Cancer (see more articles like this)

Florida Hospital Cancer Institute is one of only 12 community oncology practices in the country to receive honors from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) for efforts to improve cancer research through participation in clinical trials.  Florida Hospital Cancer Institute is one of three cancer centers in the eastern United States and the only cancer center in Florida to receive this award in 2006.  Historically, only 31 community cancer centers have ever received this recognition. 

In 2005, Florida Hospital Cancer Institute enrolled more than 300 patients in clinical trials, enabling these patients to receive cutting–edge cancer therapies.  Florida Hospital Cancer Institute currently has more than 120 ongoing clinical trials for different cancers, including breast, lung, colon and pancreatic cancers. Today, less than 5 percent of adult patients with cancer are enrolled in clinical trials, and this lack of participation slows progress in the development of new therapies.

“The patients who have been part of clinical trials at Florida Hospital Cancer Institute have made personal contributions to the progress being made against cancer through research, and we are working every day to make sure the people in our community continue to have an opportunity to participate in clinical trials,” said Dr. Lee Zehngebot, MD.

Clinical trials are research studies for patients that are designed to evaluate whether a new therapy is safe, effective, and better than the current standard of care.  The impressive advances in cancer treatment over the last 30 years can be traced directly to the clinical trials that evaluated new cancer therapies.

“Today, more than 10 million cancer survivors are living in the U.S., and many of them owe their survival to those who took part in clinical trials before them,” said Joseph S. Bailes, MD, Interim Executive Vice President and CEO of ASCO.  “However, few people know about clinical trials and their potential benefits.  Florida Hospital Cancer Institute is to be commended for increasing awareness and participation in clinical trials in their community.”

Florida Hospital Cancer Institute treats more cancer patients than any other health system in Florida.  In addition to being a national leader in clinical research, Florida Hospital Cancer Institute provides the best in cancer detection, diagnosis, and treatment, while caring for the emotional and spiritual needs of its patients.
    
ASCO’s 2006 Clinical Trial Participation Award will be presented to Florida Hospital Cancer Institute on Saturday, June 3, at ASCO’s 42nd Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA.  The award winners were selected based on many factors including patient accrual to clinical trials over a three-year period.  Special consideration was given to practices that increased clinical trial participation among underrepresented populations, as well as practices that used innovative techniques to overcome barriers to the enrollment of cancer patients in clinical trials.  The awards program is supported by a grant from the Coalition of National Cancer Cooperative Groups that enables ASCO to provide award recipients with a travel grant to attend ASCO’s Annual Meeting.
           
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is the world’s leading professional organization representing physicians of all oncology subspecialties who care for people with cancer.  ASCO’s more than 20,000 members from the United States and abroad set the standard for patient care and lead the efforts to discover more effective cancer treatments, increase funding for clinical and translational research, and, ultimately improve cancer care for the estimated 10 million people diagnosed with cancer worldwide each year.  ASCO publishes the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO), the preeminent, peer-reviewed, medical journal on clinical research, and produces People Living With Cancer (www.plwc.org), a comprehensive consumer Web site providing oncologist-vetted cancer information to help patients and families make informed health-care decisions.