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Brain Cancer Awareness Month
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Should SRS be Delivered Before or After Surgery for Patients with Brain Metastases? (NRG-BN012)
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The NRG-BN012 phase III clinical trial is designed to compare pre-operative versus post-operative stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for patients with 1 to 4 brain metastases with one requiring resection. The objectives of this study are to determine if delivering SRS prior to surgical resection can improve tumor control, including nodular meningeal disease, and quality of life while reducing toxicity and the burden of future interventions for this patient population. | |
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Phase III Trial of Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) versus Hippocampal-Avoidant Whole Brain Radiotherapy (HA-WBRT) for 10 or fewer Brain Metastases from Small Cell Lung Cancer (NRG-CC009)
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Written by Stuart Wong, MD
The NRG Oncology Head and Neck Committee has a tradition of over half a century of pioneering leadership in scientific innovation. The very earliest trials from this committee, under the legacy organization RTOG, were conducted in the same era as the first lunar missions. Looking back, these seminal head and neck trials conveyed a similar spirit as the Apollo missions of exploration, excitement, and trepidation. The earliest of these investigations tested groundbreaking experimental concepts such as neoadjuvant therapy, concurrent therapy, and altered fractionated radiation. In the subsequent decades, many practice changing head and neck trials have been published by this group. These efforts were led by multi-disciplinary teams of investigators, many who were giants in their respective fields, and supported by dedicated staff, some of whom have spanned these eras. Prior leaders of the NRG (RTOG) Head and Neck Committee include Victor Marcial (a founder of RTOG), Karen Fu, Kian Ang, and Quynh Le.
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National Cancer Research Month
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May is National Cancer Research Month. Thanks to advances in cancer research, millions of people worldwide are cancer survivors who are living with, through, and beyond their disease. Visit https://www.aacr.org/ to learn more. | |
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National Veterans Research Week
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Not Leaving Veterans Behind
Written by Vlad C. Sandulache MD PhD and Maria Kelly MD,
NRG Oncology Veteran Affairs and Military Treatment Facility Subcommittee Leadership
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National Veterans Research Week (May 9-12) highlights advances in clinical care for our nation’s Veterans across the breadth of disease entities brought about through a continuous bench to bedside approach. For Veterans with cancer, recent advances in immuno-oncology, targeted agents and continued optimization of conventional treatment algorithms have brough about improved disease-free survival along with enhanced quality of life. Yet Veteran participation in NCTN therapeutic clinical trials remains low across the nation. | |
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May 20th is Clinical Trials Day, globally recognized as an opportunity to raise awareness about clinical trial research and acknowledge the positive impact made by people who have participated in clinical trials and thank the investigators who conduct the research. | |
National Nurses Week is May 6-12. May 6 is designated as National Nurses Day and the week concludes on May 12, which is Florence Nightingale’s birthday. Learn the history of National Nurses Week at the American Nurses Association’s website. Nurses, you are the heart of healthcare! We see all the work that you do to make a difference in the lives of patients. Thank you! | |
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FORTE has accrued over 550 participants! 11 activated sites accrued participants in April 2023!
NRG-CC005/FORTE Coordinator: Talking Points
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The FORTE study team has created talking points for research professionals containing tips and tricks to assist with accrual efforts. This document contains a list of points to discuss when approaching potential participants, along with items to review should the patient express interest in consenting to this trial. The talking points also list common concerns participants have expressed when approached about FORTE. The document is posted on CTSU under NRG-CC005 à Protocol Related Documents. | |
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NRG Study News and New Protocols Under Development
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NRG-CC009 Patient Webpage Activation
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The NRG-CC009 patient study webpage is now LIVE! Learn more about the trial testing two different radiation therapy types to see which is better at preventing loss of memory and changes in thinking ability for people with small cell lung cancer that has spread to the brain here:
www.nrgoncology.org/CC009
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New Protocols Under Development
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NRG Oncology Study Results Confirm Conventional External Beam Radiotherapy Should Remain Standard of Care in Treating Localized Vertebral Metastases of the Spine
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Results from the NRG Oncology RTOG 0631 clinical trial comparing stereotactic vs. conventional radiotherapy for localized vertebral metastases of the spine did not meet its primary endpoint. Data from the study suggests that radiosurgery was not considered superior in terms of pain responses at 3 months following treatment, and even displayed worse pain response, than the conventional external beam radiotherapy (cEBRT). These results were recently published in the JAMA Oncology. Read the press release | |
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NRG Oncology Trial Does Not Improve Overall Survival, but Shows Improvements in Several Clinical Outcomes for Men with Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer
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Results from the phase 3 NRG Oncology RTOG 0815 clinical study comparing dose-escalated radiotherapy (RT) alone to dose-escalated RT with short-term androgen deprivation (STAD) did not meet its primary endpoint of improving overall survival for men with intermediate-risk prostate cancer through the addition of STAD. Although this study did not meet its primary aim, the addition of STAD to dose-escalated RT was associated with improvements in rates of biochemical failure, distant metastases, and prostate cancer-specific mortality. These results were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Read the press release | |
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Patient-Reported Outcomes from an NRG Oncology Study of Androgen Deprivation Therapy with Dose-Escalated Radiotherapy for Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer Show No Clinically Meaningful Differences in Scores at One Year Post-Treatment
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The patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of the phase 3 NRG Oncology clinical trial RTOG 0815 comparing dose-escalated radiotherapy (RT) alone to dose-escalated RT combined with short-term (6 months) androgen deprivation therapy (STAD) indicate that the addition of STAD did not significantly impact urinary or bowel quality of life but did significantly decrease hormone and sexual quality of life. However, this decline in quality of life was temporary and there were no clinically meaningful differences in quality of life between treatment arms by one year after the initiation of treatment. These results were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Read the press release | |
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NRG Protocol Support Committee (PSC) Column
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Spotlight on the PSC Working Groups
Written by: Pamela J. Mason, RN, BSN, CCRP, Clinical Trials Coordinator, FirstHealth of the Carolinas
The four Protocol Support Committee (PSC) working groups are comprised of members of the Clinical Trial Nurse (CTN) and Clinical Research Associate (CRA) subcommittees. The working groups are Protocol Review, Education and Training, Quality Control & Communications, and Mentorship. Each working group is tasked with goals that support the directives of the PSC. To achieve these goals, we are seeking feedback from the site level.
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NRG Oncology Combined Trial Long-Term Results Indicate that Pathologic Complete Response is Prognostic of Outcomes for Soft Tissue Sarcoma Patients | |
We are excited to announce Dr. Eric Polley will be taking on a larger role with the NRG Oncology Statistics and Data Management Center (SDMC). Dr. Polley is the Director of the Biostatistics Laboratory and Associate Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Chicago, as well as the faculty director for the Data Science concentration in the Master of Public Health Program. | |
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ASCO Advocacy Champions Named | |
The American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) recently announced their Advocacy Champions for their extraordinary efforts in cancer care advocacy in 2022. NRG Oncology members were recognized on the list in the various categories of “Presidents Circle”, “Speaker’s Club”, and “Senator’s Club”. ASCO’s Advocacy Champions exhibit dedication in their pursuit of legislation that supports delivery of high-quality and equitable cancer care. The list of 2022 ASCO Advocacy Champions can be found here. | |
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