Newswise — PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA and INDIANAPOLIS, IN [March 20, 2019] — The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) Oncology Research Program (ORP) and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today announced six projects that aim to improve the delivery of gastric and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer care in the United States. The quality improvement studies will focus on methods of intervention that can be implemented across a variety of different oncology practice settings. These projects are eligible to receiving funding from Lilly Oncology after completing contract negotiations. Forty-nine letters of intent were submitted in response to the RFP and subsequently 19 full proposals were requested for review.

“As part of our mission to facilitate care that helps patients live better lives, we’re honored to support research that enhances outcomes and experiences for people with gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancers,” said Wui-Jin Koh, MD, Chief Medical Officer, NCCN. “This project is intended to identify disparities in care between the community and academic setting, and define scalable, shareable solutions that will rapidly improve adherence to guidelines and quality of care.”

The following studies were selected by the NCCN ORP:

  • Efrat Dotan, MD; Fox Chase Cancer Center; Improving the Approach to and Management of the Older Patient with Metastatic Gastric Cancer
  • Qiuling Shi, PhD; Loretta A. Williams, PhD; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Symptom Management Through an Automated Alert System to Improve Adherence During Systemic Therapy for Patients with Gastric/Gastroesophageal Junction (GEJ) Cancer

“NCCN ORP congratulates all of the collaborators, and looks forward to their contributions to the future of gastric and GEJ cancer care,” said Dr. Koh.

“Lilly is proud to work with the NCCN ORP to research better ways for delivering high-quality cancer care to patients with this aggressive disease,” said Maura Dickler, MD, Vice President of Late Phase Development, Lilly Oncology. “By utilizing novel approaches and advancing technology, these studies will help us to address some of the largest disparities in care that exist for patients undergoing treatment for gastric and GEJ cancers.”

The NCCN ORP was responsible for the Request-for-Proposals (RFP) process, application review and evaluation. A committee led by NCCN and including a medical representative from Lilly determined which proposals would be eligible to receive funding. Project funding will be provided directly by Lilly upon mutual agreement of project terms and conditions.

The studies will be conducted over a period of two years.

The NCCN ORP fosters innovation and knowledge discovery that improves the lives of people with cancer by supporting investigator-initiated trials at NCCN Member Institutions and their affiliates. To date, it has supported more than 140 studies, with numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals. To learn more about the NCCN ORP and ongoing clinical trials, visit NCCN.org/ORP.

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About Lilly Oncology

For more than 50 years, Lilly has been dedicated to delivering life-changing medicines and support to people living with cancer and those who care for them. Lilly is determined to build on this heritage and continue making life better for all those affected by cancer around the world. To learn more about Lilly's commitment to people with cancer, please visit www.LillyOncology.com.  

About Eli Lilly and Company

Lilly is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to create medicines that make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, please visit us at http://www.lilly.com and newsroom.lilly.com/social-channels.

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About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) is a not-for-profit alliance of 28 leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education. NCCN is dedicated to improving and facilitating quality, effective, efficient, and accessible cancer care so 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. By defining and advancing 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 around the world.

The NCCN Member Institutions are: Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; 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 National Medical Center, Duarte, 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 Comprehensive Cancer Center, 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 Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, WI; 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. Media, visit NCCN.org/news. Follow NCCN on Twitter @NCCNnews and Facebook @National.Comprehensive.Cancer.Network.