Cooperative Group Trials in the Community Setting

Over the last 40 years the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has created a vibrant public-private partnership for the implementation of NCI-sponsored cooperative group (Network) clinical trials throughout the United States and Canada. Over these four decades, the cancer clinical trials process has become more complex more precise and more resource intensive. During this same time period, financial resources to support the NCI community research initiative have become more constrained. The newest manifestation of NCI-sponsored community based cancer clinical trial research, known as the National Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) began initial operation August 1, 2014. We describe several key strategies that community sites may use to not only be successful but to thrive in this new financially austere research environment.