About

Welcome to Heartland Cancer Research NCORP

Heartland Cancer Research is one of 34 national networks that comprise the National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP).

What is NCORP?

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has been collaborating with community investigators and bringing research to communities for more than 30 years. The NCORPs builds on NCI’s previous community programs, maintaining the strong history of clinical research accountability, resource sharing and exchange, and partnership between the NCI, academic institutions, and community sites.

The NCORP brings researchers together on a national level.  Our oncologists conduct high quality clinical studies in local community settings for patients with cancer, suffering from the side effects of cancer and its treatment, and for those at risk of developing cancer.  State-of-the-art cancer research studies are available at Heartland Cancer Research . . . no need to travel far from home.

Why is community-based cancer research important?

Being able to join research studies in their local community allows participants to stay close to family, friends, support systems, and their local physician and health organizations, where high quality clinical studies are resulting in better care and better outcomes.

Research in the community setting allows access to a larger and more diverse patient population in a variety of “real world” healthcare locations where 80% of cancer patients receive their care.  This can accelerate accrual to national clinical trials, enable feasibility testing of promising new interventions, and increase the generalizability of study findings. Engaging community oncologists in collaborative research can also facilitate the uptake of effective, evidence-based practices into routine care. In other words, communities that offer local cancer clinical trial participation allow their patients to be “At the heart of tomorrow’s cancer care.”

Why does it matter?

Clinical trials test new ways to prevent, detect, diagnose, or treat diseases. People who take part in cancer clinical trials have an opportunity to contribute to scientists’ knowledge about cancer and to help in the development of improved cancer treatments. They also receive state-of-the-art care from cancer experts.  By participating in clinical research studies through Heartland Cancer Research, patients are among the first to benefit from new advances.  In addition, participants in cancer clinical trials contribute to knowledge of, and progress against, cancer.

Heartland is affiliated with multiple NCI-sponsored research bases and cooperative groups, including:

  • Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology (Alliance)
  • Cancer Trials Support Unit (CTSU)
  • ECOG-ACRIN
  •  NRG Oncology
  • Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG)
  • University of Rochester Cancer Center (URCC)
  • Wake Forest University Comprehensive Cancer Center