The Western Regional Community Clinical Oncology Program (WRCCOP) was not selected to receive future federal funding from the National Cancer Institute as of June 2007, and therefore, will begin a transitional program.

WRCCOP has served the needs of Banner Health patients in Arizona and Colorado since its inception in 1983. WRCCOP is a group of hospitals and physicians that participate in National Cancer Institute (NCI)-sponsored cancer treatment, prevention and control trials, and offered research options to our patients and physicians that they would not have otherwise received.

WRCCOP has been funded by the NCI, the largest branch of the Institute of Health. NCI’s decision was partly based on declining WRCCOP participation rates during the last three years.

The transitional phase out program will impact Banner patients in the following ways:

• WRCCOP staff will focus their efforts on the long-term follow-up of previously enrolled patients.  Banner Health is committed to providing care to these patients and intends to work in partnership with the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine in developing an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in Phoenix, Arizona.  This new cancer center will facilitate access to care and research, innovative treatments and education.  The center will also support community based cancer research by providing increased visibility and opportunities for collaboration with local community oncologists and researchers.
• Banner Health oncology staff in Colorado is pursuing an affiliation with the Colorado Cancer Research Program (CCRP).  Based in Denver, CCRP will provide access to NCI sponsored studies at both North Colorado Medical Center (NCMC) and McKee Medical Center (MMC).
• Banner Health Research Institute will continue to assist the on-going efforts of WRCCOP during this transition and will focus on providing access to and support of industry sponsored clinical trials. For further information on such trials, please call (602) 747-9705.