The NCORP Minority/Underserved Community Site will be based at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC), the home of cancer research at Columbia University Medical Center in the City of New York. The HICCC, located in Washington Heights where >50% of the local residents are foreign-born, including a large Dominican population, has had a commitment and interest in research and service to this community and to the underserved in general that spans decades, predating its recognition as a national priority. Our specific objectives are: 1) to provide a menu of NCl-sponsored Cooperative Group trials to our investigators, including those in the local medical community, for screening, prevention, cancer control, and treatments; 2) to establish close relationships with the NCI Clinical Cooperative Groups to enhance the benefits of clinical research, especially in cancer care delivery research; 3) to attract and educate potential study participants, especially minorities, about participation in cancer clinical research; 4) expand the HICCC Cancer Prevention, Control and Disparities program's current focus on quality of care of cancer, especially as related to disparities of race/ethnicity, age, income, insurance and other factors. Through utilization of the existing HICCC shared resources, Recruitment and Retention of Minorities Office and Clinical Protocol and Data Management Office, 3267 subjects including 2681 minority participants, have been recruited to NCI or externally peer reviewed studies in the past 5 years. With a NCORP Minority/Underserved Community Site award, outreach to a broader range of participants will be expanded by 1) supporting recruitment to a wider range of oncology subspecialty trials, especially given the planned expansion of clinical oncology services and 2) allow activation of more cancer control/prevention studies. This will facilitate a comprehensive approach across the disease and age spectrum, and across treatments, and will facilitate the prioritization of cancer care delivery research studies, in conjunction with the scientific expertise available at HICCC. As such, the range of organ/site specialties for which we provide services to investigators will be broadened thus allowing enrollment of still more minority patients in a wider range of cancer research trials.
; The goal of this study is to reduce the burden of cancer for the minority population in our catchment area. We plan to use outreach to educate our population about clinical research and prevention, cancer control, and supportive care along with cancer trials to improve the health of the community. We will study the factors associated with delivery of cancer care, to understand the best use of resources for our diverse community.
