Newswise — FORT WASHINGTON, PA — The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) Oncology Research Program (ORP) is collaborating with Pfizer Independent Grants for Learning & Change (IGLC) to establish a peer-reviewed grant program to elicit proposals focused on health care provider performance and/or health care quality improvement and education projects. As part of this program, the NCCN ORP and Pfizer will jointly issue a Request for Proposals (RFP), focused on the development and adoption of evidence-based initiatives to improve patient care and outcomes in metastatic breast cancer.

The intent of the RFP is to encourage academic and community-based organizations to submit proposals describing concepts and ideas for design and implementation of programs that address clinical practice gaps and improve the care of patients through increased competence and performance of health care providers and health care systems. It is expected to fund approximately six to eight projects.

“Through this collaboration, NCCN and Pfizer IGLC strive to improve the lives of people with cancer through the advancement of evidence-based treatment recommendations in tandem with enhanced clinician education and supportive care services,” said Robert W. Carlson, MD, Chief Executive Officer, NCCN. “NCCN is grateful for the opportunity to work with Pfizer on this important initiative.”

The NCCN ORP and Pfizer will announce an RFP seeking concepts for initiatives focusing on the following areas where gaps in care currently exist:• Provider education and provider/patient treatment shared decision-making• Adoption of evidence-based recommendations for management of metastatic breast cancer• Information related to patient assistance programs and other patient-centered resources• Comprehensive approaches to improving health care delivery systems

The NCCN ORP, organized to obtain funding to support scientifically meritorious research studies at NCCN Member Institutions, will be the lead organization for review and evaluation of applications. A review committee, led by NCCN and including a medical representative from Pfizer, will make decisions on which proposals will receive funding. Grant funding will be provided by Pfizer IGLC.

For more information about NCCN ORP and ongoing clinical trials, visit NCCN.org. ###

About the National Comprehensive Cancer NetworkThe National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®), a not-for-profit alliance of 26 of the world’s leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education, is dedicated to improving the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of cancer care so that patients can live better lives. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. As the arbiter of high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers.

The NCCN Member Institutions are: Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Omaha, NE; Case Comprehensive Cancer Center/University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland, OH; City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA; Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center | Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA; Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC; Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA; Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, WA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ, Jacksonville, FL, and Rochester, MN; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH; Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY; Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital/The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN; Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford, CA; University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center, Birmingham, AL; UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA; UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA; University of Colorado Cancer Center, Aurora, CO; University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN; and Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital, New Haven, CT.

Clinicians, visit NCCN.org. Patients and caregivers, visit NCCN.org/patients.