- What is the Community Clinical Oncology Program?
The Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP) is a large network that enables
patients and physicians to participate in clinical trials across the United
States and in Puerto Rico. Clinical trials are research studies conducted
with patients or with healthy people. These studies are designed to answer
specific questions about the effectiveness of new ways to prevent, detect,
diagnose, and treat cancer.
A medical facility (such as a hospital or private practice) or a group of
facilities can apply to join the CCOP and participate in clinical trials sponsored
by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Facilities that serve cancer patients
who are largely from minority populations may also apply to join a related
program, the Minority-Based CCOP.
Facilities participating in the CCOP or Minority-Based CCOP are required
to affiliate with at least one research base. A research base may be an NCI-supported
clinical cooperative
group or cancer center. The CCOP and Minority-Based CCOP participants
use research protocols
developed and provided by the research bases.
- Why was the CCOP established?
The CCOP was established by the NCI in 1983 to ensure that cancer patients
have access to quality medical care in their own communities. In 1989, the
NCI also approved the Minority-Based CCOP to increase the involvement of racial
and ethnic minority patients in research, and facilitate their access to the
latest advances in cancer treatment, prevention, and control.
Through the CCOP network, community physicians work with scientists to conduct
NCI-supported clinical trials. This collaboration helps to transfer the latest
research findings to the community level and provide quality care in participating
communities. The CCOP network also increases the number of patients and physicians
who can participate in clinical trials and allows researchers to conduct large-scale
cancer treatment, prevention, and control studies. In this way, clinical questions
are answered more quickly, and the latest research findings are spread to
communities more rapidly. Thus, participation in the CCOP benefits patients
and physicians in the community, and contributes to medical knowledge and
progress against cancer.
The CCOP has been very effective in recruiting patients into clinical trials.
Currently, approximately one-third of all patients in NCI-sponsored treatment
and prevention trials are recruited from CCOP facilities.
- Where can people find more information about the CCOP?
Additional information about the CCOP can be found at http://prevention.cancer.gov/programs-resources/programs/ccop
on the Internet. This Web site contains contact information for each facility
in the CCOP and Minority-Based CCOP networks, and each CCOP research base.
This information is also available from the Cancer Information Service (CIS),
an NCI-supported nationwide service for cancer patients and their families,
the public, and health care professionals. CIS information specialists have
extensive training in providing up-to-date and understandable information
about cancer and NCI-supported programs. They can be reached by calling the
toll-free number, 1–800–4–CANCER (1–800–422–6237).
For callers with TTY equipment, the toll-free number is 1–800–332–8615.
CIS information specialists also offer immediate online assistance through
the LiveHelp link at http://www.cancer.gov/
on the Internet.
More information about the CCOP can also be found on a special NCI Web site
that celebrates the 20th anniversary of this program. This page is found at
http://dcp.cancer.gov/programs-resources/pubs/rpts/ccop20th
on the Internet.