Western States Cancer Research

Western States Cancer Research NCORP (WSCR-NCORP) (formerly Colorado Cancer Research Program) is a nonprofit, National Cancer Institute (NCI) affiliated Cancer Clinical Trial Research Organization, whose primary aim is to make cancer clinical trials available to patients, physicians, and communities in our region.

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Why Partner with WSCR-NCORP

WSCR-NCORP welcomes sites interested in joining our consortium. For our discussion with you, we would like to make you aware of the services we provide our consortium members.

  • Access to NCI clinical trials.
  • NCI NCORP research bases who provide clinical trials to each physicians:
    • Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology (Alliance)
    • NRG Oncology (NRG)
    • SWOG Cancer Research Network (SWOG)
    • Wake Forest NCORP Research Base (WF)
    • ECOG-ACRIN (ECOG)
  • PI oversight of all trials
  • Management of all credentialing processes of physicians and sites on an annual basis
  • Regulatory oversight, including updating amendments to protocols
  • IRB oversight and continuing reviews
  • Protocol expertise
  • Investigational Product oversight (drug accountability)
  • Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC) support to sites making that request
  • Data collection, management, and support
  • Quality Assurance audits and support
  • The staffing and management of all Research Base audits
  • Interface with the research and the NCI
  • Percentage reimbursement of the research base funding for non-standard of care testing
  • Educational sessions for oncology nurses and physicians as requested / needed
  • Tumor board attendance as requested / needed
  • Incentive payments for accruals

Our PI holds regular meetings with the physicians at our sites to tell them about new studies we have open and to learn about their needs.

If you are interested in joining our team of dedicated researchers and clinicians, please contact our Director of Regulatory and Compliance, William Coffey, to begin the process.

Communities and physicians requesting membership in the Western States Cancer Research NCORP Consortium should consider the following points involved with membership:

  • We request a Letter of Interest that explains;
      • Why your organization wishes to join the WSCR-NCORP and how will your community and/or practice benefit from joining our NCORP.
      • What strengths and contributions your organization would bring to our NCORP.
      • Your organization’s infrastructure that will allow for research participation.
      • What goals or anticipated accomplishments you look forward to with WSCR-NCORP membership.
  • What support resources will be available to assure timely compliance with research base administrative and data requirements (for example, oncology nurses, clinical research associates, and administrative support for regulatory requirements)?
  • Prior cancer research experience of physician applicants, including prior or current membership in any other network group (for example, Alliance, ECOG-ACRIN, NRG, SWOG, URCC, and WF).
  • You will be required to provide previous audit reports and CAPA plans.
  • Our PI, CEO, and Grant Administrator will make a site visit.
  • You will be required to adhere to the WSCR-NCORP Bylaws and the requirements of WSCR-NCORP.
  • Please review our study-specific HIPAA document to ensure that WSCR-NCORP can access your medical records.

It is clear that the nature of clinical trials is changing for treatment, imaging, and cancer control prevention, Cancer Care Delivery Research (CCDR), etc.

  • NCI continues to conduct trials that industry cannot / will not conduct. The main reason is that their ultimate goals of drug approvals are independent of the follow-up that is critical for the general population for adverse events and efficacy. Similarly, in cancer control (symptom science, in particular), industry has not engaged the basic science researchers in identifying mechanisms for which targets/predictive biomarkers can be identified. NCI is at the helm of these initiatives.
  • NCI continues to be interested in cancer prevention, whether it is a scientifically meritorious large trial or smaller ones that will better identify high risk populations and interventions for them. History has proven that the evidence for prevention has emanated from NCI. We are focusing our efforts to use implementation science to help promote this evidence / uptake into the community settings.
  • NCI supports both academic and community research. The goals for those different institutions are meant to be different, yet complementary. Ultimately, it is about being able to introduce the clinical interventions into the community settings as the science evolves, and being in the position to translate the interventions that are effective into the general populations.
  • Finally, although biomarkers and genomically driven trials are being conducted by non-NCI programs, it is really NCI that is making the multi-disciplinary approach to understand the infrastructure, physicians and patients gaps to support genomic research in clinical practices.

NCI appreciates the competition and dramatic changes in the delivery of cancer care and hence is working to develop research in the delivery of care that will improve cancer outcomes in the community settings.

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