History of Clinical Trials at TCSC

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Thompson Cancer Survival Center (TCSC) opened its doors in December 1988 with the mission to provide the highest quality, most up-to-date care to cancer patients in East Tennessee. TCSC initiated the area's first cancer clinical trials program in 1989 with one research nurse. Since that time, approximately 1200 patients have participated in both treatment and prevention trials at Thompson Cancer Survival Center. TCSC participates in large National Cancer Institute (NCI) sponsored cooperative research groups, such as the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG), Sarah Cannon Cancer Center, National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), and Clinical Trials Support Unit (CTSU) as well as several pharmaceutical companies in order to provide the area with access to the best research trials available in the country. The majority of clinical trials open at TCSC are for the treatment of all types of cancer (List of Current Open Trials). In addition to the cooperative trials available through affiliations with SWOG, NSABP, Sarah Cannon Cancer Center and individual studies through pharmaceutical companies, TCSC joined the Cancer Trials Support Unit (CTSU) in 2002 in order to expand its access to new studies. Over 560 protocols have been approved by the IRB at Thompson Cancer Survival Center since 1988. In addition to cancer treatment trials using chemotherapy or radiation, The Laser Center at Thompson Cancer Survival Center has made significant advances in the area of Photodynamic Therapy. Patients from around the world have come to TCSC to receive laser treatment for cancers such as skin, breast, lung, Kaposi's Sarcoma, and Barrett's Esophagus. The Clinical Trials Department at Thompson Cancer Survival Center has come a long way since 1989. The department now employs four full time research nurses, three data managers and a department assistant at the TCSC downtown site. Recently, the TCSC Clinical Trials Department entered into a research partnership with oncologists at Thompson Cancer Survival Center at Methodist in order to provide greater access to cancer research studies to people within the region. One full time research nurse currently coordinates clinical research at Thompson Cancer Survival Center at Methodist (TCSC-M) in Oak Ridge. Patients may have access to cancer clinical trials within Covenant Health at TCSC downtown, TCSC West, TCSC Methodist, and Blount Memorial Hospital in Maryville. Thompson Cancer Survival Center looks forward to a future of continued service in the East Tennessee area and improvement in the fight against cancer.

Clinical Trials Home | Current Open Trials | Prevention Trials Institutional Review Board (IRB) | Featured Study | Staff History | Links of Interest