Announcements

Planner for ECOG-ACRIN at ASCO (plenary and oral sessions)  

Don’t miss the March/April Member Newsletter 

New information about the Fall 2020 Group Meeting 

First-quarter 2020 TMIST Study Updates now available

NCI-ComboMATCH is accepting laboratory applications and scientific concepts 

Question about COVID19? Send an email

Access content from the April 7 COVID-19 Virtual Town Hall

LAUNCHED! A new blog to connect with the advocacy community

Latest News 

The phase 2 trial PrE0505 shows durvalumab added to standard chemotherapy improved overall survival in mesothelioma. Lead investigator Patrick Forde, MD (Johns Hopkins University) will present the results in an oral presentation at ASCO 2020. Read press release on PrECOG website May 20, 2020

TAILORx sheds light on cognitive decline in early-stage breast cancer. MedWire News May 19, 2020

Robert L. Ferris, MD will present a promising approach for a less intense treatment of throat cancer from the randomized phase 2 trial E3311 at the annual meeting of ASCO. Read press release May 13, 2020 

Researchers with the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group will present a wide range of research findings at the ASCO annual meeting. Look for late-breaking data in two plenary sessions and several oral abstract presentations. Read press release May 13, 2020

New insights into cancer-related cognitive impairment help dispel notion of ‘chemo brain’ An interview with Lynne I. Wagner, PhD (Wake Forest) Healio, May 12, 2020

The FDA has approved the combination of the targeted agent ibrutinib with the immunologic agent rituximab for patients aged 70 or younger with untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL). The approval is based on E1912, a phase 3 trial led by Tait Shanafelt, MD (Stanford University) Read press release

Smoke-Free Support Study 2.0, led by Elyse R. Park, PhD, MPH (Massachusetts General Hospital) is assessing video counseling to help cancer patients who smoke to quit. Cancer patients are at high risk of contracting COVID-19 as the disease and its treatments weaken immune systems. Read press release

Journal of Clinical Oncology publishes patient-reported data from TAILORx. The cognitive decline from chemo was early and abrupt but no worse over time. Cognition was also impaired in the group on hormone therapy alone. Lynne I. Wagner, PhD (Wake Forest) and colleagues dispel the notion of chemo-brain. April 9, 2020. Read press release

Vitaly Margulis, MD (U Texas Southwestern) and colleagues report on the phase two study EA8141. The results support the use of four cycles of chemotherapy consisting of methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin (aMVAC) prior to surgery in patients with high-grade upper urinary tract cancer, a rare but treatable disease. April 4, 2020 The Journal of Urology 

Looking for more (older) news coverage? Visit the News and Info section and the TMIST Press Center.

Group Meeting Highlight

YouTube Highlights

View the following video highlights on our YouTube channel:

• Dr. Edith P. Mitchell of Jefferson University, the co-chair of the EA Health Equity Committee, shares her efforts to bring TMIST to minority and underserved communities
  
  
• Study chair Dr. Etta D. Pisano of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center provides an update on the TMIST breast cancer screening trial as of October 2019
  
  
• EA8143/PROSPER RCC Clinical Trial for Renal Cell Carcinoma
  
  
• Tribute to Roisin M. Connolly, MD, 2019 Young Investigator of the Year
  
  
• Tribute to Mehrdad Hefazi Torghabeh, MD, 2019 Paul Carbone, MD Fellowship Award Recipient
  
  
• Reflections on the NCI-MATCH / EAY131 trial   

Acknowledgments

Welcome

Welcome to the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group website, the source of information about the cooperative group that was formed by the merger of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) and the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN). We are excited to share news of our collaborative effort to design and conduct ground-breaking translational and clinical research.

The merger brought together the strengths and capabilities of two highly respected organizations. Since 1955, ECOG has performed practice-changing multicenter cancer clinical trials, working with more than 6000 physicians, nurses, pharmacists, statisticians, clinical research associates, and cancer research advocates from the United States and around the world. ACRIN, the premier imaging science program in the nation, complements ECOG’s research efforts with its expertise in early detection, imaging diagnosis, comparative-effectiveness research, and cost-effectiveness analysis. Now, as a single entity, we aim to achieve earlier cancer detection, more successful therapeutic intervention, higher rates of prevention, and better patient outcomes.

We look forward to sharing our research and partnering with you, as we reshape the future of patient care.

 

Robert L. Comis, MD
Group Co-Chair

Mitchell D. Schnall, MD, PhD
Group Co-Chair