Providing oncologic care with access to clinical trials to an underserved and minority population: The Mayo Clinic/Indian Health Service experience.

Abstract

79 Background: Novel mechanisms are needed to provide high quality oncologic clinical care and clinical trial access to underserved and minority populations (UMP). UMP are underrepresented in cancer clinical trials, thus limiting the generalizability of the research. As a National Cancer Institute-Comprehensive Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic has the responsibility to ensure that its cancer care reaches a diverse patient population. Mayo Clinic in Arizona developed a clinical oncology practice in collaboration with the US Indian Health Service at Phoenix Indian Medical Center (PIMC), in part to address these needs. The relationship between Mayo and PIMC is invaluable and serves a crucial need in the community. The Mayo consultants serve as staff physicians in the “Oncology Center of Excellence” at PIMC and see 100 – 200 tribal members annually with new diagnoses of cancer or blood disorders. Being onsite at PIMC allows Mayo consultants to integrate seamlessly into the wider PIMC practice. Methods: Descriptive demographic data from the MCA-PIMC clinical practice were obtained from the PIMC practice database 2008 - 2017. Enrollment of MCA-PIMC patients into MCA cancer clinical trials were prospectively enumerated. Results: Between the time period of 2008-2017, 356 breast cancer patients and 259 colorectal cancer patients were seen by Mayo Clinic oncologists and the PIMC nurse practitioner. During the period of 2016-2017, there were 13 clinical trial referrals from PIMC with 8 of those patients being enrolled in Mayo cancer clinical trials. Conclusions: High quality oncologic clinical care can be provided via unique collaborations between academic oncology program and UMP-focused care provider. This mechanism allows access to cancer clinical trial opportunities for UMP. Prior to the established partnership, there were no Native American patients referred to clinical trials from PIMC, showing the critical pathway that has been forged. Importantly, this is the only known program of its kind in the country. By imbedding the cancer provider in the community, we are able to build trust with the underserved community and create a pathway to a quality care and clinical research.