LOS ANGELES, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Cancer Care Consultants, Southern California’s premier radiation oncology practice, in conjunction with Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital has received a $3.5 million Disparity Grant from the National Cancer Institute to improve access to clinical trials for patients with breast cancer, prostate cancer and other malignancies that afflict the community which they serve.
The grant funds the Urban Latino African American Cancer (ULAAC) Disparity Project which helps provide access to breakthrough medical treatment for those groups who historically experience low levels of participation in clinical trials. Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital’s Department of Radiation Oncology currently serves a population of approximately 45 percent Latino and 45 percent African American with a median household income of $32,000.
“This grant creates an unprecedented opportunity to reduce disparities in access to radiation oncology, cancer prevention and translational research trials,” said Cancer Care Consultants’ Michael Steinberg, M.D., who will serve as the principle investigator of the project. “The project will extend access to radiation oncology clinical research to individuals who for any number of cultural and socioeconomic reasons don’t traditionally have access to this kind of treatment.”
Supporting this program and helping to conduct the trials will be the Norris Cancer Institute at the University of Southern California and University of California San Francisco Cancer Center. Also participating is the RAND Corporation who will study the barriers to access to clinical trials for minorities and will make recommendations for remedies to this disparity in care for cancer patients.
Treatment of cancer benefits greatly from the clinical-trial process. In addition to helping develop new therapies to treat cancer in the future, participants in such trials often experience better outcomes than those who do not participate. Many therapies in use today to combat the disease were developed as a result of the clinical-trial process. One group that has benefited tremendously from clinical trials is children, whose survival rate has improved steadily in recent years due to the fact that almost all children with cancer are enrolled in clinical trials.
At Daniel Freeman, physicians will help identify cancer patients that may be appropriate for the study and for whom radiation treatment is indicated. A key aspect of the project is the use of trained “patient navigators” who, overseen by the ULAAC team, will work with cancer patients and their families from diagnosis through treatment and follow-up. “Patients will receive excellent care and attention for all of their varied needs,” said David Khan, M.D., co-principle investigator of the project. “We are not only concerned physicians, but are researchers who will be rigorous in every step of the process, including: treatment delivery, follow-up and management.”
The trials to be conducted are considered Phase III, meaning that the treatments have already been thoroughly evaluated and approved by an outside institutional review board prior to being offered to patients. Participants will also have access to transportation to and from the hospital and assistance working with their insurance companies, which may have varying policies covering the cost of care in clinical trials.
Cancer Care Consultants is Southern California’s most comprehensive and experienced radiation oncology group. Founded in 1973, the group annually provides treatment to over 1,500 patients with cancer and its doctors have been recognized in the “Best Doctors in America” and “The Essential Guide to Los Angeles’ Best Doctors.” With four locations throughout Southern California, the group is actively involved in cutting-edge clinical research fostering the advancement of cancer care and aimed and finding a cure for cancer.
Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital is a 358-bed acute-care hospital offering a wide array of medical and surgical services, including: cancer treatment, obstetrics, neonatal intensive care, pediatrics, neurology, neurosurgery, acute rehabilitation and emergency room services. This year the hospital is celebrating its 50-year healing ministry to Inglewood. Grounded in the tradition and history of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital operates in accordance with the ethical and religious directives of the Catholic Church. The hospital is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency.
Cancer Care Consultants
CONTACT: Ross Goldberg, +1-818-597-8453, for Cancer Care Consultants
