Other Cancer Center Initiatives

Mayo Clinic Cancer Center members are engaged in a number of research, education, training and clinical efforts that expand beyond the confines of the 12 Programs. These initiatives include working to improve access to health care and especially cancer prevention and therapeutic services for underserved populations; programs to encourage young investigators and clinicians in promising avenues of cancer research; very specific laboratory research constructs; nicotine cessation research and treatment, and community clinical trials activities. More information can be found below and throughout the linked Web pages.

Outreach to American Indians and Alaska Natives (Native Programs)
Mayo Clinic Cancer Center is involved in a number of outreach, awareness and education activities throughout the American Indian and Alaska Native populations of North America, collectively called Native Programs.

Disease/Discipline Oriented Groups (DOGs)

Mayo Clinic Cancer Center’s Disease/Discipline Oriented Groups (DOGs) serve as integrated, multidisciplinary teams of expert investigators who develop, promote and conduct clinical and translational cancer research within a disease site or modality. This research is conducted within the context of the Mayo Model of Care.

Cooperative Groups and Research Consortium Engagement
In addition to the intra-institutional collaborative efforts Mayo Clinic Cancer Center researchers are engaged in across all three campuses in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Ariz.; Jacksonville, Fla.; and Rochester, Minn.; they interact regularly with scientists and clinicians in other organizations worldwide. For example, many clinical trials are conducted under the auspices of one of the 12 national clinical research groups sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), including the North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG), which has its research and administrative base at Mayo Clinic Rochester, and is directed by Mayo Clinic neuro-oncologist Jan Buckner, M.D.

The Phase 2 Consortium (P2C) is a multi-center consortium specializing in Phase II clinical trials of anti-cancer agents. The consortium is coordinated by Mayo Clinic Cancer Center (which has campuses in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Ariz., Jacksonville, Fla., and Rochester, Minn.), and led by Charles Erlichman, M.D. Other P2C members include Cancer Therapeutics Research Group, Singapore; The Center for Cancer Care and Research, St. Louis; Howard University Cancer Center, Washington, D.C.; Karmanos Cancer Institute, Detroit; Metro-Minnesota Community Clinical Oncology Program, St. Louis Park, Minn.; Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore; Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis; UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco; and University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center, Madison, Wis.

Another such group co-located at Mayo Clinic in Rochester is the Cancer Prevention Network (CPN). This NCI-funded consortium, directed by Charles Loprinzi, M.D., organizes, promotes, and conducts cancer prevention research. The Pancreatic Cancer Genetic Epidemiology (PACGENE) Consortium (also based in Rochester) is directed by Gloria Petersen, Ph.D., and consists of a group of NCI-funded individuals searching for the genetic underpinnings of pancreatic cancer. The consortium also seeks to determine if there is a link to exposure to second-hand smoke and manifestation of these genes.

Mayo Clinic also is engaged in the National Institutes of Health -sponsored multi-institutional Pharmacogenetics Research Network (PGRN) research program. Led by Richard Weinshilboum, M.D., Mayo's project, "Pharmacogenetics of Phase II Drug Metabolizing Enzymes," is based on a decades-long focus at Mayo on studies of the pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics of Phase II (conjugating) drug-metabolizing enzymes.

Additional consortium work includes membership in GLIOGENE, an international consortium of familial brain tumor researchers. GLIOGENE hopes to learn more about possible genes related to brain tumor development — and then identify a genetic link among family members of brain tumor patients.

Health Disparities Program

Health gaps exist between minorities and white Americans. For known and unknown reasons, some groups suffer from certain diseases at a much higher rate. For example, African Americans are more likely to develop cancer than any race for all cancers combined. African Americans also develop major cancers (breast, prostate, and colorectal) more than other groups.

Live Well. Be Well. (pdf) is a community outreach and education program managed by a dedicated team of physicians and coordinators from Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla. The program's goal is to reduce health disparities in cancer, and Mayo's activities include visits to local churches, participation in citywide and community health fairs, partnering with local organizations on cancer education and awareness projects, and hosting educational seminars on cancer awareness in the community.

Program coordinators are available to speak to any local group or organization about what the community can do to prevent, detect, and treat cancer. Over the last year, some 6,080 individuals have been touched through Live Well. Be Well., and we hope to see this number increase throughout 2008.

Paul Calabresi Training Program in Clinical-Translational Research
The intent of the program is to prepare outstanding clinician and basic science investigators to build independently-funded patient-oriented research careers, and to be able to collaborate with each other in the conduct of that research.

Other Areas of Research