Puerto Rico (PR) similar to other western societies has experienced changes in the economy and lifestyles. These have came about with changes from an agricultural-rural society to an industrial-urban one. These changes have contributed to the remarkable increase in cancer incidence and frequency distribution of neoplasia. Unfortunately, the healthcare needs brought about by these changes have not been met by the healthcare delivery system of the island. The resultant is a decreased survival and increased morbidity from cancer, being similar to other minority populations in the USA. The NIH/NCI community clinical oncology program provides the mechanisms to cope with these demands. The goals of the San Juan City Minority Based Community Oncology Program (SJCMBCCOP) are: to strengthen and expand quality cancer control and treatment research in a community with a predominantly low socioeconomic population; to provide access to state-of-the-art cancer control and treatment to the Puerto Rican community; to increase the primary healthcare providers and other specialists participation in clinical trials; to provide educational- informational activities in cancer control and treatment to the community; to evaluate selected issues of minority-based CCOP performance in our setting. The San Juan City MBCCPP is located in the PR Medical Center and its participating institutions will include the San Juan City Hospital, the San Juan Oncologic Hospital, San Juan VA Medical Center, UPR School of Dentistry, PR Gastrointestinal Institute, and the Bayamon Regional Hospital. Over 2,000 new cancer patients are diagnosed and treated in those institutions. A multidisciplinary group of investigators totaling 52 will participate actively in the organization and performance of the CCOP. This group of experienced and dedicated investigators together with a sound organizational structure will assist the Principal Investigator with the accomplishment of the goals of the SJCMBCCOP. The program is affiliated with the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, MD Anderson Cancer Center and the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project. These research bases will provide cancer control, prevention and treatment clinical studies suitable for implementation in the community setting. They will also serve as educational resources for our investigators and staff. The SJCMBCCOP will contribute with patient accrual into clinical trials of less common malignancies in mainland USA such as cervix, gastric, and esophageal cancer. The continuation of the SJCMBCCOP will allow the expansion and strengthening of the programs goals in the Island.
| Bhatia, Aarti K; Lee, Ju-Whei; Pinto, Harlan A et al. (2017) Double-blind, randomized phase 3 trial of low-dose 13-cis retinoic acid in the prevention of second primaries in head and neck cancer: Long-term follow-up of a trial of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (C0590). Cancer 123:4653-4662 |
