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NNECOS AWARDS CLINICAL TRIALS STUDY GRANT
Tri-State Group Studying Barriers to Clinical Trials Participation
The NNECOS Board of Directors is pleased to announce the awarding of a research grant to a group of community oncologists from across the region to study cost as a barrier to clinical trial participation in Northern New England. Principal investigators for this project are: Douglas Weckstein MD, NH Oncology Hematology PA; Ivette Emery, PhD, Maine Center for Cancer Medicine; Christian Thomas MD, Vermont Center for Cancer Medicine; and Barbara Shea MD, Seacoast Cancer Center.
This team has developed a protocol to assess the reasons that patients decline or are unable to participate in clinical trials. The survey will be issued to patients in four community based oncology practices in Northern New England with established clinical trial programs. The practices provide a cross-section of geographic, economic, and clinical trial infrastructure conditions. Grant funding will cover the cost of postage and three daytime investigator meetings. The team hopes to utilize the data obtained from the study to devise targeted strategies to ameliorate barriers to trial participation that exist in the community oncology practice setting.
In approving this grant request, the board expressed great enthusiasm for this strategically important project whose goal is in direct alignment with NNECOS’ mission “to ensure the availability of and access to high quality oncology care in our region,” which is also an excellent complement to our ongoing access to care study being conducted with state cancer registries from Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
The board has invited the team to promote the project at this year’s annual meeting, and encouraged future publication of the results of the study, including possible presentation of findings at a future NNECOS meeting.
NNECOS leadership has expressed hope that the funding of this project will serve as the catalyst to the establishment of formal research study grant application process, with grant funding to be awarded annually beginning in 2009.
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