• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

ASCO Awards First 'Team Science' Distinguished Service Award to Cancer Cooperative Groups

Posted on: Saturday, 2 June 2007, 00:00 CDT

CHICAGO, June 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Cancer Cooperative Groups this year will become the first group to receive a Distinguished Service Award for Scientific Leadership from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), while ten community oncology practices will be honored with Clinical Trials Participation Awards - an annual ASCO honor sponsored by the Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups that recognizes community oncology practices for their achievements in increasing patient participation in cancer clinical trials.

The Distinguished Service Award for Scientific Leadership, to be presented to all 12 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-sponsored cooperative groups, will recognize the "team science" achievements of the cooperative groups to designing and conducting cancer clinical trials. Through a shared common purpose-to develop and conduct large-scale cancer clinical trials in multi- institutional settings - and by combining resources, the groups have made significant contributions to advances in cancer screening, prevention and treatment.

Among a series of annual ASCO Special Awards chosen by members of the ASCO Special Awards Selection Committee chaired by ASCO past president Sandra J. Horning, MD, the cooperative group award will be presented at the opening session of ASCO's 43rd annual meeting to leaders from all 12 cooperative groups:

-- American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) Bruce Hillman, MD, Group Chair -- American College of Surgeons Oncology Group (ACOSOG) Heidi Nelson, MD, David Oto, MD, Co-Group Chairs -- Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) Richard L. Schilsky, MD, Group Chair -- Children's Oncology Group (COG) Gregory H. Reaman, MD, Group Chair -- Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Robert L. Comis, MD, Group Chair -- European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Francoise Meunier, MD, PhD, Director General -- Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) Philip J. DiSaia, MD, Group Chair -- National Cancer Institute of Canada, Clinical Trials Group (NCIC CTG) Joseph L. Pater, MD, Director -- North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) Jan C. Buckner, MD, Group Chair -- National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) Norman Wolmark, MD, Group Chair -- Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) Walter J. Curran, MD, Group Chair -- Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) Laurence H. Baker, DO, Group Chair

Established in 1955, the cooperative group program is the largest standing international network of oncology researchers. In the U.S. alone, more than 8,000 oncologists and researchers in more than 1,700 sites are members. Nearly half of all federally funded cancer treatment trials in the U.S. are conducted by the groups and they enroll nearly half (25,000) of all cancer patients who participate in U.S. treatment trials. Since their inception, the cooperative groups have sponsored more than 4,000 clinical trials and treated more than 500,000 patients.

Recognizing Community Oncology Practices

The Clinical Trials Participation Awards, to be presented at ASCO ceremonies tomorrow, recognize achievements in patient accrual over a three- year period at 10 community oncology practices in the U.S. The Awards reflect accomplishments in increasing enrollment from underrepresented patient populations, and in using innovative strategies to overcome enrollment barriers. Sponsored annually through a grant from the Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups, a total of 53 community-based practices have received the award since 2003.

"Clinical trial research is the necessary step to translate laboratory discoveries into treatments that improve the lives and health of cancer patients," said Allen S. Lichter, MD, Executive Vice President and CEO of ASCO. "The Clinical Trials Participation Awards honor those practices that have demonstrated innovative ways to offer clinical trials to patients in the community setting."

Nominations from across the country were submitted by Cooperative Groups, the ASCO Clinical Practice Committee, the NCI Community Clinical Oncology Program, and three community-based oncology research networks: US Oncology, Minnie Pearl Cancer Research Network, and Hoosier Oncology Group. All nominated practices were invited to submit an application for the award and applications were peer-reviewed by a subcommittee of ASCO's Cancer Research Committee. Ten applicants were selected to receive the award.

"The Coalition recognizes the invaluable contribution of community oncology practices in the clinical trial program and to advances in cancer patient care," said Robert L. Comis, MD, president and chairman of the Coalition. "The achievements of the winners are particularly impressive, given the ongoing challenges of conducting diverse, well-designed trials in the community setting."

The 2007 Honorees include: Cancer Centers of the Carolinas Greenville, South Carolina William Jeffery Edenfield, MD Duluth Clinic Cancer Center Duluth, Minnesota Daniel A. Nikcevich, MD, PhD Kaiser Permanente, Northern California Vallejo, California Louis Fehrenbacher, MD New Hampshire Hematology-Oncology, P.A. Hooksett, New Hampshire Douglas Weckstein, MD Northwest Cancer Specialists Vancouver, Washington David A. Smith, MD Oncology Hematology Associates Of Central Illinois-IORA CCOP Peoria, Illinois John Kugler, MD Oncology Hematology Care, Inc. Cincinnati, Ohio David Waterhouse, MD, MPH Scottsdale Medical Imaging, Ltd. Scottsdale, Arizona Ronald Korn, MD, PhD Summa Health System Hospitals Akron, Ohio R. Douglas Trochelman, MD University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio/ Christus Santa Rosa Children's Hospital San Antonio, Texas Paul Thomas, MD About the Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups

The Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups is a non-profit charitable organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life and survival of cancer patients by increasing participation in cancer clinical trials.

The Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups

CONTACT: Diane D. Colaizzi, +1-215-789-3612,dcolaizzi@cancertrialshelp.org

Web site: http://www.cancertrialshelp.org/

Source: PRNewswire-USNewswire

More News in this Category