) The Colorado Cancer Research Program (CCRP) represents a consortium of nine community cancer centers located in Denver (7 hospitals), Colorado Springs (Penrose Cancer Center, which draws from 3 regional hospitals), and Pueblo (St. Mary-Corwin Hospital). The CCRP has expanded geographically in order to reach larger numbers of minority patients, and has developed an effective outreach plan. In 1996 the CCRP consortium institutions together diagnosed over 7,500 new cancer cases, drawing from a population base which represents over 20% minorities. During the past two years the CCRP entered 395 patients into clinical trials; 132 of these were enrolled in the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial and the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial. The CCRP research bases include the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), the Children's Cancer Group (CCG), and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (MDA). CCRP investigators are actively involved in the scientific and administrative activities of these organizations. The CCRP has strong physician leadership in its Principal Investigator, the Associate Principal Investigator and the Modality Chairs, representing the major treatment modalities, and a core of active hospital PIs who play key roles in protocol evaluation, selection and implementation, and in patient management. The CCRP staff, supervised by an experienced Executive Director, includes data management and nursing professionals. An extensive network of interaction and collaboration has been established with state-wide registries, health care agencies, and cancer treatment and research institutions. This networking has been instrumental in increasing the CCRP's outreach to under-served populations and its participation in cancer control and prevention projects. This strong involvement by dedicated physician investigators and experienced staff, extensive networking, and proven clinical trials performance assures that the CCRP will accomplish its additional goal over the next granting period: (1) to increase participation in cancer control and treatment clinical trials, especially among minorities, (2) to include a wide range of health-care providers in CCRP studies, and (3) to publicize the NCI sponsored clinical research and cancer control programs, in order to increase their availability to all citizens of Colorado, and thereby impact cancer-related disability and survival.
