Newswise — As the nation turns its focus to the message being spread by the Stand Up To Cancer campaign -- which will culminate with a telethon on television's "Big 3" networks early next month -- The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) is highlighting the importance of being able to quickly find quality information about cancer clinical trials. CINJ is a Center of Excellence of UMNDJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
A little more than five years ago, if a cancer patient in New Jersey wanted to explore the possibility of participating in a clinical trial, he entered into a discussion with a doctor. Recognizing the benefit of having even more information available to further jumpstart such conversation, CINJ developed the New Jersey Cancer Trial Connect (NJCTC) website.
NJCTC is a web-based resource in English and Spanish that allows patients to cross-reference tumor sites, targeted drugs and other information, then matches them with cancer research studies available throughout the state. The site (http://www.njctc.org) -- which is operated by CINJ with assistance from the state -- was launched in April 2003 and has received more than seven-million hits since.
As New Jersey's only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, CINJ currently enrolls more than 1,000 patients on clinical trials, including approximately 15% of all new adult cancer patients and approximately 70% of all pediatric cancer patients. CINJ also works closely with its partner and affiliate hospitals across the state to offer New Jersey cancer patients the most cutting-edge cancer clinical trials, all which can be found through the NJCTC website.
CINJ Experts Available for Interview: Susan Goodin, PharmD, FCCP, BCOP, is the director of pharmaceutical sciences at CINJ and professor of medicine at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. As the driving force behind the creation of New Jersey Cancer Trial Connect, she can discuss how the need for such a resource tool was identified, and what impact the website has had on patients. Dr. Goodin can also provide an overview of CINJ's clinical trial program as well as discuss aspects of supportive care, clinical pharmacology and drug interactions.
Kristen Fessele, R.N., M.S.N., A.P.N.-C, is the associate director of the Office of Human Research Services at CINJ. She works closely with patients who are on cancer research studies and can discuss the patient benefit of having numerous study resources under one umbrella, as well as the benefit of having scientific information broken down into any easy-to-understand manner.
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