Breast Cancer Awareness Month | | An Update on Current NRG Oncology Breast Cancer Clinical Trials | | |
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we dive into two trials in the NRG Oncology breast cancer space:
NRG-BR007 (DEBRA): A Phase III Clinical Trial Evaluating the De-escalation of Breast Radiation for a More Conservative Treatment of Patients With Low-Risk, Hormone-Sensitive, Node-Negative Breast Cancer
NRG-BR009 (OFSET): A Phase III Adjuvant Trial Evaluating the Addition of Adjuvant Chemotherapy to Ovarian Function Suppression plus Endocrine Therapy in Premenopausal Patients with pN0-1, ER-Positive/HER2-Negative Breast Cancer and an Oncotype Recurrence Score ≤ 25 (OFSET)
| | *NEW* Translational Science Committee (TSC) Corner | |
The Latest Updates in Translational Science at NRG Oncology
NRG translational science investigators have been successful obtaining NCTN Core Correlative Science Committee (CCSC) approvals as well as Cancer Moonshot Research Initiative funding for projects utilizing NRG biospecimens to validate novel biomarkers that can be incorporated in future trials.
| | NRG Study News & New Protocols Under Development | | |
ComboMATCH EAY191-N5 is Accruing Patients with Recurrent or Persistent HER2+ Gynecologic Cancers and Other Solid Tumors
NRG Oncology is currently accruing to the active ComboMATCH EAY191-N5 clinical study in the gynecologic cancer space. EAY191-N5 is part of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) patient screening trial, ComboMATCH, aimed at directing cancer treatment based on genetic testing across multiple disease sites. The objective of the ComboMATCH studies is to determine if treatment based on genetic testing helps improve outcomes for patients with locally advanced or advanced solid tumors.
| | New Protocols Under Development | | Protocol Support Committee (PSC) Column | | |
NCI RCR and AURORA Integration
Written by Pamela J. Mason, RN, BSN, CCRP, Clinical Trials Coordinator, FirstHealth of the Carolinas; Mary Gulzow, CCRP, Clinical Research Specialist, CORA NCORP; NRG Quality Control and Communications Sub-Committee
The Regulatory and Credential Repository (RCR) is an online repository for some regulatory required documents for investigators and site staff participating in research supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Individuals participating in NCI funded research who fill one of the defined registration types per RCR (Overview: NCI Registration Types) are required to submit the required documents for initial registration. Once the initial RCR registration has been completed, there is an annual renewal allowing participants to update information. A CTEP-IAM ID is required before the initial registration.
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PSC “Discuss With Us” – October Session
The next session of the Protocol Support Committee’s “Discuss With Us” series is scheduled for Wednesday, October 15, 2025 at 2pm ET and the topic is “Incorporating PROs into Clinical Practice.” Use this link to register today! You only need to register once, and you will then receive calendar invites for all future sessions. Visit the Discuss With Us page on the NRG Oncology website for session recordings, slide presentations, and information about upcoming sessions.
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Remote Consent & Mobile Phlebotomy
FORTE leadership encourages sites to examine implementing remote consenting in your site’s patient enrollment processes. Since NRG-CC005 does not require an in-person visit to enroll, FORTE sites currently consent patients using platforms such as RedCap, DocuSign, and snail mail. The highest accruing sites have remote components for enrollment, stool collection, and blood sample collection. Additionally, patients have expressed enjoying the ease of enrolling into FORTE using remote processes like RedCap.
| | Chen Hu, PhD Elected to NCI Breast & Gastrointestinal Cancer Steering Committees | | |
Dr. Chen Hu was recently elected to serve as a biostatistician on the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Breast Cancer Steering Committee (BCSC) and Gastrointestinal Cancer Steering Committee (GISC). These committees are part of the NCI/NCTN Scientific Steering Committees composed of leading cancer experts, community oncologists, biostatisticians, translational scientists, patient advocates, and NCI senior investigators. In his new roles, Dr. Hu will participate in monthly meetings to help guide the prioritization, design, and evaluation of phase 2 and 3 clinical trial concepts within the NCTN breast cancer and gastrointestinal cancer portfolios.
Dr. Hu is an Associate Professor of Oncology and Associate Director of the Division of Quantitative Sciences at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University, with joint appointments in Radiation Oncology and Biostatistics. Within NRG Oncology, he serves as the lead statistician for the Lung Cancer Committee and site head of Statistics Division of SDMC, Philadelphia Office. Nationally, he is a standing member of the NIH Clinical Oncology (CONC) Study Section and serves in editorial and advisory roles for the Journal of Clinical Oncology, International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, Nature Medicine, and Clinical Trials. His research focuses on clinical trial methodology, biomarker integration, predictive modeling, and innovative statistical approaches for complex endpoints in oncology.
| | NCORP Pilot Grant – Call for Letters of Intent (LOI) | | |
NRG NCORP is soliciting LOIs in preparation for the next NCORP pilot grant RFA.
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Anyone interested in applying must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) by October 24, 2025. Click here to download the form
- The request for funding application (RFA) for NCORP pilot projects will be released in Spring 2026; however, interested applicants must submit a LOI.
- NCORP committee chairs will review LOIs and select those best aligned with committee goals, NCORP priorities and feasible.
- Selected investigators will be notified and invited to attend a workshop the NRG Winter Meeting in San Francisco, CA; January 22-24, 2026
For more information, slides are available for download here.
| | Just in case you missed all the buzz, we recapped all the research highlights from NRG Oncology trials presented at the 2025 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting in this email broadcast. NRG research was presented in the Plenary Session, Clinical Trials Session, Late-Breaking Session and included many oral and poster presentations throughout the entire conference. | | NRG Oncology Group Chair, Dr. Le, Receives 2025 ASTRO Gold Medal | | Congratulations to NRG Oncology Group Chair, Dr. Quynh-Thu Le, on receiving a 2025 ASTRO Gold Medal. The ASTRO Gold Medal is reserved for individuals who have made truly exceptional contributions to radiation oncology across multiple domains: clinical care, research, education, and service to the profession. | | | September was a VERY busy month for our NRG Oncology Podcast. We covered precision oncology, clinical research, and collaboration with Dr. Wafik El-Deiry. We also were at the frontlines of ASTRO 2025 covering groundbreaking research out of NRG Oncology. If you haven’t tuned in yet, find us at www.NRGOncology.org/Podcast as well as Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and YouTube. Give us a follow or subscribe to listen to new episodes as they air! | | |
NRG Oncology Current Committee & Committee Leadership Openings
Visit the NRG Oncology website to view the current committee leadership openings.
| | The NRG Oncology 2026 Winter Meeting | |
Now Accepting Travel Award Applications
We are currently accepting travel award applications to attend the NRG Oncology 2026 Winter Meeting in San Francisco. Applications are due on October 31, 2025. More information and the application link are available on our website Travel Awards page.
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