Research Programs
Advanced cancer care closer to home
When you or a loved one is diagnosed with cancer, it is important to know every treatment option that is available. Often some of the best options are clinical trials. A clinical trial is designed to identify causes of cancer and develop strategies provided for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure. It tests the safety and effectiveness of new or modified treatments to include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, or combinations of treatments. In most trials, people receive either today's best available care, or a new treatment that is hoped to be better.
In navigating through your cancer experience, the decision to take part in a clinical trial is very personal. In making your treatment decisions, many medical professionals believe you will not have all options unless you consider participating in a clinical trial. Often, treatment in a clinical trial offers hope and access to treatments otherwise unavailable, and it impacts future successes in cancer care. For this reason, the Baptist Cancer Center has dedicated resources to ensure patients have access to leading-edge treatments in their home communities.
Baptist Cancer Center offers treatment trials in collaboration with Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and pharmaceutical companies. Additionally, we offer clinical trials directed by Baptist oncologists through grants and research in improving the health system and delivery of care.
Cancer Care Delivery Research (CCDR) researches how social factors, financing systems, organizational processes, health technologies, and healthcare provider and individual behaviors affect cancer outcomes, access to and quality of care, cancer care costs, and the well-being of cancer patients and cancer survivors.
As part of our commitment to providing a comprehensive research program, the Baptist Cancer Center and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center have joined efforts in conducting oncology clinical trials to better serve our community. VICC is a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center and a nationally recognized leader in personalized cancer medicine. The goal of this affiliation is to enhance the level of cancer care in the region served by Baptist Cancer Center and Baptist Memorial Health Care and to advance the cancer prevention, treatment, and research mission. Patients will benefit from this collaboration with access to more leading-edge clinical trials, joint conferences for the Baptist physicians with disease-specific experts to discuss best treatment options, and cancer awareness, education, and cancer prevention programs.
