November 2023

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Welcome to the NRG Oncology eNewsletter

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Lung Cancer Awareness Month

NRG-LU008: SBRT to the Primary Tumor Followed by Conventional Radiation Therapy and Chemotherapy for Patients with Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer


Now enrolling patients!

The phase III NRG-LU008 clinical trial for patients with locally advanced, inoperable, node-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) opened to accrual in May 2023. This trial is testing the addition of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) delivered to the primary lung tumor followed by conventional radiotherapy (RT) and concurrent platinum-based chemotherapy for this patient population.

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Dr. Charles Simone, Principal Investigator for NRG-LU008, discusses the study: Phase III Prospective Randomized Trial of Primary Lung Tumor Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy Followed by Concurrent Mediastinal Chemoradiation for Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

The Patient Study Web Page and Patient Brochure for NRG-LU008 are available on the NRG Oncology website.

NRG-LU007 The RAPTOR Trial: Randomized Phase II/III Trial of Consolidation Radiation + Immunotherapy for ES-SCLC


Now enrolling patients!



NRG-LU007 is a randomized, phase II/III trial testing the addition of radiation to the standard chemoimmunotherapy in patients with extensive stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). This trial is led by Dr. Quynh-Nhu Nguyen and is actively accruing. The key question is whether radiation to residual thoracic and distant metastatic sites can improve survival. Small-cell lung cancer has been a historically difficult disease to treat, with sub-optimal survival. Please help us to bring new therapies to our small cell lung cancer patients by supporting this trial and other small cell lung cancer clinical trials within the National Clinical Trials Network, including NRG-LU007, NRG-CC009, and SWOG 1827.

 

The Patient Study Web Page and Patient Brochure for NRG-LU007 are available on the NRG Oncology website.

National Family Caregivers Awareness Month

The Caregiver Experience with Clinical Trials: Understanding the Emotions and Clarifying the Details for Patients


Our gratitude to Kris Kimball for sharing her story for this issue of our newsletter.


Kristen ‘Kris’ Kimball is a caregiver advocate who is passionate about promoting awareness to the benefits of clinical research as well as improving and educating physicians on the patient experience in the lung cancer community. Kris’ mission extends from her personal experiences with her late husband Dave’s battle with stage 4 EGFR-positive lung cancer and his involvement on three phase II clinical trials. Through her husband’s journey, Kris became enlightened on the questions many patients have or face when navigating their cancer treatment and she has dedicated her time to make physicians aware of these barriers.

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The White Ribbon Project


During the #NRG2023 Summer Meeting, our virtual Social Media Workshop featured a presentation by Heidi and Pierre Onda who discussed their lung cancer advocacy work with The White Ribbon Project. Their goal is to promote awareness about lung cancer by changing public perception of the disease. You can view their presentation at approximately the 28:20 mark by clicking here.

Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month

Updates from NRG Oncology's Pancreas Cancer Working Group


Written by Nina Niu Sanford, MD; UT Southwestern Department of Radiation Oncology; Chair, NRG Oncology Pancreas Cancer Working Group


Happy November! As part of pancreas cancer awareness month, we wish to update you all on some of the activities of the NRG Oncology Pancreas Working Group.

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New Protocols Under Development



The NRG Oncology chart of new protocols under development includes the study’s disease site, title, Principal Investigator, and any comments pertaining to the study’s anticipated activation.


The updated listing as of October 31, 2023 can be found here.

Dr. Graboyes Named New Vice Chair for NRG Health Disparities Committee (HDC)

Evan M. Graboyes, MD, MPH is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery and Public Health Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) where he is the Director of Survivorship and Cancer Outcomes Research (SCOR) at the NCI-designated Hollings Cancer Center. He is an active member of the HDC, Co-Chairing the HDC’s Research Concept Development Special Interest Group with outgoing HDC Vice-Chair, Chanita Hughes-Halbert since 2022.

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Gilead’s Solid Tumor Research Scholar Programs


Gilead is pleased to announce that they have opened new cycles of Gilead’s Solid Tumor Research Scholar Programs for applications from junior investigators. The US program is accepting applications from early career scientists who are submitting research proposals addressing unmet medical needs in basic and clinical research on Breast, Bladder and Lung cancer. See the guidance on project eligibility.


As a reminder, applications to the programs are made via the specific Scholars website portal only. Successful applicants receive $180,000 USD from Gilead paid directly to their institutions for the 2-year award period. The application deadline is January 19, 2024. An awardee event is planned at ASCO 2024. 

PA Breast Cancer Coalition celebrates 30 years!



The Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition recently celebrated their 30th Anniversary at their Annual Conference held October 17, 2023, in Harrisburg. Pat Halpin-Murphy, PBCC President and Founder and NRG Patient Advocate Committee Vice Chair, welcomed Pennsylvania First Lady Lori Shapiro as Honorary Chair. Attendees at the conference had much to celebrate, highlighted by Act 1 of 2023, a comprehensive breast cancer screening and testing bill that was signed into law in May by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Pictured: Lori Shapiro, Pat Halpin-Murphy, and Sheila Evans (NRG Pittsburgh Operations Center Director)

Thanks to your recruitment efforts, FORTE has hit the huge milestone of enrolling 1,000 participants to this important colorectal cancer prevention clinical trial! Keep up the good work!

How can you prepare to consent a patient at the FORTE baseline visit?

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Protocol Support Committee (PSC) Column

ADVERSE EVENT REPORTING: One site’s use of EMR functionality to establish Best Practice



Written by: Donna Angel Carico, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Winston-Salem, NC

Establishing the safety of new and improved treatment regimens in cancer care is often the first objective in clinical research. This creates an overarching need to standardize best practices in adverse event (AE) reporting across the clinical research continuum.

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