The overall goal of this proposal is to develop a Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP) which will have the specific aims to a) enhance accrual to National Cancer Institute (NCI) approved clinical research treatment and prevention trials b) enhance scientific participation of physicians and nurse coordinators in these protocols c) improve participation of patients who are members of minority groups in these protocols and d) improve the quality of data developed by our cancer program. We are aleady associated with our Research Bases: the Southwest Oncology Group (SW()G), the National Surgical Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG), and the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RT()G). The components of the Scott&White CCOP will be the Scott&White Clinic and Memorial Hospital and the Olin E. Tcague Veterans Center (OT- VA) which are 1.5 miles apart in Temple, TX. Our institutions serve a catchment area of one million people of diverse origins and lies in the Central Texas counties between Waco and Austin. The Scott&White Clinic is a for profit multi-disciplinary practice group of 460 physicians, including 9 medical oncoiogists and 4 radiation therapists. There were over one million visits to the Scott&White Clinic in 1995 and the Hospital has 365 acute care beds. The OT-VA is staffed by 92 physicians including 3 medical oncologists and has 135 acute care -s. The Scott & White and OT- VA cancer programs have a record of collaborative association in a) participation in SWGG research protocols b) participation in weekly Division of Hematology and Oncology conferences, residency and medical oncology fellowship programs c) providing clinical experience for Texas A&M medical students. The Scott&White and OT-VA tumor registries recorded 1612 and 506 new, non-skln cancer cases in 1995. We have entered over 50 patients/year onto NCI sponsored tretment trials the last 5 years and 338 patients thus far on the Breast Cancer and Prostate Cancer Prevention Trials. We have an excellent record in regard to quality of data accrual in our clinical trials. We plan to enhance patient accrual in general and specifically, minority patients utilizing multiple strategies to achieve a total of 270 accrual credits/year. These strategies include extensive use of nurse coordinator expertise in screening and recuiting patients, locating research personnel at both the OT-VA and Scott&White, newsletters to participating physicians, monthly research conferences, minority focus groups and outreach clinics to underserved communities of our catchment area. We will utilize data management techniques such as computer data management, enhancing multiple points of communication between coworkers ie research assistants, nurse coordinators and physicians and multiple checks on data quality.
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