A five-year, $8.6 million grant has been awarded to the University of Wisconsin by the National Institutes of Health to help continue efforts in solving problems associated with transmitting reliable cancer information to patients.

This is the second five-year grant awarded by the NIH to UW’s Center for Health Enhancement Systems Studies, or CHESS. The grant will come from the National Cancer Institute, a division of the NIH.

The first NIH grant to CHESS focused on developing an integrated internet-based communication system. This system gave patients reliable, up-to-date and easy-to-use information on their specific cancer treatment.

In response to a successful trial study of that system, in which many of the participants benefited from having access to timely and quality information, the second NIH grant will be directed toward bringing the system online to HMOs.

CHESS spokesperson Maureen Fitzgerald said the grant will allow a broad range of cancer patients to have access to the system.

“In effect, this second five-year grant is focused on transitioning the system from a university study to the real world,” Fitzgerald said.

UW industrial engineering professor and CHESS Principal Investigator David Gustafson will direct the project, titled “Using Technology to Enhance Cancer Communication and Improve Clinical Outcomes.”

“We’re thrilled to be able to continue the work that we’ve done in the last five years to improve the quality of life for patients with cancer,” said UW assistant professor of radiology Beth Burnside in a statement. Burnside is deputy director of the Center of Excellence in Cancer Communication Research II, the UW group working with the grant.

From the start, the CHESS program has been a cooperative effort of more than 45 professors and researchers from all different disciplines, according to CHESS researcher Fiona McTavish.

“What people do not realize about CHESS is that it is an extremely collaborative effort incorporating people from all over the university and country,” McTavish said.

The grant will not change the fundamental collaborative structure of the CHESS program, McTavish said.

She added with such a diverse array of expertise and knowledge, the system is able to promptly adjust to the ever-changing information technology of the 21st century and provide patients with accessible and quality web-based cancer treatment information.