Oxford University

Nancy Roach is the Founder of C3 and Chair of the Board of Directors.

On September 5 -6, I put on my sensible black shoes to attend the second Sensible Guidelines for the Conduct of Clinical Trials meeting at Oxford University in England.  This invitation-only meeting convened research leaders to discuss how to improve large randomized clinical trials.

Why “Sensible Guidelines”?

People are the ‘experimental subjects’ of clinical research. Since World War II, laws and regulations have been passed to make sure that research participants are protected during the conduct of clinical trials. Over time – and especially in the last decade – many of the well-meaning laws and regulations have had an unintended consequence:  bureaucracy that does not always protect or help patients, but does eat up resources. Patients in trials often see only the tip of the bureaucratic iceberg, while research staff, academic institutions, government agencies and drug companies struggle with the rest of it.

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Screening all patients entering three Illinois hospitals for infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) reduced the number of new cases by 70 percent and saved the hospitals over $1.8 million.

The Northshore Health System in Evanston used a rapid molecular PCR test to look MRSA colonies in the nasal passages of all newly admitted patients. Patients who were positive were isolated, treated with Bactroban®  (mupirocin), and given two antiseptic baths. Nursing staff used gloves and gowns during contacts. Read the rest of this entry »

In his speech before a joint session of Congress on September 9, 2009, President Obama called out colorectal cancer screening as saving both money and lives.  To applause from listening members of Congress, he said:

And insurance companies will be required to cover, with no extra charge, routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies because there’s no reason we shouldn’t be catching diseases like breast cancer and colon cancer before they get worse. That makes sense, it saves money, and it saves lives.

We applaud the President’s public acknowledgment that colorectal cancer screening saves lives and money.

Screening saves lives by finding cancers early when they are most treatable.  Screening also prevents colorectal cancer by finding and removing precancerous polyps, which keeps them from ever growing into cancer.

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In research, cancer patients who are separated but not yet divorced have the poorest chances of surviving 5 and 10 years after their diagnoses, and researchers at the VA Medical Center in Houston have identified a strong predictor of colon and rectal cancer survival by studying if cancer has spread into nerves near tumors.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network provides online treatment summaries for people with cancer, and new rules from the Department of Health and Human Services require that patients be notified when HIPAA rules are broken and their privacy is compromised. Read the rest of this entry »

The Centers for Disease Control has awarded $22 million to 26 states and tribal organizations to provide colorectal cancer screening to the uninsured and underinsured from age 50 to 64.

Through the Colorectal Cancer Control Program, five-year grants ranging from $358,283 to $1.1 million will support support screening and diagnostic follow–up care, data collection, outreach and public education, health care provider education, and program evaluation.  Projects can choose from among recommended screening methods including colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, or stool tests.

The new funding builds on the successful CDC Colorectal Cancer Screening Demonstration Program in five sites across the US, including Baltimore, Long Island, Seattle and King County, Nebraska, and Missouri. Read the rest of this entry »