The National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group (NCIC CTG) is the only adult cooperative oncology group based in Canada that has a national membership and is committed to assessing all modalities of therapy across the spectrum of different types of cancer. The Group was founded in 1980 through funding provided by the National Cancer Institute of Canada, which is the research arm of the Canadian Cancer Society (a charitable organization). Since 1980, the NCIC CTG has undergone substantial growth in its scope, membership, and clinical trials activities. This growth has included leadership by the NCIC CTG of large randomized controlled (phase III) clinical trials conducted in the United States in collaboration with the US-based cooperative groups that are funded by NCI/CTEP. In addition, the NCIC CTG is a principal mechanism by which Canadian patients are included in clinical trials led by these US-based groups. The purpose of this grant is to support these collaborative activities, which enhance the productivity of investigators in Canada and the US, and provide benefits to patients from both countries. The mission of the NCIC CTG is to demonstrate the efficacy and to assess the relative effectiveness of interventions that will prevent the development of cancer or will improve the care of patients who develop cancer. Goals included within this mission are to base our clinical trials on sound understandings of molecular biology and to include correlative biologic questions within these trials, as well as to evaluate endpoints that are relevant to patients and society, such as quality of life and analyses of health economics. To meet this goal requires international collaboration. The specific objectives of this grant are for NCIC CTG to collaborate with NCI/CTEP and US-based groups, including through the principles outlined in the Report of the Clinical Trials Working Group, to develop new Intergroup trials under NCIC CTG leadership and to ensure more rapid accrual to trials led by US-based groups, to enhance the scientific content of these trials through evaluation of additional endpoints and to contribute to new understandings of clinical trial methodology and analysis. The support requested is to provide funding for per-patient accrual and for personnel within the Central Office of the NCIC CTG in order that the organization can efficiently develop, activate and conduct in Canada trials that of importance to our collaborators in the United States.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 79 publications
