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Welcome to the NRG Oncology eNewsletter
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A Message from the NRG Oncology Group Chairs
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2022 in Review and a Look Ahead
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NRG Oncology is entering 2023 with vigor, empowered by the many achievements that we have reached in 2022.
Reflecting on this past year, NRG made strides in diversity and equity through the creation of our Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee and our NRG NCORP Health Equity Fellowship Program. The DEI Committee will establish and implement programs and best practices that foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment, which values and embraces the diverse constituents within our organization. The NRG DEI Committee is led by the Committee Chair Dr. Katherine Moxley (University of Oklahoma at Tulsa) and the two Vice Chairs Dr. Kathryn Hitchcock (University of Florida) and Dr. Eleanor Walker (Henry Ford Hospital).
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A Message from the NRG Oncology Research Strategy Committee Chairs
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We are happy to report that the Protocol Development Department coordinated the activation of 11 studies in 2022: 8 through CTEP, 1 through DCP and 2 jointly developed with the Alliance Group (See table). The exciting news is that we have another 10 NCI approved concepts along with 3 NCI ComboMATCH studies that are in protocol development with activations anticipated in 2023/2024. There were also 13 other concepts that were approved for future development during our Research Strategy Meetings held this past year. We are thankful to have a robust and diverse clinical trial portfolio and are excited about the new trial concepts we continue to receive from our dedicated committees and investigators. | |
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Cervical Cancer Awareness Month
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Adding Atezolizumab to Cisplatin and Radiotherapy for Node-Positive Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer (NRG-GY017)
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Anti PD-L1 (Atezolizumab) as an Immune Primer and Concurrently with Extended Field Chemoradiotherapy for Node Positive Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer (NCT#03738228)
The NRG-GY017 was designed to assess whether differing sequences of atezolizumab and chemoradiation help boost immune activity and improve outcomes for women with node-positive, locally advanced cervical cancer. This trial recently completed accrual and preliminary results were reported as a plenary oral session at the Society of Gynecology Oncology (SGO) 2022 meeting in the spring. The updated translational data and analysis will be presented by Dr. Dmitriy Zamarin, MD, PhD, principal translational PI on the study, as a plenary oral session at this year’s SGO 2023 meeting.
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NRG Study News and New Protocols Under Development
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NRG-GI005, the “COBRA” Study Video Feature
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Over the next few NRG newsletters, we will be featuring some video interviews regarding a handful of currently active trials in the NRG portfolio. In this highlight, Dr. Van Morris, the Principal Investigator of NRG-GI005, the “COBRA” study, discusses the phase II/III study of circulating tumor DNA as a predictive biomarker in adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with stage IIA colon cancer.
Go to www.YouTube.com/@NRGOnc for more NRG video content.
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NRG Launches Patient Webpage for the RAPTOR Study and NRG-HN009
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NRG-LU007, also known as the ‘RAPTOR’ study is examining if the addition of radiation to immune therapy helps to improve survival of people with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer.
The patient webpage is available at: https://www.nrgoncology.org/RAPTOR
NRG-HN009 is a study that compares cisplatin given every three weeks to cisplatin given weekly with radiation for patients with locoregionally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
The patient webpage is available at: www.nrgoncology.org/HN009
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New Protocols Under Development
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NRG Innovations Continue in Cancer Care Delivery Research
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Megan Mullins, Ph.D., M.P.H. (Assistant Professor, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center) is a thought leader expanding the breadth of NRG’s efforts to advance cancer care for underrepresented populations. Dr. Mullins informs NRG inquiry in the emerging field of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.
Dr. Mullins received her PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Michigan and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in cancer care delivery research at the University of Michigan’s Rogel Cancer Center.
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#FORTEStudy Workshop
The January 2023 NRG-CC005/FORTE Study Workshop will both be in-person and virtual.
The Winter NRG Oncology Semiannual Meeting is coming up quickly! Registration is still open to attend the meeting both in Orlando and virtually. When registering, make sure you sign up for the FORTE Workshop, Friday, January 27, at 1:15 pm EST to get up-to-date with NRG-CC005. Speakers will cover topics relevant to clinical research professionals, investigators, and endoscopists. Our coordinator panel of FORTE professionals from Metro-Minnesota NCORP, Maine Health, and Ralph H. Johnson VA will also be present in Orlando to answer your questions about conducting FORTE at each of their different sites. Follow the FORTE social media accounts to get the most updated information on what the study team will be up to at #NRG2023.
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NRG Protocol Support Committee (PSC) Column
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Set Up for Success - Coordinating RECIST 1.1: A Community Hospital Perspective
Written by Pamela J. Mason, RN, BSN, CCRP, and Julie Williams, PhD, MPH, Clinical Trials Coordinators at FirstHealth of the Carolinas.
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We are coordinators in a large community-based hospital system in North Carolina. The information shared here is a culmination of our experiences with RECIST tracking and the tool we utilize to accomplish this task. We offer this guidance to set you up for success. We realize every site is different so some of the information may not apply to your specific situation. | |
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NRG at the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium
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NRG Oncology research was presented during poster sessions during the recently held San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Poster presentations included NRG-BR007 with Julia White, MD; NRG-NSABP B-52 with Kay Pogue-Geile, PhD, and a safety analysis of NRG-BR004 by Charles Geyer, MD. NRG Oncology group chair and NSABP Foundation chairman, Norman Wolmark, MD, received the Susan G. Komen Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction in Clinical Research and presented his lecture, “The Contribution of NSABP Clinical Trials to the Management of Early Breast Cancer: PAST AS PROLOGUE.”
Read more about Dr. Wolmark’s presentation here.
Photos courtesy of Greg Yothers, PhD; Deputy Group Statistician, NRG Oncology SDMC Pittsburgh
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NRG Oncology will have five featured presentations at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancers Symposium from January 19-21 in San Francisco, California. There will be two oral presentations, one by Dr. Laura Dawson on NRG-RTOG 1112, the phase III study of sorafenib versus stereotactic body radiation therapy followed by sorafenib in hepatocellular carcinoma, and the other by Dr. Thomas George on the long-term results from NRG-GI002, a phase II trial using total neoadjuvant therapy in locally advanced rectal cancer. Poster presentations are on the following trials: NRG-GI004 (the COMMIT Study), NRG-GI005 (the COBRA Study), and NRG-GI008 (the CIRCULATE-US Study).
Download the poster of all NRG presentations here.
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Dr. Woodward Takes Executive Director, Ad Interim Role of Morgan Welch IBC Clinic and Research Program | |
Congratulations to Wendy Woodward MD, PhD, on her recent appointment as Executive Director, Ad Interim, of the Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) Clinic and Research Program at MD Anderson Cancer Center. | |
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Dr. Iheagwara Appointed Director of Radiation Oncology Clinical Trials – Community
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Congratulations to Uzoma K. Iheagwara, MD, PhD, who recently accepted the new role as Director of Radiation Oncology Clinical Trials – Community at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hillman Cancer Center. | |
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Dr. White Transitions to the University of Kansas
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Congratulations to Julia R. White, MD, FACR, FASTRO, who recently was appointed the Vice Chair of Radiation Oncology and Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Previously, Dr. White served as the Klotz Chair in Cancer Research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. | |
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