ENACCT and The Wellness Community to launch new educational efforts on cancer clinical trials.

THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION AWARDS $1.7 MILLION TO INCREASE EDUCATION AND AWARENESS OF CLINICAL TRIALS FOR PEOPLE WITH BLOOD CANCER

The Education Network to Advance Cancer Clinical Trials (ENACCT) and The Wellness Community Lead Effort

WASHINGTON, DC - October 8, 2007 - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded a five year $1.7 million cooperative agreement to the Education Network to Advance Cancer Clinical Trials (ENACCT) and The Wellness Community (TWC). The funding will support a pilot project addressing the information and support needs of people newly diagnosed with hematological cancers, such as leukemia, multiple myeloma, or lymphoma, with a strong focus on enhancing quality of care and access to clinical trials.

Trial participation among adult cancer patients remains at approximately three percent; this rate is even lower among people of color and the medically underserved, who tend to have higher cancer mortality rates than the population as a whole. Treatment approaches for hematological cancers are limited, and not all patients have access to or benefit from the same quality of care. "Because the vast majority of people with cancer are never informed about the opportunity to receive treatment through a clinical trial, and because clinical trials can be high- quality treatment options for many of them, we need to implement innovative education programs at the community level," said Margo Michaels, Executive Director of ENACCT. "This cooperative agreement with the CDC will enable us to improve local treatment and support services for hematological cancer patients and their families."
In Philadelphia, Oakland/San Francisco, and Cincinnati, ENACCTing WELLNESS will work to address the needs of hematological cancer patients, their families and their providers by:

1) Educating newly-diagnosed and newly- recurred hematological cancer patients about their treatment options, including the option of receiving their treatment through a clinical trial;
2) Increasing awareness of local and online support services for patients, their family members, friends and caregivers;
3) Educating primary care providers, especially those caring for the medically
underserved, about options to refer patients to local clinical trials for first line treatment; and,
4) Enhancing the cultural competency skills of local clinical trial investigators and their teams.

"We believe the experience and passion for increasing awareness of cancer clinical trials that ENACCT brings to the table, combined with the reach that The Wellness Community has in connecting with and educating cancer patients and their caregivers, will help us improve care and enhance access to clinical trials for those diagnosed with hematological cancers," said Kim Thiboldeaux, president and CEO of TWC. "At the end of this pilot project, we hope to expand this program to all cancer types."

Nine organizations were awarded funding through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding opportunity announcement.

• Education Network to Advance Cancer Clinical Trials
• Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
• Lymphoma Research Foundation
• Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation
• National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
• National Marrow Donor Program
• Oregon Health & Science University
• Patient Advocate Foundation
• Sibling Survivors Education and Information