This proposal is designed to enable of the Hartford Hospital Departments of Surgery, Radiation Therapy and Pathology as well as the Division of Medical Oncology in the Department of Medicine to participate in the Primary Breast Cancer Therapy Group - NSABP. The overall specific aim of the NSABP is to improve disease-free survival and survival in patients with primary operable breast and colo-rectal cancer. The Hartford Hospital has been a number of the NSABP since July 1, 1984 through its involvement with the Greater Hartford CCOP. Patient accrual to NSABP protocol began in December, 1984 and this institution, as of December 31, 1985, is following 31 patients on long term adjuvant protocols. Hartford Hospital treats approximately 250 patients with stage I and stage II breast carcinoma each year and we expect to increase our new patient accrual to at least 50-75 patients/year. We also treat 250 patients with colon and rectal cancer each year and we anticipate accrual of 15-25 patients per year to the portal vein perfusion protocol. This grant will also facilitate accrual of patients to NSABP protocols from five other hospitals affiliated with this project through educational linkages with the University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT. The entry of these patients into the NSABP protocols will enable a more rapid and effective evaluation of current therapeutic regimens and will provide information for the design of future studies.
