The Medical University of South Carolina/Hollings Cancer Center (MUSC/HCC), a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer center since 2009, has been a long-standing NCI cooperative group participant and is well positioned to be a leading Minority/Underserved Community Site within the NCI's Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP). Originally a main member of CALGB (1985-2002), in 2002 MUSC/HCC became a main member of SWOG. In subsequent years, MUSC/HCC became a main member of COG, RTOG, ACoSOG, ACRIN, NSABP and is also an affiliate member of GOG. The overall growth in accrual across all of these NCI sponsored programs has been significant with 134 enrollments in the most recent annual reporting period, of which 28% were ethnic/racial minorities. A major asset that MUSC/HCC and its partnering sites - MUSC/HCC East Cooper, MUSC/HCC North Charleston, Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Administration Medical Center, MUSC/Hilton Head Breast Health Center, Georgetown Health System, and Self Regional Healthcare - bring to the NCORP is its demonstrable ability to reach an ethnic/minority cancer population (32% in its catchment area) and a federally designated underserved/rural cancer population (43% in its catchment area). Another major asset that MUSC/HCC brings to the NCORP program is its considerable expertise and leadership in the development and implementation of cancer disparities and cancer care delivery research (CCDR). MUSC/HCC investigators have a robust portfolio of NCI and other peer-reviewed funded initiatives in these focal areas, enrolling more than 500 individuals in the last year, and are poised to collaborate with NCORP research bases in the development and implementation of additional CCDR research. Finally, MUSC/HCC has invested considerable resources to its centralized clinical research operation. It is capable of managing a large portfolio of studies and has repeatedly demonstrated high quality compliance and data through its external audits during the past decade. The MUSC/HCC Clinical Trials Office will provide an effective and efficient infrastructure to support investigators and clinicians in implementing clinical trials and CCDR within the NCORP.
Establishing MUSC/HCC as a Minority/Underserved Community Site within the NCI's Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) will provide greater emphasis and availability for residents and healthcare providers of South Carolina to participate in cancer prevention, control, screening, post treatment surveillance, cancer care delivery, treatment, and imaging research studies.
