Contact: Tim Gehret
843.792.2626
March 23, 2007
CHARLESTON, -- The Medical University of South Carolina's (MUSC) Hollings Cancer Center is pleased to welcome McLeod Health as the newest member to its Clinical Trials Network. This program, unique to South Carolina, provides access to cancer clinical trials research across the state and enables sites to share resources and work together to deliver quality cancer clinical trials. McLeod Health, based in Florence, is the 8th member to join the network.
"This is a win-win situation for the medical center, the people of the Pee Dee area, the Hollings Cancer Center and ultimately everyone in South Carolina," says Carolyn Reed, M.D., clinical director of outreach at the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center in Charleston.
By joining the network program, doctors at McLeod Health can participate in unique clinical trials developed by Hollings Cancer Center physicians. In addition, cancer patients at McLeod Health will have access to new and innovative cancer treatments that are not yet available to the general public. They will be able to access greater treatment options in their own community and see their own doctors which will allow them to remain in close proximity to their families.
A recent panel report to the National Cancer Institute indicated that many discoveries exist in the area of cancer therapy that, unfortunately, are not reaching the patients who can benefit from them. About 20 percent of cancer patients in the United States are medically eligible for clinical trials, but only three percent actually enroll in these potentially beneficial programs, according to Reed. The primary reason for this is that clinical trials for the most part are conducted through academic medical centers, while 80 percent of cancer patients are treated by community oncologists. A progressive, far reaching approach like the Clinical Trials Network can play a crucial role in breaking down this access barrier by fostering partnerships between community medical centers and the academic medical center in Charleston.
Additional benefits of network membership include:
• Access to a variety of seminars, conferences, and internet-based education programs provided by Hollings Cancer Center.
• Additional guidance and support to promote a successful clinical trials program.
• Larger patient base for Hollings Cancer Center's clinical trials.
"When we seek support for conducting clinical trials, we need to show we have sufficient numbers of participants," said Reed. "Our network of partners will greatly expand our potential participant base and enhance South Carolina's ability to attract additional resources and opportunities to promote cancer research."
Many cancer medications that may be vital to one's survival are not yet available to the public except through clinical research. McLeod participates in state-of-the-art cancer research trials for prevention and treatment of cancer making these medications available to their community. For 24 years, the McLeod Cancer Research Department has made these clinical trials available to eligible patients in the Pee Dee, Grand Strand and a portion of North Carolina. McLeod's participation in cancer research is supported through its association with the Southeast Cancer Control Consortium, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, NCI national cooperative groups such as the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), Cancer & Leukemia Group B (CALGB), and Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG), and the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). The McLeod Research department continues to follow approximately 200 patients who are participating in research through McLeod, including one patient that has been followed since 1989.
"We are very excited to join the Hollings Clinical Trials Network." said Rajesh Bajaj, M.D., Medical Director of the McLeod Cancer Center and an Oncologist/Hematologist with Carolina HealthCare. "For nearly 25 years, we've participated in research at McLeod, placing patients on national clinical trials. As part of the network with the Hollings Cancer Center at MUSC, we will be able to provide our patients with participation in the local, university-based trials that MUSC conducts."
The Hollings Cancer Center has for the past few years been positioning itself to achieve National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation. Many of the requirements for this elite designation are already in place, and the clinical trials network with its emphasis on community-based collaboration will strengthen the center's application for NCI designation.
About MUSC
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina
is the oldest medical school in the South. Today, MUSC continues the
tradition of excellence in education, research, and patient care. MUSC
educates and trains more than 3,000 students and residents, and has nearly 10,000
employees, including 1,300 faculty members. As the largest non-federal
employer in Charleston, the university and its affiliates have
collective annual budgets in excess of $1.3 billion. MUSC operates a
600-bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized
Children's Hospital and a leading Institute of Psychiatry. For more
information on academic information or clinical services, visit
www.musc.edu or www.muschealth.com.
About McLeod Health
Founded in 1906, McLeod Health is a not-for-profit, self-supporting health care system whose service area includes 12 counties and a population close to one million. The Florence-based medical center, with its Centers of Excellence in Heart, Cancer, Surgery, Neurosurgery, Emergency Services, Behavioral Health, Children's and Women's Services, Home Health and Hospice Services, is recognized as one of the nation's finest hospitals and stands at the core of its mission. McLeod Cancer Center is the region's only program approved as a "Community Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Program" by the American College of Surgeons. Subspecialty Services include acute care for infants and children in the McLeod Pediatric and Intensive Care Units as well as McLeod's medical provision to the region as one of four designated Perinatal Centers. McLeod Health is also one of the largest employers in the Pee Dee with more than 4,700 employees. http://www.mcleodhealth.org.
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