Grant aids St. Francis with new cancer treatment

An alliance of health care providers in South Carolina and four other states will share $14.8 million from the National Cancer Institute to investigate new cancer treatments and increase access to clinical trials.

The partners, which include Bon Secours St. Francis Health System, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System and AnMed Health in Anderson, are all members of the nonprofit Southeast Clinical Oncology Research Consortium, or SCOR, headquartered in Winston-Salem, N.C., according to administrator Susan Tuttle.

The grant will allow St. Francis to continue to participate in progressive national trials, enabling patients to get the latest treatments without having to leave the Upstate, said Dr. Stephen H. Dyar, medical director for oncology operations at St. Francis.

“Cancer research has always been a collaborative effort,” he said, “and these partnerships allow us to combine our expertise and resources judiciously without unnecessary competition or duplication of efforts, which will undoubtedly benefit our patients now and in the future.”

The grant means that patients don’t have to travel to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas or Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York to get the same level of care as those institutions offer, said Dr. James Bearden III, vice president of clinical research for Spartanburg Regional.

“This means patients can have their support systems, their friends, and spiritual support in their hometown (during treatment),” he said. “One of the more important missions that we’ve had is having access to oncology trials, so we could make them available to patients where they live.”

The five-year grant was provided through NCI’s Community Oncology Research Program, which awarded a total of 53 grants.

SCOR has 23 sites in five states, including North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia and Tennessee, Tuttle said. Other South Carolina partners include McLeod Hospital in Florence, Roper St. Francis Healthcare in Charleston, and Carolina Blood and Cancer Care in Rock Hill, she said.

The consortium allows many more people to participate in clinical trials of new treatments, she said. And Bearden said clinical trials are the way that progress has been made in cancer care.

The research also will look into cancer care delivery, contributing to improved patient outcomes and a reduction in cancer disparities, he said, as well as help determine whether new drugs are as good as older ones.

Meanwhile, the Medical University of South Carolina’s Hollings Cancer Center also received a $4.5 million NCORP grant to conduct multi-site clinical trials and cancer care delivery research studies that include minority and underserved communities. Those sites include MUSC, MUSC/Hilton Head Breast Health Center, and the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center.

“Our research tells us that there are significant differences in how cancer occurs and reacts in differing groups within the population,” said Dr. Chanita Hughes-Halbert, principal investigator for the grant. “It’s important that we understand these differences and seek treatments that best serve each individual.”