Newswise — FORT WASHINGTON, PA — The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) Oncology Research Program (ORP), in collaboration with Pfizer Independent Grants for Learning & Change (IGLC), recently awarded six independent grants to health care institutions following a joint Request for Proposals (RFP) focused on the development and adoption of evidence-based initiatives to improve patient care and outcomes in renal cell carcinoma and hematologic malignancies.
“The NCCN ORP is extremely pleased that this collaborative initiative with Pfizer has funded important research-based education that has the potential to significantly improve the quality of care for patients with renal or hematologic malignancies,” said Diane E. Paul, MS, RN, Vice President, NCCN ORP.
The intent of the RFP was to encourage academic and community-based organizations to submit proposals describing concepts and ideas for design and implementation of systems or programs that narrow clinical practice gaps and improve the care of patients with rare cancer types through the establishment of education and support mechanisms for community oncologists.
The following proposals have been awarded funding: • Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center at The University of Nebraska Medical Center; Project EXTEND: A Community Extended Case Conference to Improve Lymphoma Care• Duke Cancer Institute; Novel Educational Interventions for Community Oncologists and Patients to Optimize Renal Cell Carcinoma Outcomes• East Carolina University; Enhancing Provider Education and Improving Healthcare Disparities in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) and Multiple Myeloma (MM) through a Rural Regional North Carolina Hospital Network• Fox Chase Cancer Center; Improving the Care of Patients with Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma (mRCC) via a Patient and Provider Intervention Program• National Marrow Donor Program; Referral for Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Hematologic Malignancies: Addressing Clinical Practice and Education Gaps among Oncologists• University of Colorado Cancer Center; Determining and Addressing Adherence to the NCCN Guidelines for Chronic Phase CML
The awardees responded to an RFP issued by the NCCN ORP in collaboration with Pfizer IGLC to the NCCN Member Institutions, as well as other academic and community hospitals throughout the United States. The RFP sought concepts for initiatives focusing on the following areas: • Health care provider education and incorporating education into practice• Provider/patient communications and treatment decision-making• Increasing the use of evidence-based recommendations for management of renal cell carcinoma or hematologic malignancies• Information related to patient assistance programs and other patient-centered resources
The NCCN ORP, organized to obtain funding to support scientifically meritorious research studies at NCCN Member Institutions and the NCCN Affiliate Research Consortium (ARC), was the lead organization for the review and evaluation of applications. The review committee, led by NCCN and including a medical representative from Pfizer, decided which proposals received funding. More than $2 million in grant funding was provided by Pfizer IGLC.
For more information about the NCCN ORP and ongoing clinical trials, visit NCCN.org.
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About the National Comprehensive Cancer NetworkThe National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®), a not-for-profit alliance of 25 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 and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center at The Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE; 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.
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