Background
In 1986, a consortium of five hospitals in the Portland, Oregon-Vancouver, Washington region was formed to respond to the second NCI Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP) RFA. The resulting Columbia River Oncology Program (CROP) received NCI approval and funding the following year. Dr. Gordon Doty was the first principal investigator. In 1993, Dr. Keith Lanier was elected principal investigator after the death of Dr. Doty.

The mission of CROP is to improve community health by promoting the understanding, prevention, and optimal management of cancer patients through participation in state-of-the-art cancer clinical trials. CROP includes an executive board with representative committee structure and a central office that includes six staff members who manage the large cancer prevention studies, as well as the CCOP administrative and regulatory functions.

Fifteen clinical research nurses and 11 clinical research associates employed by the consortium hospitals recruit patients to cancer control and treatment protocols and collect and submit data to the research bases.

Community Characteristics
Today CROP comprises four large health care systems: Providence Health System, Legacy Health System, Southwest Washington Medical Center, and Northwest Cancer Specialists.

Residents of the Portland metropolitan area are evenly distributed by age, with 20 percent of the population over the age of 55 and 24 percent under age 19. Cancer patient demographics generally follow the profile of the region's population. The Portland-Vancouver area has a low-percentage minority population, with Hispanics the largest group at 7.5 percent, followed by Asian and Pacific Islanders at 5.2 percent, African-Americans at 3.0 percent, and Native American and Alaska native at 1.0 percent.

Recruitment and Outreach Activities
Serving a metropolitan population of 1.9 million, the consortium provides care for residents of Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, Yamhill, and Columbia counties in Oregon and Clark County in southwest Washington. Since its inception, CROP has enrolled 3,267 patients in clinical trials. Scot Lary, the cancer prevention and control coordinator, attends rounds at satellite facilities' tumor boards and communicates with support group leaders and community agencies about opportunities for clinical trial participation.

Other Key Facts
The Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Program at Legacy Emanuel Children's Hospital provides the most up-to-date therapies available through the Children's Oncology Group. Three pediatric oncologists and principal investigator Dr. Janice Olson offer many services to help children and families through the diagnosis and treatment of childhood cancer.

CROP has participated in several cancer prevention studies including the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial, the Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene, the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial, and the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial.

CROP is also an active member of the Oregon Partnership for Cancer Control, a statewide initiative to bring all the stakeholders in cancer care together to develop a state plan for cancer prevention and control in Oregon.