Jefferson Earns Comprehensive Cancer Center Designation

Congratulations to Jefferson Health’s Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, a member of ECOG-ACRN since 2012, for receiving the Comprehensive Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute. In a recent statement, center director Andrew Chapman, DO, FACP, said: “We are the heart and soul of cancer care in Philadelphia and the communities we serve, and while this is an immense honor, it is also a tremendous responsibility. Comprehensiveness translates our commitment to cancer prevention, expertise, and leadership in delivering uncompromising care and breakthrough cancer research until every cancer is cured. We celebrate this milestone with our clinicians, support staff, patients, and their loved ones.” Learn more in this extensive video interview in The Cancer Letter.

Reminder: Training Workshop for Clinical Research Professionals

Clinical research associates, coordinators, and research nurses: Are you attending the Spring 2024 Group Meeting? Join colleagues at the Training Workshop for Clinical Research Professionals on Friday, May 3 from 8:00 AM-12:00 PM. This workshop is geared to those who are new to the clinical trial process—but experienced personnel who would like to refresh their knowledge are also welcome. Planned topics include:

• An overview of available online resources
• Registration and roster maintenance
• Regulatory basics including CIRB and site start-up
• Investigational agent management
• Patient case management, including OPEN, RECIST, CTEP-AERS, Rave, and TRIAD
• Site auditing and monitoring

For those who cannot attend in person, plans are in development for an online training resource. Additional information will be shared in this newsletter once available.

E1912 Correlative Presentation at AACR

Researchers recently presented Frontline ibrutinib-based therapy enhances CART cell functions in patients with CLL: Analysis of the phase 3 randomized clinical trial ECOG-ACRIN E1912 (Abstract 3849) at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). First author Truc Ngoc Huynh, MSc (Mayo Clinic), and colleagues analyzed data from the pivotal E1912 study, which established combination therapy with ibrutinib plus rituximab as a new standard of care in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). They found that ibrutinib-based therapy led to a significant improvement in T cell expansion and CART19 cell functions in patients with CLL, while treatment with fludarabine/cyclophosphamide/rituximab yielded worsening T cell functions.

Reminder: New System for Collecting COI Disclosures

In the next few weeks, ECOG-ACRIN will be launching a new system for collecting a Financial Conflict of Interest (COI) Disclosure Statement from individuals involved in key committee, study, and Group leadership positions. Annual and study-specific collection is required for all research funded under Public Health Service grants (US Department of Health and Human Services) and was previously accomplished in ECOG-ACRIN via a paper-based system. Under this new web-based system, individuals will receive an email with instructions and a URL link to a site where they can review ECOG-ACRIN’s COI policy and complete, sign, and submit their disclosure statements. Note that to access the system, individuals must log in using their CTEP-IAM or ID.me credentials.