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.
