A groundbreaking partnership between The University of Kansas (KU) Cancer Center and the Kansas City Veteran Medical Center (KCVA) aims to address a significant healthcare disparity by expanding veterans' access to early-phase cancer clinical trials.
The collaboration, announced in early April, will provide financial and logistical support to enable veterans to participate in innovative cancer treatment research that has historically been unavailable to them through the VA healthcare system.
Addressing a Critical Gap in Veteran Cancer Care
Approximately 50,000 new cancer cases are reported among veterans annually. This population faces elevated cancer risks due to unique exposures during military service, including hazardous substances encountered during deployment.
Despite this higher cancer burden, veterans have traditionally had limited access to cutting-edge cancer treatments. While the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offers some later-phase clinical trials (Phase II and III), early-phase trials that test novel therapies have remained largely inaccessible.
"Many veterans are left behind when it comes to accessing the most innovative cancer therapies," said Joaquina Baranda, MD, director of the cancer center's early-phase program and professor of medical oncology at KU Medical Center, who led the initiative.
Early-phase trials are particularly crucial for patients with advanced or treatment-resistant cancers, offering potential therapeutic options when standard treatments have failed.
Partnership Structure and Implementation
Under the new agreement, KU Cancer Center will serve as a subsite for early-phase clinical trials, enabling KCVA patients to access these studies with financial and logistical barriers removed.
The initiative was spearheaded by Dr. Baranda alongside Weijing Sun, MD, director of medical oncology and associate director for clinical research at KU Medical Center, and Chao Huang, MD, associate professor of medical oncology.
"While the VA provides excellent care, unfortunately, many veteran patients have been unable to access these vital treatment opportunities due to limited infrastructure and a lack of available trials," explained Dr. Huang. "Through this collaboration we can enhance access to these early-phase trials at VA facilities, ensuring that veterans benefit from the latest treatment options."
Paul F. Hopkins, KCVA executive medical center director and a veteran himself, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership: "As a veteran, I know that the care I receive at the VA has been amazing, and I am excited and grateful that we will be able to offer these amazing innovative treatments for our most vulnerable veterans, who are battling the epidemic of cancer in this country."
Creating a National Template
The collaboration's ambitions extend beyond Kansas City. The partners aim to establish a replicable model that can be implemented nationwide, creating a standardized approach for VA centers to collaborate with academic cancer research institutions.
"This partnership serves as a jumping-off point," Dr. Sun noted, "not just for the KCVA, but as a model for other VA centers across the nation, as well as a new cooperation style between academic research institutions and government entities."
New funding mechanisms have enabled the collaboration to begin building the necessary infrastructure to expand trial access. The ultimate goal is to develop a template that can be replicated across the country.
Broader Implications for Veteran Healthcare
This agreement reflects growing national attention to improving cancer care for veterans. While beginning as a local initiative, the partnership has potential to transform cancer care delivery for veterans throughout the United States.
"Our ultimate goal is to create a system where every veteran has access to early-phase cancer trials, regardless of where they live," Dr. Baranda emphasized. "This is the start of something much bigger, a roadmap for how VA centers nationwide can collaborate with leading academic cancer centers."
The initiative addresses a fundamental principle of healthcare equity: ensuring that those who have served their country have the same access to cutting-edge cancer treatments as civilian patients. By removing barriers to clinical trial participation, the partnership takes a significant step toward closing this gap in cancer care.
