CLINICAL TRIALS
NATIVE HAWAIIANS , PACIFIC ISLANDERS AND ASIANS REPRESENT A SMALL FRACTION OF PATIENTS ENROLLED IN CANCER CLINICAL TRIALS NATIONWIDE .
IT IS CRITICAL TO ENHANCE ACCESS TO THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF QUALITY CANCER CARE TO THESE UNDERREPRESENTED PATIENTS .”
- JARED ACOBA , MD , NCORP STUDY CO-PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR AND UH CANCER CENTER ASSISTANT RESEARCHER
The National Cancer Institute ( NCI ) awarded an $ 8 million six-year grant to continue the NCI Community Oncology Research Program ( NCORP ) at the UH Cancer Center designed to provide the best cancer clinical trials to and increase participation of Hawaiʻi ’ s minority , rural and underserved patient populations .
“ The UH Cancer Center , by providing these cancer clinical trials and cancer patient care for both adults and children , gives Hawaiʻi residents the opportunity for the most effective treatments without having to leave the islands ,” said Jeffrey Berenberg , MD , NCORP study co-principal investigator and UH Cancer Center co-medical director of translational and clinical research .
The UH Cancer Center is one of only 14 designated NCORP Minority / Underserved Community Sites where the patient population is comprised of at least 30 percent racial / ethnic minorities or rural residents . The Center has been a member of this program ( and its earlier version called the Minority-Based Community Clinical Oncology Program ) since 1994 .
The UH Cancer Center expanded its geographic cancer coverage with the NCI ’ s approval of the addition of Family Health Plan ( FHP ) Health Center , Guam , in January 2019 . Through the Cancer Center ’ s affiliation with Minority / Underserved NCORP , Guam patients are able to now participate in NCI-sponsored cancer clinical trials .
The Hawaiʻi Minority / Underserved NCORP provides more than 100 clinical trials , a significant component of the more than 200 cancer research trials open to both children and adults coordinated by the UH Cancer Center . Most of the NCORP trial activity is conducted in collaboration with members of the UH Cancer Center clinical trials network that includes Hawaiʻi Pacific Health , The Queen ’ s Health Systems , Kuakini Medical Center , Tripler Army Medical Center , and private practice oncology physician offices .
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