Multi-Center Phase III Clinical Trials and NCI Cooperative Groups

The NCI-sponsored cooperative groups have made important contributions to improving treatment for many types of cancer, including breast, ovarian, colorectal, and childhood cancers. Cooperative group research has been instrumental in establishing innovative treatments that improve outcomes and quality of life. Despite these successes, the Cooperative Group Program has faced a number of challenges that threaten its effectiveness.To address this problem, the National Cancer Policy Forum (NCPF) convened a workshop titled "Multi-Center Phase III Clinical Trials and NCI Cooperative Groups" in Washington, DC, on July 1-2, 2008. The purpose of the workshop was to outline the challenges that the public clinical cancer research enterprise faces, and to identify possible solutions to these challenges.Table of ContentsFront MatterIntroductionSession 1A: Organization of the NCI Clinical Trials SystemSession 1B: Lessons from Non-Cooperative Group Multi-Center Clinical TrialsSession 2: Barriers to Patient Recruitment and Physician ParticipationSession 3: Data Collection Standards and MonitoringSession 4: Costs of Cooperative Group Clinical TrialsSummary and Wrap-UpReferencesAbbreviations and AcronymsGlossaryAppendix A: Workshop AgendaAppendix B: Workshop SpeakersAppendix C: Letter from John Niederhuber, Director of the National Cancer Institute, to Members of the National Cancer Policy Forum