PURPOSE To review the growth of community physicians' involvement in National Cancer Institute (NCI) clinical research trials as a significant contribution to cancer control, and to show their impact, not yet fully realized, on cancer morbidity and mortality in the United States. DESIGN Background information, based on the personal experience of participants, as well as a review of pertinent literature, portrays the evolution of the clinical research component of community oncology in the United States over the last 25 years. RESULTS Data from Community Clinical Oncology Programs (CCOPs) I and II have been used to outline some of the results of this far-reaching program. CONCLUSION The CCOP was introduced at an appropriate time to expand the clinical trial resources of the NCI, while at the same time helping community oncologists practice state-of-the-art cancer management found in the research protocols. This in turn provided improved resources to manage cancer patients, as most of them are treated in their own communities. CCOPs have also indirectly had a positive impact on the trial processes of the NCI cooperative groups and comprehensive cancer centers, and have helped to widen the scope and hasten progress in cancer-control research and practice.
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