NEW YORK – Emory University's Winship Cancer Institute on Monday said it is partnering with the Veterans Affairs Lung Precision Oncology Program and two other cancer centers to expand access to screening, molecular testing, and clinical trials to retired US military members in the southeast.
Within the five-year project, investigators will use $5 million in funding from the VA to expand clinical trials access to veterans with lung cancer treated at three VA medical centers and their partner cancer centers, including Winship in Atlanta; Hollings Cancer Center in Charleston, South Carolina; and O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center in Birmingham, Alabama. Lung cancer is the primary cause of cancer-related deaths among veterans.
In addition to developing a program that facilitates access to precision oncology trials to lung cancer patients within VA's Southeast Network, the investigators from these institutions will also advance a national network of sites to enable the same level of clinical trials access to veterans at smaller facilities. The directors of these cancer centers have committed to supporting the six investigators in this project and will partake in the external advisory committee of the Southeaster VA Lung Cancer and Precision Oncology Consortium.
This project expands Winship's relationship with the Atlanta VA. The two entities have been working together to build an extensive lung cancer clinical trial portfolio for the VA Southeast Network.