Abstract PL06-03: Lessons learned through the minority-based community clinical oncology program

The National Cancer Institute9s Minority-Based Community Clinical Oncology Program (MBCCOP), initiated in 1990, provides infrastructure support for the conduct of NCI-sponsored cancer control and symptom management, prevention and treatment trials in communities serving significant number of racial and ethnic minorities. As a component of a larger community oncology network, an additional goal of this program is to contribute to the understanding of and to the literature on cancer and health disparities in clinical research. The 13 currently funded MBCCOPs provide excellent examples of the challenges and successes of recruitment, enrollment and retention of clinical trials in public, community, academic and Veterans9 Administration environments. The objectives of this presentation are to (1) describe the impact of the MBCCOPs on the NCI clinical trials network; (2) discuss the lessons learned, with an emphasis on how the programs have met increasing challenges over nearly two decades; (3) provide examples of the different staffing needed for the conduct of clinical research for different institutions, (i.e., outreach vs. in-house data management, patient vs. nurse navigators; and (4) highlight how the MBCCOPs provide a resource for research across disciplines to help narrow cancer disparities. The John Stroger Hospital of Cook County will be highlighted to demonstrate how the cancer burden and the health status and needs at this public hospital led to trial selection, research projects and community engagement.