Florida Pediatric Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP)

Since 1983, a grant from the National Cancer Institute has provided the opportunity for FAPTP to administer the Florida Pediatric Community Oncology Program (CCOP). This program has enabled select FAPTP community hospitals to provide the latest advances in cancer care to their pediatric patients through participation in the clinical trials of the Children’s Oncology Group (COG). Expanding from 4 community programs in 1983 to 7 presently, the CCOP provides access to treatment and cancer-control protocols, quality control, national experts, special laboratory and genetic studies, investigational drugs, and financial resources previously available only at university medical centers. It also provides funding for direct patient care services by covering treatment with investigational drugs and special laboratory studies for patients registered on COG protocols. In addition, review of patient care data by national experts as part of the COG procedure is provided at no cost to the patient or the State.

As one of the exclusive pediatric CCOP’s in the United States, the Florida Pediatric CCOP has had a significant impact on the access and quality of childhood cancer care available in Florida. The CCOP has currently accrued over 4,156 patient registrations, which includes 2,338 registrations on treatment protocols and 1,818 patient registrations on cancer control/non-treatment protocols. Annual accrual has significantly increased from 49 total registrations in 1983 to an average of more than 186 registrations per year over the last ten grant years. The Florida Pediatric CCOP has been the largest contributor of patients to the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) studies nationally. For the most recent period available from COG (year ending May, 2005), the Florida Pediatric CCOP ranked 1st in accrual to treatment protocols and 3rd in total accruals in COG.

The CCOP grant from the National Cancer Institute (National Institutes of Health) has been re-approved through May 31, 2010. Florida Pediatric CCOP member institutions include:

1. Children’s Hospital of SW Florida, Lee Memorial Health System, Ft. Myers
2. Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital at Memorial, Hollywood
3. M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Orlando
4. Nemours Children’s Clinic, Orlando
5. Nemours Children’s Clinic at Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital, Pensacola
6. St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, Tampa
7. San Jorge Children’s Hospital, San Juan, Puerto Rico

For more information, please email: flccop@epi.usf.edu

Florida Association of Pediatric Tumor Programs, Inc.
University of South Florida, Department of Pediatrics
Pediatrics Epidemiology Center
3650 Spectrum Blvd, Suite 100
Tampa, FL 33612