Western States Cancer Research

What Western States Cancer Research does

Western States Cancer Research NCORP, doing business as Altitude Clinical Research, is a Denver-based non-profit 501(c)(3) Site Management Organization (SMO) founded in 1983 that enables community physicians, clinics, and healthcare systems to participate in industry-sponsored cancer clinical trials without building internal research infrastructure. The organization delivers an integrated suite of clinical trial support service modules: Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC) staffing, regulatory and compliance oversight, quality assurance, investigational product management, data management, site startup support, and patient recruitment and retention. It holds affiliation with the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP), providing access to the national cancer research network coordinated by the National Cancer Institute.

The company's go-to-market is a partnership-based enterprise field-sales motion targeting physicians, clinics, and healthcare systems across the western United States. Distribution is direct B2B rather than consumer-facing, with 30+ clinical trial sites currently supported. Core scale signals include 5,880+ cumulative participants enrolled and 900+ studies opened since inception. The technology stack is not publicly disclosed; the value proposition is built on human-staff-delivered services and regulatory expertise rather than software platforms.

Revenue is generated through professional service fees charged for clinical trial management, regulatory compliance, and related SMO services provided to industry sponsors and physician practices. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit (EIN 84-1090476), the organization is also funded through donations (including via the Colorado Gives platform) and grants. The company is led by CEO Lisa Switzer and is governed by a Board of Trustees. No parent company, subsidiaries, M&A activity, funding rounds, or recent product launches are disclosed.

Name

Western States Cancer Research

Legal name

Western States Cancer Research NCORP

Website

https://westernstatesncorp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Western States Cancer Research, operating as Altitude Clinical Research, is a Denver-based non-profit Site Management Organization that enables community physicians and healthcare systems to participate in industry-sponsored cancer clinical trials through end-to-end support services including regulatory, CRC, and data management.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical Trial Site Operations & Study Coordination (HLAGACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Clinical Trial Monitoring Support (On-site/Remote) (HLAGACAG), Clinical Trial Analytics, Risk-Based Monitoring (RBM) & Quality Management (HLACAOAI)

Keywords

• Clinical research services
• Oncology trials support
• Site management organization
• Cancer research coordination
• Regulatory compliance services

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Clinical Trial Support Services: As a Site Management Organization (SMO), the company provides comprehensive clinical trial support services to physician practices and healthcare systems. Revenue is generated through service fees for study management, regulatory compliance oversight, patient recruitment and retention support, data management, site startup support, and access to industry-sponsored clinical trials. Being a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 84-1090476), additional funding may come from donations and grants.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Western States Cancer Research NCORP (DBA Altitude Clinical Research) is a nonprofit Site Management Organization that provides end-to-end clinical trial support services for oncology research, including CRC services, regulatory affairs, quality assurance, investigational product management, data management, site startup, and patient recruitment and retention. It operates across more than 30 research sites and supports sponsors and investigative sites in conducting cancer clinical trials.

Product overview

Western States Cancer Research NCORP, DBA Altitude Clinical Research, is a non-profit Site Management Organization (SMO) offering a unified platform of clinical trial support services. The core offering is Clinical Trial Support Services, which encompasses integrated service modules including CRC Services, Regulatory Services, Quality Assurance Services, Investigational Product Management, Data Management Services, Site Startup Support, and Patient Recruitment & Retention Services. Together, these modules provide end-to-end support for physicians and community practices to participate in clinical trials without the burden of building a research department from scratch.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC) Services

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NCORP (NCI Community Oncology Research Program)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWestern States Cancer Research operates as an NCORP (NCI Community Oncology Research Program) site, affiliated with the national cancer research network coordinated by the National Cancer Institute. This affiliation enables access to national clinical trials and research protocols for community-based cancer care.
• Industry SponsorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with pharmaceutical and biotech companies as a Site Management Organization to conduct industry-sponsored clinical trials. Provides access to community practice patient populations for clinical research.
• Community Healthcare SystemscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with physician practices, clinics, and healthcare systems to integrate clinical research into community patient care. Supports 30+ sites across the western United States.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Peers

• Medpace Holdings:

Broad incumbents

• Sarah Cannon Research Institute: Sarah Cannon is the cancer-focused SMO arm of HCA Healthcare, operating one of the largest community oncology trial networks in the U.S. It is directly comparable to Western States as a community-based oncology SMO offering multi-site trial management, regulatory, and data services, but at substantially greater scale and geographic reach.
• US Oncology Research: US Oncology Research, part of McKesson's The US Oncology Network, manages a large community-based clinical trial network focused on oncology. Comparable to Western States as a community oncology SMO providing trial infrastructure, regulatory oversight, and patient recruitment across multiple sites.
• Syneos Health (now part of private equity; oncology site network): Syneos Health is a global CRO with site management and oncology trial capabilities. Comparable to Western States as a provider of site operations, monitoring, and patient recruitment services, though at global CRO scale rather than community non-profit focus.
• IQVIA (Oncology/SMO services): IQVIA is a global CRO with significant SMO and oncology trial operations capabilities. Comparable to Western States in delivering site management, data, and monitoring services for oncology trials, though operating at a vastly broader enterprise scale across many therapeutic areas.

Direct peers

• Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute: Florida Cancer Specialists operates a large community oncology practice with an in-house clinical research program conducting industry-sponsored trials. Comparable to Western States as a community oncology site network delivering multi-site trial participation for sponsors, though operated as an integrated private practice rather than a nonprofit SMO.
• Hoosier Cancer Research Network: Hoosier Cancer Research Network is a nonprofit oncology research consortium operating community-based clinical trials across multiple states. Directly comparable to Western States as a nonprofit SMO affiliated with cooperative-group research, providing site management and trial coordination services for community oncology practices.

Regional players

• New England Cancer Specialists: New England Cancer Specialists is a regional community oncology practice with an active clinical research program participating in industry and cooperative-group trials. Comparable to Western States as a community oncology site organization offering patient access to clinical trials, but serving the New England region.

Others

• National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP): NCORP is the NCI program that funds and coordinates community-based cancer research sites, of which Western States is an affiliate. It is comparable as the governing ecosystem/network that defines how Western States' affiliated sites access federal trials and infrastructure support.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Western States Cancer Research