Indiana University (IUMC) has made major administrative and scientific contributions to ECOG. During the past grant period, the principal investigator was changed from Dr. Lawrence Einhorn to Dr. Patrick Loehrer. Dr. Loehrer was elected to serve on the Executive Committee, Nominating Committee, and the Research Foundation Board of Directors for ECOG. In addition, Dr. Loehrer served as Chairman of the Genitourinary Committee. Several other IUMC investigators have served as subcommittee chairs of co-chairs including Dr. George Sledge (Breast Cancer Committee: Co-chair), Dr. Michael Gordon (Leukemia Committee: Co-chair), Dr. Worta McCaskill-Stevens (Underserved Populations Committee: Chair, Health Practices and Outcome Committee: Co-chair), Drs. Craig Nichols and Richard Foster (Testicular Cancer Subcommittee: Co-chairs), Dr. Bruce Roth (Prostate Cancer Subcommittee: Co-chair), and Drs. Scott Saxman and Anne Greist (Toxicity Monitoring Committee). Susan Fox has served as the GU Nursing co-chair from 1995-1997 and was nice chair and chair of the Nursing Committee for 1997. Major contributions of IUMC have been that of scientific leadership of innovative trials. Several ECOG trials designed by IUMC investigators have been presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meetings including the Plenary session. In addition, several pilot studies conducted by IUMC and selected ECOG institutions have led to groupwide trials. Selective examples include defining the comparable activity of VIP and BEP in Poor Risk Testicular Cancer (EE3887), evaluations of a five drug regimen in Advanced Testis Cancer (E1893), and Trials in Refractory Germ Cell Tumors (ES5888, PB887, PB889). In bladder cancer, we have looked at escalated dosages of M-VAC, vinblastine, ifosfamide, gallium nitrate (E5892) and proved that Taxol has major activity in previously untreated bladder cancer (E1892). Dr. George Sledge piloted a trial with paclitaxel and Adriamycin which later led to a multi-institutional prospective randomized trial which was presented in 1997 at the Plenary Session at ASCO (E1183), Dr. Loehrer has also chaired three prospective trials in thymoma which have been completed within ECOG (E4587, E4589, and E1C93). Dr. Gordon is study chair or co-chair of two trials in leukemia including a phase III trial in elderly patients (E7996) and a phase II study in relapsed or refractory AML (E5995). With the scientific and administrative leadership of IUMC within ECOG firmly established, the focus of our institution within the next grant period will be to enhance patient accrual. This will be accomplished by broadening our affiliate network and expanding our efforts in the multi-disciplinary program. The recent affiliation of Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center (and its active affiliates) will have a major impact upon accrual from the IUMC network. In addition, several investigators from the affiliate network including Rush and the Indiana Regional Cancer Center already have administrative and scientific leadership positions within ECOG.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 87 publications
