ROCKLEDGE, PA, November 5, 2002 – The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) today announced changes made to their Web site (www.nccn.org) which will allow physicians to more easily locate clinical trials. Physicians seeking new treatments for their patients with cancer often turn to clinical trials for answers. These research studies include trials testing new treatments, such as a new cancer drug or a new combination of drugs, new approaches to surgery or radiation therapy, or new therapies such as gene therapy or molecularly targeted therapy.
“The NCCN is continually developing informational tools to support physicians in their efforts to improve decision-making for patients,” said William T. McGivney, PhD, NCCN’s Chief Executive Officer. “Because research has shown that the appropriate management of any cancer is found in a clinical trial, we believe that this internet-based mechanism will make it easier for physicians to find clinical trials best suited to their patients’ needs.”
The NCCN is perhaps best known for their Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology. These guidelines are the standard for clinical policy in oncology in the United States. When viewing these algorithms online, physicians now have the ability to search clinical trial listings at NCCN’s member institutions for their patients. On the table of contents page for each guideline, physicians will find a boxed clinical trial section containing a link to ongoing clinical trials at NCCN member institutions. The site is very user-friendly and intuitive, making it easier for physicians to find the type of information they are seeking.
Physicians can also access the information by simply going to the home page of the Web site. From there, they can just click on the Clinical Trials link.
These changes will enable physicians to learn about clinical trials being conducted at NCCN member institutions in their own region as well as across the nation. This same information is also available to patients, so physicians will easily be able to refer their patients to view the material on their own.