Six Organizations Receive Grants from NCCN and Pfizer for Health Care Quality Improvement Programs in Rare Cancers

The NCCN Oncology Research Program (ORP), in collaboration with Pfizer Independent Grants for Learning & Change (IGLC), recently awarded 6 independent grants to health care institutions following a joint request for proposals (RFP) focused on the development and adoption of evidence-based initiatives to improve patient care and outcomes in renal cell carcinoma and hematologic malignancies.

“The NCCN ORP is extremely pleased that this collaborative initiative with Pfizer has funded important research-based education that has the potential to significantly improve the quality of care for patients with renal or hematologic malignancies,” said Diane E. Paul, MS, RN, Vice President, NCCN ORP.

The intent of the RFP was to encourage academic and community-based organizations to submit proposals describing concepts and ideas for design and implementation of systems or programs that narrow clinical practice gaps and improve the care of patients with rare cancer types through the establishment of education and support mechanisms for community oncologists.

The following proposals have been awarded funding:

• Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center at The University of Nebraska Medical Center; Project EXTEND: A Community Extended Case Conference to Improve Lymphoma Care

• Duke Cancer Institute; Novel Educational Interventions for Community Oncologists and Patients to Optimize Renal Cell Carcinoma Outcomes

• East Carolina University; Enhancing Provider Education and Improving Healthcare Disparities in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) and Multiple Myeloma (MM) through a Rural Regional North Carolina Hospital Network

• Fox Chase Cancer Center; Improving the Care of Patients with Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma (mRCC) via a Patient and Provider Intervention Program

• National Marrow Donor Program; Referral for Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Hematologic Malignancies: Addressing Clinical Practice and Education Gaps Among Oncologists

• University of Colorado Cancer Center; Determining and Addressing Adherence to the NCCN Guidelines for Chronic Phase CML

The awardees responded to an RFP issued by the NCCN ORP in collaboration with Pfizer IGLC to the NCCN Member Institutions, as well as other academic and community hospitals throughout the United States. The RFP sought concepts for initiatives focusing on the following areas:

• Health care provider education and incorporating education into practice

• Provider/patient communications and treatment decision-making

• Increasing the use of evidence-based recommendations for management of renal cell carcinoma or hematologic malignancies

• Information related to patient assistance programs and other patient-centered resources

The NCCN ORP, organized to obtain funding to support scientifically meritorious research studies at NCCN Member Institutions and the NCCN Affiliate Research Consortium, was the lead organization for the review and evaluation of applications. The review committee, led by NCCN and including a medical representative from Pfizer, decided which proposals received funding. More than $2 million in grant funding was provided by Pfizer IGLC.

For more information about the NCCN ORP and ongoing trials, visit NCCN.org.

NCCN Foundation Awards Grants to Five Young Investigators

The NCCN Foundation, which, through private philanthropy, empowers people through knowledge and advances the mission of NCCN to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of care provided to people with cancer, has awarded grants to 5 young investigators from NCCN Member Institutions. These awardees, who are dedicated to advancing and discovering new treatments for cancer, enhancing quality, and improving patient education, represent the fourth series of the NCCN Foundation Young Investigator Awards—a program initiated in 2011. The grants will provide $150,000 in funding over a 2-year period, beginning in September 2014.

“The NCCN Foundation is proud to award grants to 5 young investigators from the NCCN Member Institutions,” said Gary J. Weyhmuller, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, NCCN. “The support of the NCCN Young Investigator Awards fosters the development of the next generation of world-class oncology researchers and furthers the NCCN mission. We applaud the hard work and support of the NCCN Foundation to make these awards possible.”

Following are the 2014 NCCN Foundation Young Investigator Awards recipients:

• James Murphy, MD, MS; UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center; “Breast Cancer Radiation among Elderly Women in the U.S.: Assessing the Impact of NCCN Guidelines on Nationwide Patterns of Care”

• Jae Park, MD; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; “Improving Safety and Efficacy of CD19-Targeted CAR Modified T Cells in Patients with B-Cell Hematologic Malignancies”

• Ashley Rosko, MD; The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute; “NCCN Senior Adult Oncology: Myeloma Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment and Biomarkers of Aging Investigation”

• Terri Woodward, MD; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; “Novel Psychological Intervention to Prevent Fertility-Related Distress”

• Jing Xia, PhD; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance; “PERMIT: Prostate Early Recurrence Indicating Treatment?”

The awardees responded to an RFP issued by the NCCN Foundation to NCCN Member Institutions. All submissions were reviewed by a multidisciplinary panel of oncology experts, and the awardees were selected based on several key components, including scientific merit and study design. The studies will be managed and overseen by the NCCN ORP.

Since their inception in 2011, NCCN Foundation Young Investigator Awards have been received by 18 individuals. In March 2014, NCCN featured abstracts highlighting the work of the second series of Young Investigator Awardees at the NCCN General Poster Sessions during the NCCN 19th Annual Conference: Advancing the Standard of Cancer Care. The 2012 recipients' research contributed to a number of critical areas in oncology including, but not limited to quality improvement in oncology care, the role of genetics in tumorigenesis, delayed intervention and surveillance in cancer treatment, and internet-based decision-making based on the NCCN Guidelines for Patients. The outcomes of this research, funded through the NCCN Foundation, illuminate the impact of the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) in improving the lives of people with cancer.

For more information about the NCCN Foundation Young Investigator Awards, visit NCCN.org.