Health care institutions providing cancer services to a disproportionate number of medically underserved, low income and/or minority populations, whether urban or rural, are often not linked effectively to national cancer research protocols. This application seeks funding to support the planning, development and implementation of radiation oncology clinical research trials in the predominantly Hispanic population of Laredo, Texas. Despite recent advances in cancer care and therapies there is a disproportionate burden borne by this minority population in South Texas. Laredo has a population of 176,576. Ninety-five percent of those residents are Hispanic. It is geographically isolated with no other U.S. cities within a 140-mile radius. Mercy Health Center (MHC), the applicant institution, is a non-profit 325-bed acute care hospital facility. Its sister organization, the Laredo Medical Group (LMG) is the dominant multi-specialty group consisting of 85 Physicians representing 29 specialties. The Sanchez Cancer Center, house date MHC, is a state-of-the-art cancer center with both medical and radiation oncology facilities. Since its doors opened in November 1999, 475 patients have been treated with radiation therapy. Ninety-four percent of these patients were Hispanic. The potential partner institutions selected for collaboration with the applicant institution are University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio (UTHSCSA) and its Cancer Therapy and Research Center (CTRC) and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) in Houston, Texas. MHC has a long history of collaboration and partnership with the CTRC, a NCI designated comprehensive Cancer Center comprising of the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio (UTHSCSA) and the San Antonio Cancer Institute (SACI) in San Antonio, Texas. MDACC is also a NCI recognized Comprehensive Cancer Center. The strength of this proposal is that it unites the oncology research Experience of the partner institutions with access provided to the Hispanic cancer patient population through MHC. The Sanchez Cancer Center is well equipped and staffed to carry out any collaborative clinical trials generated through this grant. Tele-conferencing will be used extensively to facilitate collaboration. This Study will meet the requirements for planning, development and implementation of clinical trials in an area with vast need for this type of research. This proposal will yield invaluable data and information on cancer outcomes and treatment strategies to improve cancer morbidity and mortality outcomes in Hispanic populations.
