PORTLAND, OR - Investigators from SWOG, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) funded clinical trials group, will make 21 presentations in Chicago next week at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the world's leading professional organization for physicians who care for people with cancer.
At ASCO 2016, SWOG investigators will report on clinical trials involving treatments for a variety of cancers, including lung, prostate, breast, ovarian, colorectal, pancreatic, and melanoma. SWOG researchers will also present on cancer genetics, tumor biology, and patient and survivor care. Of the 21 presentations, 10 focus on SWOG-led trials, including Lung-MAP, the precision medicine trial which tests targeted treatments and the latest immunotherapies for people with advanced squamous cell lung cancer. Now enrolling patients nationwide, Lung-MAP is conducted in partnership with the NCI's National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN), Friends of Cancer Research, and the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health.
In addition, SWOG Executive Officer Dr. Julie Gralow, an internationally renowned breast cancer physician and researcher, is part of a team whose work will be highlighted at the June 5th ASCO plenary session, a spot reserved for the most high-impact cancer trials. Results from this Canadian Cancer Trials Group trial will focus on the use of aromatase inhibitors in treating postmenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer.
"Our presence at ASCO illustrates the power of the NCI's cancer research network," said Dr. Charles D. Blanke, SWOG group chair and professor of medicine at the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University. "When you connect thousands of researchers at academic medical centers, cancer centers, and community hospitals across the U.S. and Canada, you can ask bigger, bolder questions about cancer. By working cooperatively, we do trials no other organization can - and can really move the needle in cancer medicine."
Some highlights of SWOG's ASCO 2016 presentations:
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SWOG is a federally funded network of nearly 6,000 physician researchers at more than 950 sites that design and conduct cancer clinical trials in the U.S. and six other countries. The group's goal is to change medical practice so it improves the lives of people with cancer. SWOG trials are also aimed at better preventing cancer, the second leading cause of death in the U.S. Founded in 1956 and based at the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University, SWOG receives major funding from the National Cancer Institute, with philanthropic support from The Hope Foundation.