The challenge during the creation of the CCOP program in the early 1980s was to design and implement a program to assure that cancer patients treated in their communities had access to clinical trial quality medical care. By introducing up-to-date cancer management into the community in the form of research clinical trials, community physicians would also be more ready and able to apply the proven treatment regimens to all their patients. Diffusion of state-of-the art cancer treatment to the practices where people were being treated would be enhanced.
The Request for Application released July 16, 1982 had the goal of selecting organizations of hospitals and medical practices that would take part in treatment trials, and build a network for cancer prevention and control trials.
Today, the CCOP network takes part in NCI cancer treatment trials reviewed and approved by the NCI Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (DCTD), Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP). Cancer prevention and control protocols are reviewed and approved by the NCI Division of Cancer Prevention (DCP) Community Oncology and Prevention Trials Research Group staff. There is great cooperation and collaboration between these programs and their staffs, and the CCOP network sites benefit from the seamless integration of systems.