Across large areas of Oklahoma and the nation, primary care clinics are a lifeline, providing care for people who otherwise would have to travel many miles to see a doctor. To increase access to vital health care, the National Institutes of Health announced an ambitious new initiative to integrate NIH-funded clinical trials into routine patient care in medically underserved areas like rural Oklahoma and within Tribal nations.

The National Institutes of Health has awarded the University of Oklahoma a five-year, $17.2 million grant to partner with tribal nations and communities to improve cancer outcomes. Research has shown that the American Indian and Alaska Native population in Oklahoma experiences a 36% higher incidence of cancer and a 73% higher death rate from cancer than faced by the U.S. general population.

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, and pancreatic cancer has some of the lowest 5-year survival rates of any cancer. Early detection can improve survival rates. When pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is initially diagnosed at stage IV, patients have a 2.7% 5-year survival rate. When diagnosis occurs at Stage I or IIA, this improves to 34%. However, there are currently no accurate blood tests for early detection of pancreatic cancer.