RAPID CITY - The National Cancer Institute recently awarded three grants totaling more than $1.6 million to the John T. Vucurevich Regional Cancer Care Institute for the 2008 fiscal year.

The primary grant will be used to continue the funding of the Walking Forward program, which seeks to reduce the impact cancer has on the Native American population in western South Dakota - a population which has been impacted by high rates of cancer mortality.

Dr. Daniel G. Petereit, a radiation oncologist in Rapid City, is the principal investigator on the project.

The supplemental funding will be used to provide more screening education and opportunities for earlier detection of cancer. It will also allow continued patient navigation services for Native American cancer patients and increase access to the most recent clinical cancer treatment trials.

Since 2003, Petereit has led a research and treatment team that has helped provide the earlier access to cancer treatment through Walking Forward.

The program includes clinical trials, patient navigator services, community and cancer patient surveys, community education and outreach, and an ATM gene test regarding DNA repair. "Our clinical trials have made cutting-edge cancer treatments and technology … available in western South Dakota," Petereit said.

Some of the program's accomplishments include access to state-of-the-art radiation treatments and the latest cancer clinical trails without having to travel to distant states, navigation of 233 Native American patients through the complexities of cancer treatment, reduced transportation and lodging barriers, and the completion of one of the largest cancer care needs assessment surveys of the Native American community.

The Walking Forward program has significantly reduced the number of missed treatments and has significantly increased the treatment completion rate for Native American patients.

"We are extremely happy to receive additional funding to continue with the Walking Forward project. Thanks to the ongoing support of our communities, the people we serve, and the dedication of our staff, this program has been quite successful," said Tim Sughrue, chief executive of Rapid City Regional Hospital. "The grants are applicable to all cancer patients in western South Dakota to provide access to state-of-the-art cancer treatments and clinical trials.

In 2002, NCI awarded Regional a $5.4 million, five-year grant to fund Walking Forward. In 2006, NCI provided a supplemental grant of $109,000 to extend the clinical research of Walking Forward for both Native American and non-Native Cancer patients.

Rapid City Regional Hospital works closely with the NCI's Cancer Disparities Research Partnership - a federal program that is looking for ways to reduce cancer mortality among minorities.