Imaging Committee
The Imaging Committee, chaired by Etta D. Pisano, MD, is the hub for imaging scientists within the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN). It provides a venue for imaging investigators to coordinate the Group-wide imaging research strategy and to address issues common among imaging programs.
The Imaging Committee's research activities center around the following:
- It develops and conducts trials for early evaluation of new imaging agents and approaches, and plans for their broader application, in collaboration with the 12 cancer-type-oriented committees and working groups in the Therapeutic Studies Program. Each one has an Imaging Chair to facilitate these interactions.
- It develops risk-based screening and surveillance trials for early detection of cancer in asymptomatic populations, with the Prevention, Screening, and Surveillance Committee, part of the Cancer Control and Outcomes Program
- It oversees the Imaging Core Laboratory, which is the central repository for images and associated clinical data contributed by patients who participate in clinical trials.
- It is the primary interface between ECOG-ACRIN and the Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core (IROC), which is an imaging quality assurance center administered by the ACR
To these ends, the committee and its various working groups, shown below, seek leaders in imaging, regardless of their institution’s membership status in the Group. Scroll down to view the leadership.
ECOG-ACRIN is one of the groups in the National Cancer Institute's National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) charged with the development of advanced imaging trials. Advanced diagnostic imaging procedures include MRI, CT, and nuclear medicine imaging such as positron emission tomography (PET). These technologies are increasingly being used in clinical practice to provide patients with non-invasive ways to confirm a cancer diagnosis, assess tumor biology, select treatment, and monitor its effectiveness.
The Imaging Committee carries out its responsibilities through four working groups by specalty: Experimental Imaging Science, Immuno-Oncology, Quantitative Imaging, and Radiomics. These groups are exploring the potential for non-invasive tumor analysis to complement biopsy-based characterization--a major focus of the Group's imaging research strategy.
The Radiomics Working Group has been collaborating with the NCI-MATCH and other trial teams to develop image repositories to be used for radiomic analysis. The Quantitative Imaging Working Group is helping ECOG-ACRIN collaborate with the Quantitative Imaging Network (QIN) to integrate quantitative imaging research into trials being conducted by ECOG-ACRIN and the NCTN.
The Experimental Imaging Sciences Working Group has developed a network of academic and commercial cyclotron facilities to supply radiopharmaceuticals for clinical trials in ECOG-ACRIN and across the NCTN.
For more information about the NCI Cancer Imaging Program, follow this link.
Imaging Committee
Chair
Etta D. Pisano, MD
American College of Radiology
Biography (to come)
