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Since the program was first established in 1991, MB-CCOPs have been integral to the study and understanding of how new agents, trial designs, and technologies are disseminated and implemented in both minority and special populations. The program evolved from the recognition that most cancer care for racial and ethnic minorities had been taking place in the clinics of urban academic institutions. By increasing access to cancer clinical trials in local communities, the CCOP network has helped reduce the unequal burden of cancer across society.

The MB-CCOPs contribute the highest concentration of minority participants to cancer trials. The sites provide cancer care in catchments composed of patient populations that are at least 30% minority. Much of their focus is on building the outreach and management capacity of the respective institutions, many of which face frontline health care challenges.

Research Bases have reached out to the MB-CCOPs to enhance cohort diversity in designing prevention and control trials. Such strategies included, for example, overpowering a statistical design to include 50% enrollment of Hispanics to collect data on chemotherapy-related stress in one study, and evaluating the effect of socioeconomic status on breast cancer incidence and the value of p53 as a prognostic marker among African-American breast cancer patients in another study.

The consistently high level of minority accrual from the MB-CCOPs was confirmed in a 2005 evaluation of the program. It showed that between 1995 and 2003, minorities comprised 51% to 67% of patients enrolled by the MB-CCOPs to Cooperative Group treatment trials, compared with less than 23% of the patients accrued by other Cooperative Group members and affiliates.

The NCI Board of Scientific Advisors noted in 2007 that NCI should consider using the MB-CCOP model for other programs that need greater accrual of minority participants. The MB-CCOP provides an invaluable resource to study accrual of underserved populations, including putting high-risk individuals onto prevention trials and understanding co-morbidity as a barrier to accrual among patients who are interested in participating in clinical trials.

MB-CCOP grantees actively mentor primary care physicians in institutions geared toward the underserved to increase the knowledgeable workforce implementing clinical trials in this population. Community-level safety net institutions that advocate locally for health care can share experiences providing cancer care to immigrants. The MB-CCOPs can also inform clinicians and researchers on the cultural impact of younger minorities and underserved populations residing in communities for whom future cancer care and prevention will be of utmost importance.

Selected Publications

• Adams-Campbell L, Makambi K, Palmer J, et al. The Gail Model as a diagnostic indicator in African-American women: Truth or consequence. Proc Am Soc Clin Oncol. 22:101s, 2004 (suppl, abstr 1017).
• Berenberg J. Cancer prevention trials: Evaluating disparities in recruitment for the state of Hawaii. American Society of Clinical Oncology University, Cancer Trial Accrual Symposium: April 29-30, 2010. Accessed at https://qopi.asco.org/CT2010. Accessed on August 24, 2010.
• Dookeran KA, Dignam JJ, Ferrer K, et al. P53 as a marker of prognosis in African-American women with breast cancer. Ann Surg Oncol. 2010 May;17(5):1398-405. Epub 2010 Jan 5.
  [ PubMed Abstract ]
• Gail MH, Costantino JP, Pee D, et al. Projecting individualized absolute invasive breast cancer risk in African American Women. (Data from the Women's Contraceptive and Reproductive Experiences [CARE] Study.) J Natl Cancer Inst. 2007 Dec 5;99(23):1782-92. Epub 2007 Nov 27.
  [ PubMed Abstract ]
• Kaluzny A, Brawley O, Garson-Angert D, et al. Assuring access to state-of-the-art care for U.S. minority populations: The first 2 years of the Minority-Based Community Clinical Oncology Program. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1993 Dec 1;85(23):1945-50.
  [ PubMed Abstract ]
• McCaskill-Stevens W, McKinney MM, Whitman CG, Minasian LM. Increasing minority participation in cancer clinical trials: The Minority-Based Community Clinical Oncology Program experience. J Clin Oncol. 2005 Aug 1;23(22):5247-54.
  [ PubMed Abstract ]
• McKinney MM, Weiner BJ, Carpenter WR. Building community capacity to participate in cancer prevention research. Cancer Control. 2006 Oct;13(4):295-302.
  [ PubMed Abstract ]
• National Cancer Institute. 38th Meeting Board of Scientific Advisors, Minutes of Meeting. http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/bsa/bsa1107/15nov07mins.pdf. November 15-16, 2007. Accessed August 23, 2010.

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