Participating experts: Ken Grossmann, M.D., Ph.D., medical oncologist and the division director for Providence Hematology and Medical Oncology at Providence Cancer Institute; Eric Anderson, M.D., Ph.D., hematology oncologist and medical director at Providence Hood River Cancer Center.
Key Takeaways:
- Access to clinical trials in Hood River would mean people living in rural areas throughout the Columbia Gorge and beyond don’t have to drive to Portland to participate in a study.
- To best serve the people in Hood River and beyond, Dr. Anderson recommends making clinical trials available at the Providence Hood River Cancer Center for people with breast, lung, colon or prostate cancers, or multiple myeloma.
- Reaching people in rural areas throughout Oregon, where clinical trials are less accessible, is a goal at Providence Cancer Institute. Hood River can serve as a model.
In 2023, Eric Anderson, M.D., Ph.D., joined Providence Hood River Cancer Center as a medical director and hematology oncologist. Dr. Anderson came to Providence with extensive experience as both a scientist and an oncologist, committed to advancing research and patient care through clinical trials.
As Providence Cancer Institute of Oregon extends care and clinical trials beyond the Portland Metro area, Hood River is a key site for growth. Dr. Anderson is poised to lead the effort.
Currently, patients have access to a wide range of clinical trials underway at Providence Cancer Institute Franz Clinic in Portland, 60 miles from Hood River. But the distance can be prohibitive for some patients. Making clinical trials available at the cancer center could make a lifesaving difference to patients in Hood River and rural areas beyond its city limits – as far as Boise perhaps.
“Hood River has the potential to become a center of excellence in the Gorge. I think that's a real possibility,” says Kenneth Grossmann, M.D., Ph.D., division director for Providence Hematology and Medical Oncology at Providence Cancer Institute. “Eric has the administrative experience needed to think about cancer care delivery in a big way. I think this is an opportunity to get it right from the beginning.”
Recently, Dr. Grossmann and Dr. Anderson discussed what it will require to bring clinical trials to Hood River and the benefit to patients throughout the Gorge and beyond.
Grossmann: What have you learned about Hood River and the surrounding communities since moving there?
Anderson: Hood River has a broad demographic; it's an interesting community. Hood River is well known for being an outdoor recreation mecca. There are a lot of young people and young families in the area. It’s also a big agricultural area, so there are a lot of people who own, operate and work on farms and in orchards. There is a big community of retirees in the surrounding area with numerous senior living and assisted living facilities operated by Providence.
Grossmann: Providence is working on ways to better facilitate distant site referrals to trials. At the same time, we want to bring trials to places like Hood River that are a good fit for the setting. Based on what you know about the communities there, what types of clinical trials would best serve Hood River and other Gorge communities?
Anderson: I think the right trials for Hood River are ones that focus on the major cancer subtypes, like breast, lung, colon and prostate cancers. We also have a pretty high prevalence of multiple myeloma blood cancer. So clinical trials for multiple myeloma and maybe for some lymphomas would also be helpful for patients.
Trials offered in Hood River would be an extension of studies happening at our Portland locations, such as later phase clinical trials that evaluate standard of care cancer treatment with or without a new therapy
Grossmann: Currently, you have some resources already in place in Hood River to support cancer patients in treatment. You have a great nurse practitioner with years of experience, oncology social workers and nurse navigators, and a wonderful infusion room and an inpatient oncology pharmacy.
Anderson: Yes, we might benefit from having radiation services available for more complex care, so our patients don’t have to travel to Portland. But overall, it’s not necessarily more resources we need, but continuing to find ways to make studies more accessible to patients. Clinical trials are an important part of cancer care anywhere. Creating more paths to accessibility to trials in the Gorge is one of the most exciting parts of my job.
I think one way to attract trial sponsors to Hood River for relevant studies would be to join with other smaller Providence cancer clinics in Oregon, like our clinics in Seaside, Willamette Falls and Newberg. We could identify clinical trials that are helpful for our rural populations as a whole, leveraging our strength as a collective rather than as individual clinics.
Grossmann: We’re working to build up each Providence Cancer Institute site to ensure we have robust staffing. Our goal is to create a condition where a physician who works in Portland could walk in the door at Hood River and have the same level of staffing and workflow to care for a cancer patient. I'm looking forward to working with you to make sure the staffing at Hood River closely matches what we're doing here in Portland.
Anderson: Also what’s needed is changing the culture of clinical research, where currently everyone focuses on their disease and getting trials for their disease. Ideally, we're not thinking only about the patients we see, but the full range of cancer patients that are seen across the Oregon region and how we can improve care, no matter the tumor type. This means opening clinical trials with broader applicability, expanding access so it works for everybody. I had success working on this issue in my last position.
Grossmann: I just want to note how excited I am about the work ahead in Hood River. I think this discussion is something that is playing out broadly across the country as we seek to deliver the best cancer medicine to areas far from a city center. I know Hood River already is an example of how to do this well and will chart the way forward in expanding the scope of what is possible!
Learn more about Providence Hood River Cancer Center.
Find out about more about clinical trials and cancer care at Providence Cancer Institute.
Ken Grossmann, M.D., Ph.D., is a medical oncologist and the division director for Hematology and Medical Oncology at Providence Cancer Institute.
Eric Anderson, M.D., Ph.D., is a hematology oncologist and medical director at Providence Hood River Cancer Center.
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