The ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN) hosted its semi-annual meeting in Fort Lauderdale, from November 6-8, 2024. The meeting marked a return to a hybrid format, accommodating member feedback regarding timing and location. In-person attendance remained high, with approximately 800 attendees participating in 48 sessions. Additionally, about 350 virtual attendees joined the meeting from afar.

Several themes emerged during this meeting, perhaps most notably the promise of real-world data, and how it may be leveraged to show the impact of cancer treatment advances on the population at large. ECOG-ACRIN’s first foray in this area is the recently opened PrE1702 registry study. PrE1702 is collecting data on patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer treated in routine clinical practice (outside of a clinical trial) with standard-of-care osimertinib with or without chemotherapy. Principal investigator Dr. Suzanne Cole (The University of Texas Southwestern/Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center) provided an overview of the study in many sessions, generating robust discussion and interest.

The General Session also highlighted real-world data: Dr. Marie Bradley (pictured) of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) delivered a talk called FDA’s Real-World Evidence Program and Selected Demonstration Projects. One of the projects she discussed, in fact, is PrE1702, which is funded by an FDA grant. She shared the progress FDA has made in advancing its Real-World Evidence Program over the last several years, and called attention to available resources for external stakeholders interested in the field. Dr. Bradley closed by emphasizing the potential of real-world data and real-world evidence to help expedite the availability of new treatments for patients.

Another focus of the General Session was innovation in clinical cancer research. In his talk entitled Novel Clinical Trial Approaches, Dr. Shaalan Beg (pictured) of the National Cancer Institute outlined key challenges that the clinical trial infrastructure is facing, and proposed several solutions. He focused on innovations in trial design—such as incorporating pragmatic elements in clinical trials—as well as in trial delivery. Dr. Beg cited the EA2192/APOLLO study as an example of the latter: APOLLO is allowing telemedicine-enabled remote clinical assessments. Patients who receive their non-imaging clinic visits via telemedicine only need to be seen in person four times at the main study site. Adding this feature to this ongoing clinical trial reduces participant burden and broadens access. As a result, enrollment in the trial is increasing. Dr. Beg also underscored the need to standardize data capture and sharing.

Finally, health equity continues to be a major emphasis for ECOG-ACRIN. The Health Equity Committee Session, led by Dr. Melissa Simon (Northwestern University/Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center), welcomed a new class of Edith Peterson Mitchell, MD Health Equity Travel Scholars (pictured). In the Task Force on Advancement for Women Session, Dr. Heather Wakelee (Stanford University/Stanford Cancer Institute) gave the 2024 Remarkable Mentor to Women Awardee Lecture, sharing tips on mentoring and promoting parity for women in oncology. In the Social Determinants of Health Session, Dr. Robert Winn, MD (Virginia Commonwealth University/VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center) spoke about using a socio-molecular model to better understand disparities in cancer outcomes across the United States. Additionally, Dr. Victoria Green (Emory University/Winship Cancer Institute) led the ECOG-ACRIN-National Medical Association Advisory Panel, in which attendees discussed the importance of incorporating social determinants of health measures in clinical trials and fostering diversity in both study teams and patient enrollment.

Did you miss the meeting? Did you attend the meeting but miss a session? Do you need to review a presentation you heard? Session recordings are now available on the Attendee Hub Website (ECOG-ACRIN members only). View instructions for accessing the recordings in this month’s News in Brief.