New Directions for Imaging

Imaging can provide data on the results of cancer gene therapy, such as if new agents are hitting their target (targeted therapy), cell movement through the body and cellular apoptosis. All of these capabilities will need to be tested using clinical trials.

 

The American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN)

ACRIN is a cooperative group formed to conduct cancer-imaging research. As quoted from there website: "We have experienced groundbreaking developments within the last decade. We are grateful to have been instrumental in facilitating clinical research that is making a difference in the lives of cancer patients.

Looking to future research plans, ACRIN anticipates developing even more precise quantitative approaches to diagnosis and image-guided therapy. Specific objectives involve:

• Surveillance of high-risk populations
• Administration of targeted therapies
• Use of biomarkers to evaluate therapeutic response".

The new Experimental Imaging Sciences Committee is charged with exploring new modalities, new uses for established modalities, and new equipment.

 

Surgical Clinical Trials

The American College of Surgeons Oncology Group (ACOSOG) was established primarily to evaluate the surgical management of patients with malignant solid tumors through conducting clinical trials to document best practices.

		ACOSOG includes general and specialty surgeons, representatives of related oncologic disciplines and allied health professionals in academic medical centers and community practices throughout the United States of America and other countries.

The mission and infrastructure of the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group (ACOSOG) creates unique opportunities to collect human biospecimens from early stage cancer for clinical correlative science studies.

The Group's focus on surgical trials allows for the prospective collection of fresh tissue specimens from operative procedures. Neoadjuvant trials conducted by the Group facilitate the collection of biospecimens from treatment-naïve patients and additional, serially timed specimens during the peri-operative and post-operative (adjuvant) phase of treatment.

The Group's geographically broad-based surgeon membership provides an infrastructure of clinical trialists, who are able to collect biospecimens from patients treated in a large number of primary, academic and non-academic medical centers that are often not represented in other cooperative group studies.

The ACOSOG Central Specimen Bank (CSB) was created to capitalize upon these unique features of ACOSOG in order to create a quality-controlled biospecimen repository with emphasis on frozen tissue specimens from early stage cancer that are particularly well suited for molecular correlative science studies.

 

Radiology Clinical Trials

The Radiation Therapy Oncology Group® (RTOG®) systematically tests novel radiotherapy approaches against cancer and also pursues fully integrated translational and quality of life research to support and further this effort.

RTOG is also a leader in formally evaluating the integration of optimized radiotherapy with new classes of anti-cancer therapies and has completed and conducted a number of practice- and paradigm-changing trials.

RTOG maintains a roster of 40 active studies devoted to the group's primary disease sites: central nervous system, head & neck, lung, gastrointestinal (esophagus, stomach, pancreas, anal canal, and rectum), genitourinary (bladder and prostate), breast, and cervix.

	Improve the survival outcome and quality of life of adults with cancer through the conduct of highquality clinical trials. Evaluate new forms of radiotherapy delivery, including stereotactic radiotherapy, brachytherapy, 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3-DCRT), and 30 intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in the context of clinical research. Test new systemic therapies in conjunction with radiotherapy, including chemotherapeutic drugs, hormonal strategies, biologic agents, and new classes of cytostatic, cytotoxic, and targeted therapies. Employ translational research strategies to identify patient subgroups at risk for failure with existing treatments and identify new approaches for these patients.