Bryan Schneider Becomes Breast Cancer Committee Translational Co-Chair

Bryan P. Schneider, MD, is the newly appointed translational co-chair of the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN) Breast Cancer Committee. Dr. Schneider is the Vera Bradley Professor of Oncology and a professor of medicine and medical and molecular genetics at the Indiana University (IU) School of Medicine, and a physician-scientist at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is also the founding director of the IU Health Precision Genomics Program.

At ECOG-ACRIN, he also serves as chair of the Pharmacogenomics Committee and lead investigator for the EAZ171 clinical trial for Black patients with early-stage breast cancer. The study’s results, recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, showed that Black patients with early-stage breast cancer who were treated with docetaxel chemotherapy every 3 weeks had less drug-induced peripheral neuropathy and significantly fewer dose reductions compared to those who received weekly paclitaxel. Importantly, EAZ171 also demonstrated that tailoring research to the needs of underserved groups is effective.

Dr. Schneider is a past recipient of both the ECOG-ACRIN Young Investigator Award (2012) and the Paul Carbone, MD Fellowship Award (2004).

ESMO Congress 2024 Highlights EA3163 Study Results

Lead investigator Nabil F. Saba, MD (pictured left), presented the results of study EA3163 as a Mini Oral Presentation at the European Society for Medical Oncology’s annual meeting on September 14 in Barcelona, Spain (Abstract 850MO). This randomized phase 2 trial found a striking improvement for patients who received chemotherapy before surgery to remove advanced squamous cell-type cancer of the nose or sinus. Those receiving chemotherapy before surgery had a 50% chance of structure preservation. In contrast, those having surgery, the usual treatment, had only a 15% chance of preserving both the eye and the base of the skull bone. Read the press release.

Dr. Saba is a professor and vice chair in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, and the Lynne and Howard Halpern Chair in Head and Neck Cancer Research at Emory University School of Medicine, and director of the Head and Neck Oncology Program at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. 

Penn Today Features E1910 Patient Success Story

The University of Pennsylvania’s online publication Penn Today recently shared the story of Becky Yu, a patient at Penn Medicine who participated in the practice-changing E1910 clinical trial under the care of Selina M. Luger, MD (pictured left). The study was for patients with newly diagnosed acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). The therapy Becky received cured her cancer—and was later approved by the FDA in June 2024. Dr. Luger was a co-senior author of the study results paper, recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Read the full story on the Penn Today website.

At ECOG-ACRIN, Dr. Luger is also chair of the Leukemia Committee and a member of the Task Force on Advancement for Women. She is a professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and a physician at Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center.

Naomi Haas Discusses PROSPER RCC Results

Naomi B. Haas, MD, was recently featured in a UroToday video discussing the results of the PROSPER RCC kidney cancer trial (EA8143). This randomized phase 3 study in patients with high-risk renal cell carcinoma (RCC) found that priming the immune system with nivolumab prior to surgery and then continuing nivolumab did not improve recurrence-free survival (RFS) and was stopped early. PROSPER RCC is a unique study that is informing future research through ongoing analyses. Watch the full video.

Dr. Haas is co-chair of the ECOG-ACRIN Genitourinary Cancer Committee. She is a professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and director of the Prostate and Kidney Cancer Program at Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center.

TMIST Update

The study chair for this trial is Etta D. Pisano, MD (American College of Radiology).

Enrollment continues to climb steadily in the Tomosynthesis Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial (TMIST) and stands at 104,921 women as of September 17, 2024. An amendment took effect on August 15, 2024, revising the accrual goal to 108,508. Learn more about TMIST and access the latest educational resources on ecog-acrin.org.

ECOG-ACRIN Launches Training Video Resource Library

ECOG-ACRIN is excited to announce the launch of a new video resource library of help topics to support site personnel, including nurses, clinical research associates and coordinators, data managers, pharmacists, and others. Short videos on a variety of topics, from patient registration to sample management to preparing for a pharmacy audit, are now available for site staff to use either as a quick reference or to supplement their knowledge base. More videos are in development and will be added soon. View the ECOG-ACRIN Training and Resources channel on YouTube now.

Register for the Fall 2024 Group Meeting

Registration is now open for the ECOG-ACRIN Fall 2024 Group Meeting, taking place November 6-8 in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Register now and then visit the Group Meeting website to view the schedule and other important information.

Important note: Special accommodations have been prepared for this meeting, and most open sessions will be hybrid (available both in-person and virtual). Please also note that the meeting begins the day after Election Day. Be sure to plan accordingly.

Group Meeting Travel Funding Opportunities

Radiation Oncologist Travel Awards
ECOG-ACRIN offers travel grants to encourage radiation oncologists to attend this meeting in person and actively participate in the development of radiation oncology-driven clinical trials and secondary analyses from completed studies. Learn more and apply by Thursday, September 19, 2024, at 11:59 pm (Eastern Time).

Clinical Research Associate Travel Awards
The Clinical Research Associates Committee is accepting applications for four travel awards of up to $1,000 for this meeting. Data managers, clinical research associates, or clinical research coordinators/nurses with no other form of travel support are eligible. Learn more and apply by Monday, September 23, 2024, at 11:59 pm (Eastern Time).

Advanced Practice Provider Travel Awards
ECOG-ACRIN is accepting applications for travel awards to support Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) to attend the meeting in person. APPs (e.g., nurse practitioners, physician assistants) with no other form of travel support are eligible. Learn more and apply by Monday, September 23, 2024, at 11:59 pm (Eastern Time).

Edith Peterson Mitchell, MD Health Equity Travel Scholarships
Named after the late Edith P. Mitchell, MD, MACP, FCCP, FRCP (London), these travel scholarships provide support to attend the meeting. The opportunity is open to trainees, including students, residents, fellows, and early-career investigators, who self-identify with populations historically excluded from medicine and science. Early-career researchers who have a primary focus on health equity may also apply. Learn more and apply by Wednesday, September 25, 2024, at 11:59 pm (Eastern Time).

R50 NCI Research Specialist (Clinician Scientist) Award

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) invites applications for the Research Specialist Award (R50) for Clinician Scientists supporting NCI-funded clinical trials research. The Research Specialist Award is designed to encourage the development of stable research career opportunities for exceptional clinician scientists who want to continue to participate in the NCI National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) through leadership in the 1) development of national clinical trials, 2) implementation of NCI clinical trials in their institutions, and 3) national service to the NCTN through participation in the scientific review committees, monitoring committees and other activities. Applicants may not be serving as principal investigators of research project grants. These clinician-scientists are vital to sustaining the NCI-funded clinical trials enterprise. The R50 Award is intended to provide salary support and sufficient autonomy so that individuals are not solely dependent upon NCI grants held by others or other sources of support for cancer research career continuity. View the Notice of Funding Opportunity. The application deadline is Monday, November 4, 2024.

NCI CTEP-IAM User Access Deadline Approaching

All users who access NCI systems and CTEP-IAM federated systems should be taking steps towards linking their CTEP account with an ID.me account to ensure continued access to NCI and federated systems. Users who have not completed this process have until Tuesday, October 1, 2024. CTEP-IAM username/password authentication will not be supported after this deadline. US-based users can go directly to the CTEP-IAM application to get started.

NOW AVAILABLE: NCI CTEP has been working on an alternate way of verifying the identity of international users. This new process went into effect on August 1st, 2024, and is now available. As part of the update, current investigators outside the US and their existing CTEP-IAM accounts were automatically approved for the identity proofing (IP) requirement. However, all existing users must still onboard to ID.me for multi-factor authentication.

Please see the NCI CTEP IAM User Access Update page on the CTEP website for more information on this requirement.