National Capital Area (NCA) Minority/Underserved NCORP

The National Capital Area (NCA) Minority/Underserved NCORP will be based at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center (LCCC), comprising Medstar Georgetown University Hospital (MGUH) and MedStar Washington Hospital Center (MWHC) as the primary affiliate, with a catchment area comprising 48.3% non-Latino Blacks (NLB) and 10.6% Hispanics/Latinos (H/L) that includes Washington, D.C. and adjacent counties in Maryland and Virginia. MWHC serves predominantly, i.e., > 85% minority and underserved populations; and treats more than 2,000 predominantly minority cancer patients and 48,000 outpatients, annually. The cancer burden and disparities are greatest among NLB population in the catchment area as evident by some of the highest mortality rates in the nation for breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers. Among the H/L population, cancer is the leading cause of death with H/L patients typically presenting at a later stage compared to Non-Latino White (NLW) patients. High rates of preventable cancer risk factors such as obesity, physical inactivity, and smoking, coupled with much lower screening rates for certain cancers, such as colorectal and cervical cancers in minorities contribute to the cancer disparities seen in the catchment area. The NCA NCORP proposes to address one of the most significant factors associated with these cancer disparities - limited access to optimal and cutting edge prevention, cancer control, and cancer care delivery by increasing awareness and providing access to cancer clinical trials among NLB and H/L in the catchment area. LCCC’s Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities Research (OMH), represents the community outreach arm that is led by Dr. Adams-Campbell, that has established viable academic-community partnerships that enable the NCA NCORP to conduct clinical research in areas of prevention, control, screening, health disparities, and cancer care delivery among the minority populations of interest. In light of an aging population and the increasing number of cancer survivors, this NCORP has the expertise and leadership as evident by demonstrable research in these areas that address cancer control and patient centered cancer care delivery. Furthermore, the ability to address cancer prevention and control among adolescents and young adults (AYA) is also a key strength of our team. The NCA NCORP will address the needs of our catchment area via cancer prevention, control, screening as well as treatment and imaging studies. The specific aims of the proposed National Capital Area NCORP are to: (1) Design and participate in clinical trials in cancer clinical research that improves the quality of care and the health outcomes of the US population in our catchment area; (2) Increase the participation of the greater DC area’s community oncologists and medical specialists and their patients in NCORP-led clinical research; and (3) Expand health disparities research focused on clinical research participation via community outreach, engagement, and education.