Clinical trials are carefully controlled studies to research the safety and benefits of new drugs and therapies with the goal of finding better ways to treat cancer.   At UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center we are dedicated to giving our patients the most advanced cancer treatments available, sometimes years before treatments are offered anywhere else by gaining access to the very latest changes in cancer care developed by the nation’s foremost cancer specialists.  By participating in clinical trials you become a partner in scientific discovery and help scientists and researchers advance the cause of preventing, diagnosis and treating cancer.

Our oncology clinical research infrastructure resides under the Cancer Center’s Office of Clinical Research (OCR) which works to ensure all patients have access to these cutting-edge cancer clinical trials.

Structure

As a National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, the NCI requires that each Cancer Center have a Protocol Review and Monitoring System (PRMS) to assess scientific merit and feasibility of all protocols studying subjects diagnosed with, or at risk for, cancer conducted at our Cancer Center and to monitor for accrual and scientific relevance. 

The Protocol Review and Monitoring System (PRMS) of the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCDCCC) provides a mechanism for ensuring internal oversight of the scientific and research aspects of cancer clinical trials and for assuring that the UCDCCC's clinical resources are engaged in the most optimal way. The PRMS is intended to cover clinical research activity meeting the NCI definition of a clinical trial, as defined in the Data and Safety Monitoring Plan (DSMP) within the Clinical Protocol and Data Management of this application.

The Disease Team Committees (DTCs) and Scientific Review Committee (SRC) together comprise UCDCCC’s two-stage Protocol Review and Monitoring System (PRMS).  All cancer -related, hypothesis-driven clinical research studies must receive PRMS approval prior to activation. The DTC must endorse the trial prior to submission to SRC.  

When the DTC approves the study to move forward through the start-up process and is then presented to the Scientific Review Committee (SRC) which provides internal peer-review and approval of new treatment and prevention research trials prior to submission to the Institutional Review Board (IRB), which focuses on the protection of human subjects. SRC provides essential review elements for scientific merit, prioritization, resource allocation and accrual monitoring.

The Protocol Accrual Monitoring Committee (PAMC), a subcommittee of the SRC is charged with monitoring accruals and sending reminders to investigators prior to full-board SRC intervention.

Additionally, investigator-initiated interventional clinical research protocols require Data and Safety Monitoring oversight through the Cancer Center’s Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB).

Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG)

The National Cancer Act officially established the Cancer Centers Program in 1971.  It also implemented a standard funding mechanism (the P30 Cancer Center Support Grant or CCSG).  As a qualified applicant institution, we receive the CCSG award and accompanying NCI designation for successfully meeting a spectrum of rigorous competitive standards associated with scientific and organizational merit. The PAR-21-321 grant continues to support our research infrastructure that enhances collaborative, transdisciplinary research productivity. The CCSG grants provides funding for formalized cancer Research Programs, Shared Resources, scientific and administrative management, planning and evaluation activities, development of new scientific opportunities, community outreach and engagement, coordination of cancer training and education, and centralized clinical trial oversight and functions.

SCOPE

The Sacramento Citywide Oncology Phase I program (SCOPE) is the first regional collaboration of its kind to share clinical resources with the goal of expanding access to Phase I clinical trials to patients within the greater Sacramento area.

Oncologists from the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dignity Health, Kaiser Permanente, Sierra Hematology Oncology and Sutter Health partner to provide cutting-edge cancer treatments and overcome barriers to the delivery of care, as well as expand the study portfolio for better treatment options for patients.

We collaborate to improve advanced cancer care and bring novel therapies directly to patients who need them.

If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, talk with your oncologist today to see if a clinical trial is the right option for you.

SCOPE Opens Doors to Early Phase Clinical Trials