Community Clinical Oncology Program: Questions and Answers 

Key Points 

• The Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP) is a large network that enables 

patients and physicians to participate in clinical trials sponsored by the National 

Cancer Institute (NCI) (see Question 1). 

• The NCI established the CCOP and the Minority-Based CCOP to ensure that cancer 

patients, including racial and ethnic minority patients, have access to quality 

medical care in their own communities (see Question 2). 

• Through the CCOP network, community physicians work with scientists to conduct 

NCI-supported clinical trials. This collaboration helps to transfer the latest research 

findings to the community level (see Question 2). 

1. What is the Community Clinical Oncology Program? 

The Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP) is a large network that enables 

patients and physicians to participate in clinical trials across the United States and in 

Puerto Rico. Clinical trials are research studies conducted with patients or with healthy 

people. These studies are designed to answer specific questions about the effectiveness 

of new ways to prevent, detect, diagnose, and treat cancer. 

A medical facility (such as a hospital or private practice) or a group of facilities can apply 

to join the CCOP and participate in clinical trials sponsored by the National Cancer 

Institute (NCI). Facilities that serve cancer patients who are largely from minority 

populations may also apply to join a related program, the Minority-Based CCOP. 

Facilities participating in the CCOP or Minority-Based CCOP are required to affiliate 

with at least one research base. A research base may be an NCI-supported clinical 

cooperative group or cancer center. The CCOP and Minority-Based CCOP participants 

use research protocols developed and provided by the research bases.

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2. Why was the CCOP established? 

The CCOP was established by the NCI in 1983 to ensure that cancer patients have access 

to quality medical care in their own communities. In 1989, the NCI also approved the 

Minority-Based CCOP to increase the involvement of racial and ethnic minority patients 

in research, and facilitate their access to the latest advances in cancer treatment, 

prevention, and control. 

Through the CCOP network, community physicians work with scientists to conduct 

NCI-supported clinical trials. This collaboration helps to transfer the latest research 

findings to the community level and provide quality care in participating communities. 

The CCOP network also increases the number of patients and physicians who can 

participate in clinical trials and allows researchers to conduct large-scale cancer 

treatment, prevention, and control studies. In this way, clinical questions are answered 

more quickly, and the latest research findings are spread to communities more rapidly. 

Thus, participation in the CCOP benefits patients and physicians in the community, and 

contributes to medical knowledge and progress against cancer. 

The CCOP has been very effective in recruiting patients into clinical trials. Currently, 

approximately one-third of all patients in NCI-sponsored treatment and prevention trials 

are recruited from CCOP facilities. 

3. Where can people find more information about the CCOP? 

Additional information about the CCOP can be found at 

http://prevention.cancer.gov/programs-resources/programs/ccop on the Internet. This 

Web site contains contact information for each facility in the CCOP and Minority-Based 

CCOP networks, and each CCOP research base. This information is also available from 

the Cancer Information Service (CIS), an NCI-supported nationwide service for cancer 

patients and their families, the public, and health care professionals. CIS information 

specialists have extensive training in providing up-to-date and understandable 

information about cancer and NCI-supported programs. They can be reached by calling 

the toll-free number, 1–800–4–CANCER (1–800–422–6237). For callers with TTY 

equipment, the toll-free number is 1–800–332–8615. CIS information specialists also 

offer immediate online assistance through the LiveHelp link at http://www.cancer.gov/ on 

the Internet. 

More information about the CCOP can also be found on a special NCI Web site that 

celebrates the 20th anniversary of this program. This page is found at 

http://dcp.cancer.gov/programs-resources/pubs/rpts/ccop20th on the Internet. 
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Related NCI materials and Web pages: 

• National Cancer Institute Fact Sheet 1.4, NCI’s Clinical Trials Cooperative Group 

Program

(http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/NCI/clinical-trials-cooperative-group)

• National Cancer Institute Fact Sheet 2.11, Clinical Trials: Questions and Answers

(http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Information/clinical-trials)

• National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Centers Database

(http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/NCI/cancer-centers)

• Taking Part in Cancer Treatment Research Studies 

(http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/Taking-Part-in-Cancer-Treatment-ResearchStudies)

For more help, contact: 

NCI’s Cancer Information Service 

Telephone (toll-free): 1–800–4–CANCER (1–800–422–6237) 

TTY (toll-free): 1–800–332–8615

LiveHelp® online chat: https://cissecure.nci.nih.gov/livehelp/welcome.asp

This fact sheet was reviewed on 12/31/03