SWOG Network Group Operations Center of the NCTN

Oregon Health & Science University, Portland OR

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

The impact statement in SWOG's network operations grant application succinctly summarizes our work and our goals: By continuously improving inclusion, engagement, and scientific innovation, SWOG will enhance cancer clinical trial development and conduct, reducing the burden of human neoplasm. The SWOG National Clinical Trials Network Group has established itself as an innovative, collaborative, a n d cost-effective NCTN constituent. SWOG has 60 years of trial experience, and its work has led to the Food and Drug Administration approval of 14 regimens, changing and informing oncologic practice hundreds of time more. In our 2013 grant application, we promised to make unique contributions to the new NCTN enterprise, and we successfully did so over the last five years. We are strongly committed to furthering our efforts over the next six. SWOG designs and directs high-value, pathway- and immune- driven oncology research, with the goal of achieving practice-changing results that are meaningful to both persons affected by cancer and investigators. The group's current network includes more than 1,000 member sites, with 5,000 physicians who practice across the United States, Canada, South Korea, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and South America. Twenty-three NCI-designated cancer centers number among our members, as do 22 Specialized Programs in Oncology Research Excellence. From early 2014 through mid-2017, SWOG investigators published more than 188 cancer treatment articles and abstracts, and enrolled 12,819 patients into NCTN therapeutic trials. SWOG actively collaborates in NCTN direct research and administrative functions and has developed training and education tools used throughout the network. SWOG's mission is to significantly improve lives through cancer clinical trials and translational research. The following guiding principles, ratified in 9/2017, are the foundation upon which we build to achieve that end: — We make patients our absolute highest priority — We ensure that the best science drives our research — We embrace and encourage diversity in leadership and membership, to effectively solve problems in cancer — We demand integrity, accountability, and ethical behavior in SWOG — We foster and mentor young investigators, to ensure excellent clinical research for future generations