Efforts to Expand Clinical Trials in Georgia

Bringing cancer clinical trials closer to Georgians is a high priority.

And it has been since Georgia CORE launched in 2003.

Our efforts to facilitate and promote cancer clinical trials have helped bring an 8x increase in the number of trials available in Georgia. One out of every four patients enrolled in these trials are of racial or ethnic minorities — six times the national enrollment average.

Georgia CORE works in three ways to make cancer clinical trials as accessible as possible:

1. Creating and/or seizing opportunities for new trials. In one case, we connect cancer care providers to expand access to trials for blood cancers. In another, we help men with prostate cancer navigate a study on how genetic differences can affect treatment outcomes. Simply put, Georgia CORE is a go-to partner to industry, nonprofits, and others seeking to enroll more Georgians in trials that could benefit them. And we’ll be doing more in the future.

2. Increasing participation in open trials and helping patients discover new potential treatments with our Georgia Cancer Trial Finder program.

3. Co-leading a statewide collaboration to increase cancer clinical trials. 

This collaboration, GA NCORP, is part of a nationwide effort developed by the National Cancer Institute. It coordinates a network of sites throughout the state to bring potential cutting-edge treatments to more Georgians.

GA NCORP (Georgia NCI Community Oncology Research Program) started in 2014 with four important goals:

1. Get more eligible Georgians to participate in cancer clinical trials in their communities by increasing awareness of treatment options

2. Reduce cancer care disparities by enrolling more underrepresented populations of Georgians in all kinds of studies and settings

3. Balance the portfolio of research among open studies for treatment and cancer prevention and control studies

4. Get more healthcare providers in Georgia CORE’s network to participate in GA NCORP care and research

GA NCORP has:

• Built a network of 100 physicians with access to dozens of studies – in treatment, prevention, and control – available in 41 locations across the state

• Far exceeded national averages in the percentage of rural residents and racial/ethnic minorities enrolled in clinical treatments and other studies

• Ranked in the top quartile nationally for achieving goals

• Opened and recruited participants in five new studies on cancer care delivery research

• Developed and presented a new concept for genomics research

• Ranked in the top 15 sites nationally for enrolling patients in 11 high-priority clinical trials

• Received NCI’s Platinum Certificate of Excellence Award for exceptional achievement in enrolling patients in trials

• Because of GA NCORP, nearly 2,650 more Georgians have participated in new clinical treatments and other studies – all approved by the National Cancer Institute. One out of four participants were minorities.

Co-leading this effort with Georgia CORE are Northside Hospital Cancer Institute in Atlanta and the Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion at St. Joseph’s/Candler in Savannah.

Six network affiliates around the state participate in GA NCORP — John B. Amos Cancer Center in Columbus; Harbin Clinic in Rome; Peyton Anderson Cancer Center Navicent Health in Macon; Cancer Services at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville; Pearlman Cancer Center at South Georgia Medical Center in Valdosta; and Tift Regional Medical Center in Tifton (not shown on map).

Because of this program, 3 out of 4 Georgians are within reach of new prevention, control, and treatment trials. Many are in rural and underserved communities.

GA NCORP works to broaden participation in cancer clinical trials. When participants in trials reflect the profile of the overall population, the work of researchers becomes more relevant and valuable.