NewYork‑Presbyterian and Long Island-based Catholic Health are teaming up to bring select cancer clinical trials and investigational therapies closer to home, cutting down on those long treks into Manhattan for many patients. Under the deal, community hospitals in the Catholic Health network will be able to enroll patients in Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center studies and deliver specialized treatments on site. Leaders at both systems say the move blends community oncology care with big-academic research firepower to broaden access and speed up enrollment in promising new therapies.
Partnership details
According to a July 7 news release from NewYork‑Presbyterian, Catholic Health is becoming a member of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center’s National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program site, with 20 clinical trials already underway through the collaboration. The trials now open include targeted therapies, immunotherapies and precision-medicine approaches that are being delivered locally at most Catholic Health Cancer Institute locations. NewYork‑Presbyterian officials describe the agreement as a way to extend academic research activity into neighborhood hospitals so more patients can realistically take part.
What Catholic Health says
In its own July 7 announcement, Catholic Health said it will run select Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center trials at most Catholic Health Cancer Institute sites, creating near-immediate options for eligible patients to enroll in investigational drug programs without leaving their local care teams. The system framed the collaboration as a way to marry cutting-edge therapies with the familiarity of community-based care. “This collaboration represents an important step forward in expanding access to advanced cancer care for patients and communities across Long Island,” Catholic Health interim CEO Gary Havican said in the statement.
Why NCORP matters
The National Cancer Institute’s Community Oncology Research Program is specifically built to move NCI-approved clinical trials and cancer care delivery research into community hospitals, so participation is not limited to patients who can travel to major academic centers. NCORP links research bases and local sites to test prevention, treatment and care-delivery approaches where patients already receive care, and it has supported trial enrollment at thousands of community locations nationwide. The National Cancer Institute notes that NCORP’s structure is intended to chip away at common barriers to trial participation in everyday clinical settings.
Local access and scale
NewYork‑Presbyterian points out that the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center is an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center, with a research portfolio that supports roughly $130 million in annual cancer research and serves an 11-million-person catchment area. HICCC leaders say the Catholic Health collaboration will extend that research footprint deeper into Long Island communities and help enroll a broader, more diverse mix of patients in its studies. “Expanding access to clinical trials is essential to accelerating cancer research so that scientific advances reach more patients,” said Anil K. Rustgi, director of the HICCC.
How patients can learn more
Patients who want to explore clinical-trial options are being urged to talk with their Catholic Health oncologist or the local research team to see what might fit their diagnosis and treatment plan. Catholic Health’s website lists participating cancer institute locations, including the Breast Health and Cancer Institute at Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip. That page provides contact information and the hospital’s address for anyone who wants details on trial availability or enrollment steps. Catholic Health says more studies will roll out over time as the partnership builds.
The collaboration has also caught the eye of the local business press. Crain’s New York Business reported on the agreement on July 9, noting hospital officials expect the number of studies and enrollment opportunities to grow as the relationship between the two systems matures.
