Frequently Asked Questions

NCI Community Cancer Centers Program Pilot: 2007-2010

Key Points

The NCI Community Cancer Centers Program (NCCCP) is a pilot program that has formed a national network of community cancer centers to expand cancer research and deliver the most advanced cancer care to more Americans in the communities where they live.
Started in 2007, the NCCCP involves 16 community hospitals located primarily in rural, small-town, and underserved urban areas in 14 states.
The NCCCP goals are to: 1) reduce cancer healthcare disparities; 2) recruit more patients into clinical trials; 3) standardize the collection of tissue and other biospecimens for research purposes; 4) improve information technology capabilities, including instituting electronic health records; 5) improve quality of care; and 6) enhance cancer survivorship and palliative care.
The 16 pilot hospitals have made considerable progress toward achieving the major program goals and are defining for NCI what it takes to build a national network of community hospitals that are fully engaged in cancer research and offer the latest evidence-based, multidisciplinary care to diverse populations in their home communities.

Why is NCI conducting the NCI Community Cancer Centers Program?

NCI estimates that only about 15 percent of U.S. cancer patients are diagnosed and treated at the nation’s major academic-based Cancer Centers. The vast majority of cancer patients (about 85 percent) are treated at community hospitals in or near the communities in which they live. Many patients choose community hospitals because they are close to family, friends, and jobs, whereas treatment at the major Cancer Centers may require long commutes or extended stays away from home. The NCCCP pilot extends NCI programs into local communities, giving patients easier access to state-of-the art cancer care and clinical trial opportunities.

What are the goals of the NCCCP pilot?

Reduce cancer healthcare disparities. A major focus of the NCCCP is to reduce the cancer burden among underserved populations. The pilot hospitals are extending their reach into their own communities to bring more patients into a system of high-quality cancer care and to better understand why some populations experience higher cancer rates than others.
Expand access to clinical trials. Pilot sites are providing access to the most promising advances in cancer prevention and treatment through NCI-sponsored clinical trials. By recruiting more patients into clinical trials, researchers can speed the development of effective cancer prevention and treatment strategies.
Improve collection, storage, and sharing of blood and tissue samples needed for research. With access to a broad cross-section of patients who voluntarily provide tissue and blood samples, researchers have a greater opportunity to study both normal and cancerous cells. The NCCCP is assessing how NCI’s guidelines for collection and storage of biospecimens can be applied nationwide to benefit the entire cancer research community.
Evaluate use of electronic health records. Greater access to electronic patient data is contributing to researchers’ knowledge about cancer and its treatment. The NCCCP pilot is assessing how sites can implement electronic health records and link this medical information, provided with patient consent, to NCI’s caBIG® (cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid®).
Improve quality of care. The NCCCP pilot sites are investigating methods to enhance several components of quality of care, including defining high-quality cancer care in a community setting and identifying ways to measure cancer healthcare quality.
Enhance cancer survivorship and palliative care services. The NCCCP is assessing ways to expand survivorship and palliative care services in community hospital settings, including expanded psychosocial initiatives for cancer survivors.

How does the NCCCP pilot compare to other NCI community cancer initiatives?

NCI sponsors or conducts several community-based cancer research programs. The NCCCP shares many components of these programs, including:

The NCI-designated Cancer Centers Program, which offers clinical trials and advanced cancer treatment and prevention services at 65 of the nation’s largest academic-based medical facilities;
The NCI Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP), which links community cancer specialists to the NCI-designated Cancer Centers and NCI Cooperative Groups to conduct clinical trials; and
The NCI Minority-Based CCOP (MB-CCOP), which expands access to clinical research in minority and underserved communities.

The NCCCP combines components of these programs with other NCI-sponsored research activities, such as biospecimen collection procedures and electronic health records implementation, into one initiative under a model involving private-practice medical oncologists.

What are the expected benefits of the NCCCP to patients?

The pilot hospitals are providing patients with comprehensive cancer screening, prevention, treatment, and survivorship and palliative care. Patients diagnosed with cancer receive medical, surgical, and radiation oncology services and have access to NCI-sponsored clinical trials. In addition, patient navigators at each site assist patients in coordinating financial support, transportation services, records transfers, and other services.

What are the benefits to pilot hospitals and communities?

The NCCCP is improving the quality of cancer care at the pilot sites by enhancing the clinical research expertise of the hospitals’ staffs and implementing new programs. The pilot sites are benefiting from staff training in cancer management, stronger links to the NCI-designated Cancer Centers, genetic and molecular testing capabilities, and support for outreach to underserved populations.

How were the pilot hospitals chosen, and how are they being evaluated?

The 16 pilot sites, located in 14 states, are community hospital-based cancer centers that offer medical, surgical, and radiation oncology care; manage a patient volume of more than 1,000 new cancer cases each year; already enroll patients in clinical trials; and take part in outreach to underserved populations.

An independent evaluation contractor is conducting an evaluation of the pilot program, and an evaluation oversight committee with expert external advisors is providing input into the program and the evaluation. NCI is using this advice to continually refine the NCCCP and develop options for the future.

The NCCCP pilot hospitals, their locations, and their Cancer Centers are:

Billings Clinic, Billings, Mont. (Billings Clinic Cancer Center)
Hartford Hospital, Hartford, Conn. (Helen & Harry Gray Cancer Center)
St. Joseph’s/Candler, Savannah, Ga. (Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer and Research Pavilion)
Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, Baton Rouge, La. (Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center and Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center)
Sanford USD Medical Center, Sioux Falls, S.D. (Sanford Cancer Center)
Spartanburg Regional Hospital, Spartanburg, S.C. (Gibbs Regional Cancer Center)
St. Joseph Hospital, Orange, Calif. (St. Joseph Hospital Cancer Center)
Christiana Hospital, Newark, Del. (Helen F. Graham Cancer Center at Christiana Care)
Ascension Health, St. Louis, Mo., for the following hospitals:
- St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital, Indianapolis, Ind. (St. Vincent Oncology Center)
- Columbia St. Mary’s, Milwaukee, Wis. (Columbia St. Mary’s Cancer Center)
- Brackenridge Hospital, Austin, Texas (Shivers Center)
Catholic Health Initiatives, Denver, Colo., for the following hospitals:
- Penrose-St. Francis Health Services, Colorado Springs, Colo.. (Penrose Cancer Center)
- St. Joseph Medical Center, Towson, Md. (St. Joseph Cancer Institute)
A coordinated regional program in Nebraska sponsored by Catholic Health Initiatives, involving:
- Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney (Good Samaritan Cancer Center)
- St. Elizabeth Regional Medical Center in Lincoln (St. Elizabeth Cancer Center)
- St. Francis Medical Center in Grand Island (St. Francis Cancer Treatment Center).