March 2016 Newsletter 
Clinical Trial Working Groups
  • Trial in start-up:
    • ER+ and/or PR+ and HER2- breast cancer (Illinois)
  • Approved LOI:
    • AR+ triple negative breast cancer (Wisconsin)
  • Current concept: 
    • Newly diagnosed ER+, HER2- breast cancer (Minnesota)
  • Next call: Tuesday, March 29 
    at 4 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. CT
  • Trials in start-up:
    • Hepatocellular (Indiana)
    • Esophageal (Indiana) - see also thoracic
  • Approved LOI:
    • Gastric/GE junction adenocarcinoma (Northwestern)
  • Current concepts: 
    • Hepatocellular (Wisconsin)
    • Colorectal (Wisconsin) - on hold until Q1 2016
    • Pancreatic (Penn State)
    • Colorectal (Illinois)
    • Pancreatic (Rutgers) - not yet presented
  • Next call: Friday, April 15 
    at 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT
  • Open trial:
    • Renal cell carcinoma (Illinois)
  • Approved LOI:
    • Bladder (Penn State)
  • Current concepts:
    • Urothelial (Indiana)
    • Prostate (Rutgers)
    • Penile (Minnesota)
  • Next call: Friday, April 8
    at 10 a.m. ET / 9 a.m. CT
  • Trial in start-up:
    • Endometrial carcinoma (Northwestern)
  • Current concept:
    • Ovarian (Rutgers)
  • Next call: Friday, April 29
    at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT.
  • Current concepts :
    • Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (Michigan) -
      4 concepts, not yet presented
    • Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (Michigan) -
      2 concepts, not yet presented
    • Lymphoma (Minnesota)
    • Lymphoma/multiple myeloma (Indiana) - see also multiple myeloma
  • Next call: Wednesday, March 23 at 11 a.m. ET / 10 a.m. CT
  • Current concepts:
    • Squamous cell carcinoma of the skin (Rutgers)
    • Uveal melanoma (Michigan)
  • Next call: TBD.
  • Current concept:
    • Lymphoma/multiple myeloma (Indiana) - see also lymphoma
  • Next call: Thursday, April 28
    at 10 a.m. ET / 9 a.m. CT.
  • Current concepts:
    • AML (Illinois)
    • AML (Indiana)
    • MDS (Penn State)
  • Next call: Thursday, March 31
    at 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT
  • Next call: TBD.
  • Approved LOI:
    • Esophageal (Indiana) - see also gastrointestinal
    • NSCLC (Illinois)
    • NCSLC (Indiana)
  • Current concepts:
    • Splice variants in lung cancer in women (Illinois)
    • HER2 expression and targeted therapy (Illinois)
    • Small cell lung cancer (Illinois) - 2 concepts
  • Next call: Friday, March 11
    at 1 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. CT
 
To Discuss Protocols: Contact Jessica Roy at [email protected] or 317-634-5842, ext. 19

To Join a CTWG or Submit an LOI: Contact Donna LaPlaca Sullivan at  [email protected] or 317-634-5842, ext. 40.

Support the BTCRC
ASCO 2016: Save the Date!
The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium will host meetings for the BTCRC Foundation, Cancer Center Directors, Steering Committee, and Clinical Trial Working Groups during ASCO 2016.

All meetings listed below will be at the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza River North, 350 West Mart Center Drive, Chicago, Ill. Meetings will be on the 14th floor. See map.

Drinks and appetizers will be provided.

Note: CTWG meeting times are subject to change. Watch for calendar invitations soon.


FRIDAY, JUNE 3  (all times CT)
    • 6 - 6:30 p.m. - BTCRC Foundation
    • 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. - Cancer Center Directors
    • 7 - 8 p.m. - Melanoma CTWG
    • 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. - Steering Committee
    • 8:30 - 9:30 p.m. - Gynecologic CTWG
    • 8:30 - 9:30 p.m. - Neuro-Oncology CTWG
SATURDAY, JUNE 4
    • 7 - 8 p.m. - Thoracic CTWG
    • 7 - 8 p.m. - Gastrointestinal CTWG
    • 8:30 - 9:30 p.m.  - Breast CTWG
SUNDAY, JUNE 5
    • 7 - 8 p.m. - Genitourinary CTWG
    • 7 - 8 p.m. - Multiple Myeloma CTWG
    • 8:30 - 9:30 p.m. - Myeloid Malignancies CTWG
    • 8:30 - 9:30 p.m. - Lymphoid Malignancies CTWG
Q&A: Monitoring
Monitoring staff at BTCRC Administrative Headquarters will perform risk-based monitoring as outlined in our Data Monitoring Plans. Site monitoring is an essential part of the BTCRC's ability to successfully run trials. In this month's Q&A on Monitoring, we address the following questions
  • How does a BTCRC monitor prepare for a visit?
  • What is the timing of a BTCRC monitoring visit?
  • What types of monitoring visits does the BTCRC perform?
  • What should a site expect during a BTCRC monitoring visit?
  • What is the site pharmacy monitoring process?
  • What should I expect after a monitoring visit?
Across the Consortium
Through powerful partnerships, visionary leadership, an "all-in" investment in infrastructure, research, and outreach, BTCRC members are unlocking answers for today, promise for tomorrow, hope that reaches beyond borders, and decades of vision now realized.  Read more .

Want more news from  Across the Consortium?

March: National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

March is "Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month," a time to purposefully support patients, rally researchers, and educate all, as we focus on reducing the burden of and working toward a cure for th is deadly disease. The member institutions of the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium continue leading this charge, united in purpose and diverse in talent.

Ran Blekhman, PhD. Photo courtesy of College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota / Jonathan Pavlica.
The laboratory of Ran Blekhman, PhD, (pictured) a member of the Masonic Cancer Center's Genetic Mechanisms of Cancer Program, found a gut microbiome that could be linked to colon cancer. A paper published in Genome Medicine was the first study to focus on the pathogenic potential of the bacterial genes present in the colon cancer tumor microenvironment. The findings could eventually be used to identify a virulence signature in these cancers and help doctors predict how bacterial changes in patients' guts could affect their prognosis.