Ochsner is dedicated to research, education and the highest quality of patient care. As such, cancer patients may benefit from innovative therapies that are available here at Ochsner because of clinical research. Ochsner's National Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) represents the largest clinical trials network in Louisiana with the hub in the Ochsner Medical Center-New Orleans. This location coordinates studies with other research sites including Ochsner Clinic of Baton Rouge, Ochsner Clinic of Covington and Ochsner Clinic Baptist.

Our Oncology research program treats patients with many different types of cancer. Other Ochsner departments also conduct research studies for cancers that are specific to their specialty. If you are interested in participating in a research study for cancer, please search through our Clinical Trials Listing for the specific type of cancer you are interested in.

History

The Ochsner Cancer Institute was founded in 1981 to coordinate cancer care and to develop clinical research and supportive care programs. It was designated as a Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP) by the National Cancer Institute in 1983 and has been continuously funded by the NCI since that time. The NCORP replaced the CCOP program in 2014, with Ochsner continuing as a NCORP site.

Association with the National Cancer Institute

The NCORP provides a direct link to the National Cancer Institute Clinical trials such as the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG), the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project, the Gynecology Oncology Group, and the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group. Ochsner’s investigators have achieved national recognition through leadership roles in research activities, including serving on the executive committees of the North Central Cancer Treatment Group and the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project. Our NCORP trials are primarily Phase II and Phase IV clinical trials, which are cooperative studies to compare new treatments to standard treatments.

Clinical Trials and the Ochsner Cancer Institute

Clinical trials are ongoing for all major types of cancer and are continually updated to reflect the needs of our patients. Furthermore, the Ochsner Cancer Institute is involved in drug development studies that are available at only a few institutions in the United States. For instance, Ochsner was instrumental in research of vinorelbine tartrate (Navelbine) as a treatment for lung cancer, the first new effective agent for lung cancer approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in a generation.

Ochsner breast cancer patients were also part of two instrumental trials that demonstrated the effectiveness of Herceptin (trastuzumab) in reducing recurrence and death in HER2-positive breast cancer. In addition to developing new anti-cancer agents, doctors and nurses at the Ochsner Cancer Center have been instrumental in alleviating common side effects of cancer treatment. This includes methods of controlling nausea and vomiting, an area in which two new agents were approved by the FDA after important Ochsner contributions.

The clinical trials that are available through the NCORP as well as pharmaceutical companies allow the physicians in the Ochsner Health System to provide state of the art cutting edge treatment for a variety of cancers. Current protocols look at innovative chemotherapy as well at new agents directed to molecular targets or gene therapy. The Ochsner Cancer Institute is also involved in cancer prevention and supportive care studies evaluating quality of life, nausea, weight loss and other symptoms cancer patients’ experience.

The Ochsner Clinical trials program allows cancer patients the opportunity to receive the best treatment currently available for their type of cancer.

Contact Information

Ochsner Cancer Institute
888-995-7405
pctp@ochsner.org