Announcements

The Spring 2020 Group Meeting (April 29-May 1) will no longer take place. Our top priority is preserving the health and safety of our attendees and the patients they serve as COVID-19 spreads throughout the US. Please read this important message.

In case you missed it, the February 2020 Member Newsletter

LAUNCHED! A brand new blog to connect with the advocacy community

Don’t miss the latest TMIST Newsletter

NCI-ComboMATCH is accepting scientific concepts and laboratory applications

Latest News 

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. The Journal of Urology April 04, 2020

MRI Outperforms 3-D Mammograms In Detecting Cancer In Women With Dense Breasts NPR All Things Considered February 25, 2020

The results of Arm Z1D in the NCI-MATCH trial continue to attract media attention. Nilofer Azad, MD (Johns Hopkins) talks about the activity of nivolumab in MMR-deficient cancers in a February 20, 2020, feature article in MedPage Today/ASCO Reading Room February 18, 2020

Progress in Breast Cancer: What would Bill think? At a recent medical meeting, Joseph Sparano, MD (Albert Einstein/ Montefiore) asked what the late pioneer, William McGuire, MD, might have thought of the newest research advancements. Daniel Hayes, MD (University of Michigan) remarks in a video interview with MedPage Today. February 18, 2020

Brian P. Schneider, MD (Indiana University) and fellow ECOG-ACRIN researchers aim to personalize chemotherapy for black women with breast cancer in a new trial, EAZ171, which is evaluating ways to reduce neuropathy, a painful side effect of chemotherapy treatments Healio HemOnc Today January 27, 2020

What have we learned lately about precision medicine? Read more about how the NCI-MATCH (EAY131) trial is helping researchers and physicians navigate the complexities of molecular profiling for targeted therapies. Journal of the National Cancer Institute January 10, 2020

Ahmad Tarhini, MD (Moffitt Cancer Center) on the results of the E1609 study: “For the first time in our knowledge in melanoma adjuvant therapy, this study has demonstrated a significant improvement in overall survival against an active control regimen.” The ASCO Post January 15, 2020

Al B. Benson III was appointed deputy chair for policy and implementation The Cancer Letter January 17, 2020

Bapsi Chakravarthy, MD (Vanderbilt) and colleagues report final results from study E5204. This phase three trial tested whether the addition of bevacizumab to mFOLFOX6, following neoadjuvant chemoradiation and definitive surgery, could improve overall survival in patients with stage II/III adenocarcinoma of the rectum. At 17% of its planned accrual, E5204 did not meet its primary endpoint. Published results inform the use of adjuvant therapy following neoadjuvant therapy. The Oncologist

Results from E1305, a randomized phase III trial, are published online by the Journal of Clinical Oncology on October 16, 2019. The addition of bevacizumab to chemotherapy did not improve overall survival in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck but improved the response rate and progression-free survival with increased toxicities. These results encourage biomarker-driven studies of angiogenesis inhibitors with better toxicity profiles in select patients. More Here

The New England Journal of Medicine publishes an analysis of a pre-specified secondary analysis that adds new information to the original TAILORx findings NEJM Article. “The Precision of Evidence Needed to Practice ‘Precision Medicine’.” NEJM Accompanying Editorial

TMIST

Visit the 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