International Research Group Commends NMCP's Pediatric Cancer Program

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (NNS) -- Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) announced April 3 that its Children's Oncology Group (COG) received outstanding results in an audit conducted last month by the international Children's Oncology Group.

The auditors said that not only was NMCP's data perfect, but it was the best they had ever seen.

NMCP is one of 200 hospitals around the world that participate in COG to further advancements in treatment and cure of cancers that affect children. Its data must be accurate and precise.

The 200 hospitals pool scientific ideas, research skills and patient data, which have resulted in dramatic improvements in cure rates that are approaching 80 percent for children's cancer. Each hospital that is a member of the COG is audited every three years, which includes an on-site review of research subject's medical records to confirm protocol and regulatory compliance.

"When you participate in clinical trials, it is very important to have accurate data, and the audit ensures that we are practicing that, and administering medications and doing things for the study that are not going to harm patients," said Cmdr. Brian Feldman, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Division head and principal investigator. "The audit is kind of a check to look at all of our data to make sure we are getting the labs that are needed for the study, reporting things on time, documenting what we are doing on time, and giving proper informed consent for the patients."

NMCP's pediatric oncology doctors have access to funding for research studies and cutting-edge treatments and therapies, which elevates the care a child with cancer gets at NMCP to that of world-renowned children's cancer hospitals.

"Pediatric cancers are still pretty rare, so if we relied on the research that we did just with our patients, it would certainly take years and years to advance any kind of education and knowledge that we are gaining," said Air Force Maj. (Dr.) Bethany Mikles, who will assume the duties of principal investigator this month. "So by pooling all the patients across the world, it winds up getting much better answers, much quicker."

There are about 13,000 to 14,000 new cases of childhood cancer each year in the United States, compared to 1.6 million adult cases, said Feldman. With a smaller number of patients to learn from, it's imperative that the data provided by member hospitals is impeccable.
The audit helps make sure the program is as successful as possible in accomplishing its two goals: to cure, and do so with minimal side effects.

"Preparing for the audit is a good thing for us, because it helps us make sure we are doing things right and staying on top of data," Feldman added. "The things that impressed the auditors were our preparation, attention to detail, documentation and communication. That tells them that all of those factors go into our patient care as well. They read the documentation, they read the compliance, and they read our management and they were very pleased with it and it is important because it translates to we are giving very good care to our patients, on par with any other big institution around the country."

The international COG is a research organization supported principally by the National Cancer Institute. It oversees the development of new treatments and cures for the cancers affecting infants, children, adolescents and young adults. The COG unites more than 8,000 experts in childhood cancer at more than 200 leading children's hospitals, universities and cancer centers across North America, Australia, New Zealand and Europe in the fight against childhood cancer. It conducts more than 150 simultaneous studies of leukemia, brain tumors and the other principal cancers of children.

For more news from Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, visit www.navy.mil/local/NMCP/.