KU Cancer Center partnership gives veterans greater access to clinical trials

Veterans in the U.S. face numerous health care challenges, including limited access to early-phase cancer clinical trials, a critical component of advancing cancer treatment. In response to this need, The University of Kansas Cancer Center and the Kansas City Veterans Affairs Medical Center (KCVA) have established a groundbreaking agreement designed to address this gap and expand access to clinical trials for veterans. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in improving care for a population that has historically been underserved for cancer research and treatment.

Each year, about 50,000 new cancer cases are reported among veterans, who face higher risks due to unique factors, such as exposure to hazardous substances during service. Despite this higher cancer incidence, veterans often face barriers to the latest cancer treatments. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) primarily offers later-phase clinical trials (Phase II and III), but access to early-phase trials, which test new therapies, has remained scarce. Early-phase trials are crucial for patients with advanced or difficult-to-treat cancers, offering innovative treatments that are not yet widely available.

“Many veterans are left behind when it comes to accessing the most innovative cancer therapies,” said Joaquina Baranda, M.D., director of the cancer center’s early-phase program and professor of medical oncology at KU Medical Center, who led the initiative.

To bridge this gap, KU Cancer Center and KCVA have formalized an agreement aimed at providing veterans with greater access to early-phase clinical trials. In addition to providing financial and logistical support, the cancer center will serve as a subsite for these trials.

Weijing Sun, M.D., director of medical oncology and associate director for clinical research at KU Medical Center, and Chao Huang, M.D., associate professor of medical oncology at KU Medical Center, helped spearhead the initiative alongside Baranda.

“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,” said 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.”

“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,” added Paul F. Hopkins, KCVA executive medical center director.

With the help of new funding mechanisms, the collaboration has begun to build the infrastructure needed to expand trial access. The goal is to develop a template that can be replicated nationally, providing every veteran access to the same research opportunities as civilians.

"This partnership serves as a jumping-off point," Sun said, "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.”

This agreement reflects a broader, national conversation on the need to improve cancer care for veterans. While this effort began as a local initiative, it has the potential to reshape cancer care for veterans across the country.

"Our ultimate goal is to create a system where every veteran has access to early-phase cancer trials, regardless of where they live," Baranda emphasized. "This is the start of something much bigger, a roadmap for how VA centers nationwide can collaborate with leading academic cancer centers."