Revitalizing Cancer Clinical Trials -- March 21 symposium

Cancer clinicians, patients, insurers, industry representatives, and federal agency officials will discuss how to revitalize the nation's flagging cancer clinical trials system at a March 21 workshop hosted by the Institute of Medicine and American Society of Clinical Oncology. A 2010 IOM report, A National Cancer Clinical Trials System for the 21st Century: Reinvigorating the NCI Cooperative Group Program, identified several problems undermining the National Cancer Institute's cooperative groups and the cancer clinical trials system as a whole, including difficulties in prioritizing studies, slow patient enrollment, trial delays, and inadequate funding. Reinvigorating the system requires diverse stakeholders to collaborate on implementing the report's recommended changes.

The workshop will run from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EDT on March 21 in Room 100 of the National Academies' Keck Center, 500 Fifth St., N.W., Washington, D.C. Those who cannot attend may view slides and listen to presentations via a live webinar at https://lobby.mc.iconf.net/GCC/conferencing/partaccess.asp?ba=6. The dial-in numbers are 866-339-1399 (toll-free North America) and 1-334-323-1808 (international) for meeting number 7304498. The agenda and registration information are available at http://iom.edu/Activities/Disease/NCPF/2011-MAR-21.aspx.

Provided by National Academy of Sciences