NRG Oncology NCORP Research Base

The objective of this proposal is to establish and maintain the NCORP (National Community Oncology Research Program) for the NRG Oncology research base. The NRG NCORP is the result of aligning the legacy CCOPs (Community Clinical Oncology Programs) from three NCI Cancer Cooperative Groups: NSABP, RTOG and GOG. These groups together have over almost 100 years of combined experience serving as CCOP Research Bases. NRG NCORP, comprised of a multi-disciplinary team of investigators and patient advocates, is poised to carry out the objectives of: 1) designing and conducting cancer prevention, control and screening clinical trials; 2) designing and embedding patient reported outcomes in both primary NCOPR trials as well as NRG therapeutic trials 3) designing and conducting cancer care delivery research; 4) enhancing community access to treatment and imaging trials conducted under the National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) and 5) conducting primary intervention trials and integrating health disparity research questions into cancer care delivery research and treatment trials. To allow NRG NCORP to meet these goals, the group will: participate fully in NRG Oncology leadership and will determine the scientific direction and prioritization of the NRG NCORP activities and resources and oversee the translational research, clinical trial activities, and correlative studies related to the aims of NRG NCORP. With the NRG Statistical and Data Management Center (SDMC), this team will provide efficient, methodologically up-to-date trial design with a focus on NCORP specific needs such as patient-reported repeated longitudinal assessments and cluster-randomized designs. NRG NCORP will provide study monitoring, reporting, and analysis; build an infrastructure to support our cancer care delivery research agenda; provide comprehensive data management quality control and quality assurance programs to ensure high data integrity and timely data for analysis; leverage cutting edge information technology emphasizing security, timeliness, and efficiency of data collection and management; providing RT credentialing and quality assurance; and provide education and training for institutional Clinical Research Associates, Study Chairs, local Principal Investigators and others involved in the NRG NCORP research agenda. Further, to accomplish these aims NRG NCORP will engage fully with NCI-designated NCORP community physicians and patient advocates as well as the NCI and other NCI-sponsored entities (cooperative groups, cancer centers, SPOREs) to collaborate across the NCTN to improve cancer prevention and control, cancer care and outcomes, and quality of life for patients affected by cancer.