GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA CCOP

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DESCRIPTION: (Applicant's Description) The Greenville, South Carolina CCOP has long-term objectives that include: (1) Increasing the availability of NCI-supported clinical trials to the substantial minority and underserved populations of this area. (2) Expanding the involvement of primary care providers and other specialists in cancer prevention and cancer control clinical trials. (3) Translating the latest research findings to residents and practitioners of the service area. (4) Establishing tumor registries in rural hospitals to enhance recruitment and access to clinical research. First, the CCOP will create new alliances among other local oncology and primary care practitioners by contacting physicians with information about the use of nationally sponsored treatment and cancer control trials and funding available for data management. This cooperative effort will allow the CCOP to establish long-term relationships with local physicians and their patients, a concept essential to the recruitment of the minority population. It is hoped that formalizing partnerships with our local VA Hospital(s) will allow us access to a stable population among whom cancer prevention has been legislated. In addition, research nurses will be able to implement regular screening programs for potential participants and survey pertinent medical r e c o rds from local surgeons and primary care physicians. Second, chemoprevention and cancer control trials for colorectal, gynecologic, and head and neck cancers will be aggressively marketed to physicians who have not been involved in research in the past. The addition of the MD Anderson Cancer Center and the GOG as research bases will allow recruitment to previously unavailable cancer control studies. The CCOP Executive Board will be expanded as a forum for problem solving and obtaining input from the community. The mailing list of the Greenville CCOP and the dissemination of our quarterly newsletter will be expanded to include physicians in outlying areas. Our goal is to further broadcast the concept and importance of cancer prevention whether or not it translates into actual patient accrual. Third, the availability of these trials to the community will be a mechanism utilized by the CCOP to promote overall cancer education and awareness. Through semi-annual lectures on specific disease sites delivered by speakers who are associated with cooperative group research, we will translate basic science to clinical research emphasizing existing protocols. These scientific meetings will coincide with CCOP general meetings to increase participation. Fourth, the establishment of tumor registries in rural areas will allow for more consistent and updated information as it relates to cancer incidence in our catchment area. This will be accomplished by meeting with medical records personnel and local pathologists to educate them regarding the importance of tracking cancer diagnoses. This cooperative effort will better equip the CCOP to pinpoint areas where cancer prevention and education is necessary and where screenings should occur.