Christiana Care's Cancer Research Program actively
pursues today's most promising studies for the prevention and treatment of
cancer. When you join a cancer research study, you benefit from some of the
latest techniques and therapeutic advances while at the same time, you are
helping to improve our knowledge in ways that will help people with cancer live
longer and enjoy a better quality of life.
When you join a cancer research trial, you'll have some of the following benefits:
The very latest medicines available to treat your
cancer.
Frequent and thorough medical exams.
The latest information to help you better understand
your condition.
The guidance you need to improve your health.
Support and counseling from doctors and nurses on the
hospital's research staff.
How can I find out more about open cancer research
trials? For information about clinical trials
in progress or to find out if you are eligible to participate in a Christiana
Care cancer research study, contact the Christiana Care Cancer Research Office
at 302-733-6227 , or e-mail kprice@christianacare.org.
For immediate, real-time access to all Christiana Care National Cancer
Institute-approved cancer trials that are opened go to: www.CancerTrialsHelp.org
What kinds of clinical trials are there? Prevention trials test new drugs or techniques designed to prevent the development of cancer in people at risk.
Control trials test treatments for the symptoms and
side effects caused by cancer and examine quality of life issues.
Treatment trials test the effectiveness of new cancer therapies and drugs.
How are cancer drugs tested? After initial laboratory and animal studies, medicines that are tested in people must follow rigid guidelines set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Research studies to test new drugs in people are categorized in four phases:
Phase I clinical trials involve a small group of
volunteers. They are designed to test a drug's safety and to determine how it
works in the human body.
Phase II studies test the effectiveness of the drug
on a few hundred, closely monitored volunteer patients who have the disease
the drug is designed to treat.
Phase III trials involve several thousand volunteer
patients who are closely monitored in clinics and hospitals to confirm the
effectiveness and adverse effects of the drug in treating their illness
compared to standard therapy.
Phase IV trials are sometimes required by the FDA to evaluate any long-term effects of a drug or treatment.
What's the latest in cancer research at Christiana Care? When it comes to delivering high quality cancer
care, clinical research trials play an important role. Clinical trials can
improve your treatment options by providing doctors with useful, reliable
information about what works best against cancer.Contact the Cancer Prevention Clinical Trials Office at 302-623-4590.
More about Christiana Care's Cancer Research Program
Christiana Care's Cancer Research Program is part of a select group of 51 research centers in the United States and Puerto Rico, funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to participate in their Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP). Thousands of patients throughout the region have benefited from studies conducted under the auspices of the CCOP, as well as from a variety of other federally funded and industry-supported cancer treatment, prevention and control trials. Many of these trials take place on a national level at a number of approved research centers around the country and throughout the world. Clinical trials test new drugs and combinations of treatments, as well as new techniques using surgery, radiation therapy, gene therapy, immunotherapy and biologics. Research studies encompass a wide range of cancer-related disciplines including hematology/oncology, radiation oncology and gynecologic oncology.
Clinical trials offered by Christiana Care attract participants from Delaware, southern New Jersey, northeastern Maryland and southeastern Pennsylvania. The annual accrual rate among newly diagnosed cancer patients is among the highest in the nation. There are currently 209 participants enrolled in more than 100 active study protocols, and an additional 900 former participants are still being followed.
All studies are first approved by Christiana Care's Institutional Review Board (IRB), a special committee that reviews and oversees all research projects to ensure that participants' rights and welfare are protected.
Dedication to Cancer Research Christiana Care's dedication to cancer research reaches back nearly three decades. In the last 30 years, more than 3,500 patients from Delaware and surrounding areas have been enrolled in Phase I, II and III cancer clinical trials.
Since 1987, the Cancer Research Program has received funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP) with affiliates throughout our region. CCOP encourages participation by community physicians in several research bases including:
Cancer & Leukemia Group B (CALGB).
National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project
(NSABP).
Children's Cancer Group (CCG).
Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG).
Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG).
Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG)
Stephen S. Grubbs, M.D. is Christiana Care's Principal Investigator for CCOP. Other key principal physician investigators involved in the CCOP include:
Diana Dickson-Witmer, M.D. -- ACOSOG
Stephen S. Grubbs, M.D. -- CALGB, CCOP
Gregory C. Griffin, M.D. -- COG
Gregory A. Masters, M.D. -- ECOG
David D. Biggs, M.D. -- NSABP
Timothy F. Wozniak, M.D. -- NSABP Prevention
Michael J. Guarino, M.D. -- Pharmaceutical
Trials
Thomas l. Bauer, M.D. -- ELCAP
James Lally, M.D. -- ELCAP
Barbara Marconi, RN, BSN, OCN -- ELCAP Coordinator
Adam Raben, M.D. -- RTOG
Mark E. Borowsky, M.D. -- GOG
Christiana Care's CCOP draws clinical trial participants from Delaware, southern New Jersey, northeastern Maryland and southeastern Pennsylvania. Our program follows approximately 1000 patients annually for survival data.
