Patterns of Care Study - Diagnosis Year 2008

Patterns of Care Study - Diagnosis Year 2005

Since 1988, the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program of the National Cancer Institute has conducted Patterns of Care Studies (POC) to describe patterns of treatment in different communities, in age and racial groups, over time, across cancer sites, and across treatment facilities, and to describe the effects of comorbid and other conditions on treatment. NCCC has participated in all POC studies and has contributed information from its diverse population in the Greater Bay Area of Northern California. These studies assess the extent to which state-of-the-art cancer treatments are incorporated into medical practice and given to cancer patients. By learning how frequently new cancer treatments are being used in different communities, strategies to improve the use of improved therapies can be developed. This year, we will collect complete treatment data in a sample of patients diagnosed with prostate cancer, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

NCCC Principal Investigator: Theresa Keegan, Ph.D.

Funding Source: National Cancer Institute, 2009-2010