Below are summaries of recently published analyses of studies led by the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group. Click on the shortened citation to access the publication.

Cancer Research Policy – With publicly funded correlative science in the nation’s Cancer Cooperative Groups reduced to a trickle, the leaders of the six groups propose implementing a long-standing National Academy of Medicine recommendation to bring new money to this area of research through public-private partnerships. They also recommend major process changes to remove significant barriers for researchers to access the biological samples contributed by patients. Correlative Science in the Cooperative Group System—Re-Engineering for Success. O’Dwyer PJ. J Clin Oncol. September 2024

Care Delivery Research – Not only can the costs of cancer treatment lead to financial hardship for patients, but so can the costs associated with travel to appointments, childcare, missed work, and subsequent lost wages. The cancer care delivery study EAQ162CD was a prospective longitudinal study of financial hardship in 451 patients with newly diagnosed colorectal cancer. Patients at National Cancer Institute (NCI) Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) practices were surveyed at baseline, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months. Financial Hardship Among Patients With Early-Stage Colorectal Cancer. Sadigh G. JAMA Netw Open. September 2024

• Understanding Longitudinal Financial Hardship in Cancer—How to Move the Field Forward Without Leaving Patients Behind? Editorial Comment

Leukemia – For patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the development of Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor drugs has led to an unequivocal improvement in treatment effectiveness. However, there are distinct side effects associated with BTK therapies, including a variety of cardiovascular toxicities. Here, researchers present pooled data on pericardial events experienced by patients taking ibrutinib, a first-in-class BTK inhibitor, in these two trials: Alliance A041202 and ECOG-ACRIN E1912. The rate of pericardial events in patients receiving Ibrutinib-based therapies for chronic lymphocytic leukemia in two landmark trials. Fakhri BM. Br J Haematol. September 2024

Lung Cancer – Midtreatment PET-adaptive dose escalation of radiation therapy failed to improve outcomes for lung cancer patients. Primary Results of NRG-RTOG1106/ECOG-ACRIN 6697: A Randomized Phase II Trial of Individualized Adaptive (chemo)Radiotherapy Using Midtreatment 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Position Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in Stage III Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer. Kong FM. J Clin Oncol. September 2024

Lymphoma – In recent lymphoma trials, the nation’s Cancer Cooperative Groups have developed smaller radiation therapy (RT) target fields based on PET scans during or at the end of systemic therapy. These fields are used as a “boost” following standard-of-care involved site RT (ISRT) or to replace ISRT entirely. These fields lack standardized nomenclature, complicating the comparison of RT approaches across studies. Radiation target nomenclature for lymphoma trials: consensus recommendations from the National Clinical Trials Network groups. Saifi O. Lancet Haematology. September 2024

Lymphoma – Across patients with follicular lymphoma, there is considerable variability in the biological features of the disease and the clinical experiences of patients, leading to this analysis to better understand the diversity of the disease. The results, which reveal the existence of five distinct subtypes, are expected to be informative in the era of targeted therapies. Identification of genetic subtypes in follicular lymphoma. Shelton V. Nature Blood Cancer J. September 2024