP grants since that time. In 2010, hospital, clinics and oncologists in the MN CGOP program joined the MMCOP resulting in a metrowide community cancer research program. Currently, the MMCCOP consortium represents twenty-one hospital and clinics throughout the metropolitan and greater Minnesota area, with a common approach and established mechanisms for identifying, enrolling and following participants on NC-sponsored treatment, cancer prevention, cancer control and symptom management protocols. The health market in the MMCCCP community remains extremely competitive and is in constant change as a result of mergers and Minnesota's healthcare reform initiatives. Despite this changing environment, the MMCCOP hospitals and associated staff continue to collaborate and support the added time and expense involved in clinical research trials. Their level of support has increased during a time when many other projects within the hospitals are being reduced or eliminated. This program incorporates a substantial segment of the oncology community, and has provided a basis for communications between the practicing oncologists, their hospital administrations, and other health professionals in this consortium for the past thiry years. Combined, the consortium members see an average of over 15,000 new analytic cancer patients per year. Currently, there are 146 Investigators, representing medical, hematology, radiation and surgical oncology including thoracic surgery and gynecologic oncology. The history of MMCCOP Research Base Affiliations and proactive approach to expanding access to NCI sponsored studies supports the ability to achieve and maintain the NCI goals for this NCORP initiative. MMCCOP intends to sustain a region wide community consortium which provides the community with the most recent advances in cancer prevention, treatment, symptom management and care delivery. This will be accomplished through continued affiliations with ALL1ANCE,CTSU, ECOG-ACRIN, NRG, MD Anderson, URCC and CCCWFU, the expansion of the current MMCCOP data management and communication system to increase the number and level of participation of the investigators in accrual, program operations and research base activities, implementation of new strategies to improve access and participation of underrepresented and underserved groups, and increase the professional and lay community awareness of the benefits of cancer research and collaboration with the MMCCOP to achieve the goals of the NCORP. A new focus will be to further develop and utilize expertise and data within the consortium and community to provide data and conduct cancer care delivery research. All member institutions are members of the Institutional Review Board for the Community Oncology Programs, administered by Park Nicollet Institute, which provides an efficient and timely review of studies. Over the past 5 years an average of 250 patients and 400 patients were accrued to NCI-approved treatment studies and cancer control studies respectively. Additionally, there are 1666 participants in active follow-up or surveillanc. MMCCCOP has demonstrated the ability to enter an increasing number of patients on protocol each year and proposes to accrue a total of 260 credits to Treatment studies and 400 to Cancer Control and Cancer Care Delivery research studies in the first year of this award with the goal of increasing cancer care delivery research enrollments over the next 5 year. This is a well tuned research consortium with the ability to be fully operational on day one of the award.
The Metro Minnesota Community Clinical Oncology Program (MMCCOP) is a research program sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Since its inception in 1983, the MMCCOP has linked community cancer specialists, primary care physicians and other health care professionals to the NCI-supported Cooperative Groups to conduct NCI-approved treatment, chemoprevention, symptom management and quality of life clinical trials. Under this grant, the MMCCOP will continue to provide people in our community access to the newest therapies available for cancer treatment, symptom management and cancer prevention and further, develop and utilize expertise and data within the consortium and community to conduct cancer care delivery research to better inform the field of cancer care.
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