- 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://www.cancer.gov/prevention/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://www.cancer.gov/prevention/ccop20th/ on the
Internet.
Back to Top