Cancer Care and Research Center at Marshfield Clinic Research Institute was recently awarded $2.3 million by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to continue to support the Wisconsin National Community Oncology Research Program (WiNCORP) through July 2019.
Cancer Care and Research coordinates clinical trials with care delivery at many Marshfield Clinic Health System Cancer Care locations.
“Having access to clinical trials in Minocqua offers patients the latest advances in cancer treatment close to home allowing them to avoid expensive travel,” said Deana Jansa, oncology research nurse at Minocqua Center.
The Research Institute and two of its research partners received the initial award from NCI in 2014 to expand clinical research. To date, the WiNCORP project has funded more than $11 million.
Bringing health systems together for research
WiNCORP brings together Marshfield Clinic Health System, Gundersen Health System of La Crosse and St. Vincent Cancer Center of Green Bay and builds upon their collaborative relationship to improve access to cancer trials for more patients as they target some of the biggest questions in cancer research.
"We have participated in hundreds of clinical trials that have made a huge difference to our patients since we received the initial award and are excited that we get to continue to provide our patients with this state-of-the-art cancer care,” said Dr. Adedayo Onitilo, Cancer Care and Research Center medical director.
The Research Institute and its partners have a long history of successful clinical cancer research. It has about 150 active clinical cancer research trials at any given time.
"We are excited that we can continue to provide this valuable service that integrates research into care delivery for our patients," said Amit Acharya, B.D.S., Ph.D., Research Institute executive director. “Cancer research is a valuable treatment option for our patients, and sometimes it is the only option.”
Each organization worked previously with NCI as part of its Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP), which preceded NCORP. The Research Institute joined CCOP when the program launched in 1983. St. Vincent and Gundersen joined the network in 2002 and 2011, respectively.
NCORP is a national NCI-supported network of investigators, cancer care providers, academic institutions and other organizations that provide care to diverse populations in community-based health care practices across the U.S.
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number UG1CA189956. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.