Northern New Jersy Community Oncology Program

Rosenbluth, Richard

Abstract

) The Northern New Jersey CCOP (NNJCCOP) provides regional access to national cooperative group clinical trials to over 50% of the population of New Jersey as well as bordering New York. The NNJCCOP provides physician access to five research bases. Sixty physicians, including 25 medical oncologists, have access to studies in ECOG, NSABP, URCC a n d SWOG for the PCPT. Nineteen physicians, including 8 pediatric hematologists/oncologists, are members of POG. Eight physicians collaborate with both medical and pediatric oncologists. Altogether 71 physicians currently participate in the NNJCCOP. There are 6 clinical sites at 5 component hospitals in 5 cities: in Hackensack, the Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) has two clinical sites: the Tomorrows Children's Institute (TCI) and the Northern New Jersey Cancer Center (NNJCC); in Elizabeth, the Elizabeth General Medical Center (EGMC); in Morristown, the Morristown Memorial Hospital (MMH); in Summit, the Overiook Hospital (OH); and in Montclair, the Mountainside Hospital (MSH). The component hospitals access nearly 5000 newly diagnosed cancer patients a year and account for over 2500 hospital beds. The overall objective of this proposal is to reduce cancer incidence, morbidfty, and mortality by accelerating the transfer of newly developed cancer prevention, early detection, treatment, patient management, rehabilitation, and continuing care technology to widespread community application. There are several aims: to provide regional access to NCI-sponsored trials, to increase women and minorities, to expand NNJCCOP influence at the research bases, to maintain standards of excellence through quality assurance measures, and to enhance cancer control contributions through reaching more primary care physicians and specialists. The methods include a regional consortium of hospitals and investigators who are govened by an Executive Committee and coordinated through the NNJCCOP C o n s ortium Office; common approaches to recruitment, retention, and compliance; policies and procedures for protocol management, research records, and drug distribution; carefully designed and executed quality control and assurance measures. Staff assignments particularly focus on accruial to Bone Marrow Transplant studies, the BCPT, and the PCPT. Between 1997 and 2002, over 1300 CCOP credits or at least 272.9 CCOP credits a year are projected with 154.5 treatment credits and 118.4 cancer control credits.