The West Metro-Minneapolis Community Clinical Oncology Program (WMMCCOP) represents a consortium of seven hospitals which, through its NCI-funded Community Hospital Oncology Program (""""""""CHOP"""""""") and operational CCOP, has already developed a common approach to the management of cancer patients and has an established mechanism for entering and following patients on treatment and cancer control protocols. The consortium has a community-wide computerized data management system (TUMORS/CHOP-DS) capable of prospective data collection. The community offers 6 HMO programs, all of which are represented among these seven consortium hospitals. Together, the seven hospitals see an average of 4700 new analytic cancer patients per year. The thirty-four core investigators, representing oncology, hematology, immunology, radiation oncology, urology, and colorectal surgery, have worked extensively together on cancer program development and protocol management. The WMMCCOP staff is qualified and trained in oncology and data management, and has been involved in the development of the current program structure and operation. During the most recent NCI-funded grant year (6/88-5/89), the WMMCCOP entered 1069 patients (134 treatment credits/54 cancer control credits onto NCI-approved studies). The WMMCCOP intends to: sustain a region wide community and hospital consortium which provides the community with the most recent advances in cancer control and treatment. This will be accomplished through expansion of the current consortium to include new hospitals not currently participating in the WMMCCOP, increased involvement of primary care physicians and surgeons; providing the expertise, resources, and large population base to develop, implement and evaluate clinical cancer treatment and control trials through affiliation with the NCI, ECOG, NSABP, FCCC, the Minnesota Department of Health, and M.D. Anderson; improve and expand the current WMMCCOP data management and communication system to increase the number and level of participation of the investigators in accrual, program operations and research base activities; encourage minority group participation; increase the professional and lay community awareness of the CCOP and benefits of clinical cancer trials. During the first year of operation under this grant period, WMMCCOP investigators intend to accrue 250 credits onto NCI-approved cancer treatment and control studies, exceeding the minimum requirements for both types of studies.
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