Sept. 25, 2019:

In this month’s Across the Consortium, the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium (Big Ten CRC) highlights a wide range of topics from newly activated Big Ten CRC studies, research with cancer and genomics, rare cancers, and developing new strategies to integrate patient education in regular cancer care visits. Read More

Sept. 18, 2019:

Muhammad Furqan, MD, a medical oncologist and clinical associate professor of internal medicine – Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, will represent the university on the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium (Big Ten CRC) Steering Committee.

As a collaboration of Big Ten universities, the Big Ten CRC leverages the scientific and clinical expertise of its members by developing and conducting early-phase oncology clinical trials that can provide access to novel treatments to patients with cancer.

Dr. Furqan specializes in lung cancer and leads the thoracic multidisciplinary oncology group at the University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. This group includes physicians and researchers from various disciplines who work collaboratively to enhance patient care and science. Since Dr. Furqan joined the university in 2014, he has been involved in many working groups to advance oncology research and has witnessed many advancements, including the broad use of immunotherapy and targeted therapies. Dr. Furqan also supervises clinical services at the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center as medical director.

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Sept. 16, 2019:

Every year, selected junior investigators learn how to design effective clinical trials for therapeutic interventions in treating cancer during an intensive week-long workshop hosted jointly by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). The conference, known in oncology circles as the “Vail Workshop,” is held in Vail, Colo. and is an ideal backdrop for clinical and research oncologists to unplug, network, and gain valuable feedback from leading investigators in oncology in a retreat-like setting.

“For junior investigators, the ASCO/AACR Methods in Clinical Cancer Research Workshop offers invaluable educational and professional development experience,” said ASCO Chief Medical Officer Richard L. Schilsky, MD, FACP, FSCT, FASCO. “By attending, these young scientists and researchers will get to spend an intensive week working with leaders in the clinical oncology field, collaborating with specialists in biostatistics, imaging, pharmacology, and pathology to help support their project development. They also will get input from and access to patient advocates for the patient perspective that will inform their protocols.”

During the ASCO/AACR Workshop on Methods in Clinical Cancer Research, held July 27-Aug. 2, 2019, several members of Big Ten universities and cancer centers participated as faculty and selected fellows. Read More

Sept. 3, 2019:

The Ohio State University has appointed Peter Shields, MD, to serve as the university’s representative on the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium (Big Ten CRC) Steering Committee.

Dr. Shields, a thoracic medical oncologist and deputy director of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James), oversees the scientific research programs and research infrastructure of the OSUCCC-James, which includes more than 340 cancer researchers and their teams from 11 of Ohio State’s 15 colleges. His research focus and interests are in how cancer forms and how to prevent it, with an emphasis on developing tests to identify people who are at greatest risk of cancer. Read More

Aug. 19, 2019:

The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium recently appointed 11 investigators to serve as Big Ten CRC Clinical Trial Working Group (CTWG) co-chairs in their respective specialties. Their leadership supports the valuable collaboration and mentorship that takes place within each working group in support of Big Ten CRC studies, through initial review and approval of study concepts, protocol review, feedback throughout the life of a study, and publication authorship. It is also a forum where investigators can engage and share research concepts and flesh out ideas to shape protocols for future clinical trials.

Typically, co-chairs serve two-year terms that are renewable for one more term. They are responsible for identifying topics, developing agendas, and facilitating meetings and teleconferences for their working group. Together, these investigators leverage the scientific and clinical expertise of Big Ten universities, as well as share resources to accelerate cancer research and new treatments.

The new co-chairs are: Read More

Aug. 16, 2019:

A new Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium study will test the efficacy and safety of combining abemaciclib and pembrolizumab in patients with unresectable or metastatic gastric, gastroesophageal junction, or esophageal adenocarcinoma, who are still fighting their cancers after prior treatment. The single arm, phase II study will be led by the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center in Madison, Wis.

Current treatment for patients with unresectable or metastatic gastric, gastroesophageal junction, or esophageal adenocarcinoma involves chemotherapy in earlier lines, but despite aggressive treatments, survival remains poor. New combination strategies are being tested to determine whether patient outcomes can improve.

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Aug. 16, 2019:

A clinical trial conducted by the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium (Big Ten CRC) geared to adult patients with advanced Stage IV non-squamous non-small lung cancer will test how participants respond to a combined treatment therapy and how long the cancer can be controlled before it returns. The Big Ten CRC will also check toxicity levels in tissue and blood markers.

The multicenter, single-arm, phase II clinical trial, BTCRC-LUN17-139, led by Nasser H. Hanna, MD, at Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, will build on the foundation of chemotherapy and immunotherapy, and add antiangiogenic therapy, which is intended to block the formation of new blood vessels, to stop the growth of tumors.

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Aug. 16, 2019:

Indiana University researchers are leading a new Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium study that will test consolidation immunotherapy in unresectable Stage III non-small cell lung cancer.

The standard treatment for this setting is concurrent chemoradiation. Prior studies have tested the addition of consolidation chemotherapy, targeted therapies, and antiangiogenic therapies. Yet there remains an unmet need.

“We are still looking for ways to move the bar,” said Greg Durm, MD, of the IU Simon Cancer Center and sponsor-investigator of the study.

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Aug. 15, 2019:

In this month’s Across the Consortium, the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium (Big Ten CRC) highlights advances in a variety of cancer types, including breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer; research into genetic mutations that could lead to better treatments for individual patients; and research involving the financial burdens that weigh upon patients and their families.

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July 20, 2019:

n this month’s Across the Consortium, the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium (Big Ten CRC) highlights some of the outdoor events that support cancer research. Meanwhile, researchers indoors are making progress with new treatments that show improvements in survival for certain cancers while working toward a better understanding of cancers with low survival rates.

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