Cancer patients living in rural Maine will have better access to clinical trials in their own communities because of a new $5 million federal grant.
This is according to the MaineHealth Cancer Care Network, which announced the grant Wednesday. Maine Medical Center's chief of oncology Dr. Scot Remick says the trials will cover the continuum of care — from prevention to treatment to quality of life — and span all ages.
"Our health system now is participating in the highest level of cancer research sponsored by our federal government, the National Cancer Institute. And we've had connections to some of these groups, but never on this scale," Remick says.
The number of clinical trials offered through the cancer network is expected to triple, extending to Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington, Lincoln Health in Damariscotta, and other locations.
