title: The Globalization of Cooperative Groups.
abstract: The National Cancer Institute (NCI)-supported adult cooperative oncology research groups (now officially Network groups) have a longstanding history of participating in international collaborations throughout the world. Most frequently, the US-based cooperative groups work reciprocally with the Canadian national adult cancer clinical trial group, NCIC CTG (previously the National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group). Thus, Canada is the largest contributor to cooperative groups based in the United States, and vice versa. Although international collaborations have many benefits, they are most frequently utilized to enhance patient accrual to large phase III trials originating in the United States or Canada. Within the cooperative group setting, adequate attention has not been given to the study of cancers that are unique to countries outside the United States and Canada, such as those frequently associated with infections in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Global collaborations are limited by a number of barriers, some of which are unique to the countries involved, while others are related to financial support and to US policies that restrict drug distribution outside the United States. This article serves to detail the cooperative group experience in international research and describe how international collaboration in cancer clinical trials is a promising and important area that requires greater consideration in the future.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Michigan; and SWOG, Executive Officer, Quality Assurance and International Initiatives, Ann Arbor, MI. Electronic address: manuelva@med.umich.edu.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Valdivieso
authors.affiliation: Institute of Radiotherapy, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel; and Department of Radiation Oncology, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, PA.
authors.forename: Benjamin W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Corn
authors.affiliation: Director, NCIC Clinical Trials Group; Scientific Director Canadian Cancer Clinical Trials Network; Program Leader, High Impact Clinical Trials, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research; Professor of Oncology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Janet E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Dancey
authors.affiliation: Deputy Chairman, NRG Oncology, Pittsburgh, PA; Department of Human Oncology, Pittsburgh Campus, Drexel University School of Medicine; Allegheny Cancer Center at Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA.
authors.forename: D Lawrence
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Wickerham
authors.affiliation: Executive Officer, Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, Chicago, IL.
authors.forename: L Elise
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Horvath
authors.affiliation: Deputy Director at Large, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center; Group Vice Chair, Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology; Hematology/Oncology and Cancer Biology Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL.
authors.forename: Edith A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.affiliation: Group Administrator, NCIC Clinical Trials Group, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Urton
authors.affiliation: Associate Director, NRG Oncology Statistics and Data Management Center (SDMC); Associate Director, Biostatistics, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA.
authors.forename: Walter M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Cronin
authors.affiliation: Project Specialist III, RTOG, Philadelphia, PA.
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Field
authors.affiliation: Coordinating Center Manager, SWOG Statistical Center, Seattle, WA.
authors.forename: Evonne
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lackey
authors.affiliation: Chair, SWOG; Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Oregon Health & Science University and Knight Cancer Institute, Portland, OR.
authors.forename: Charles D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Blanke
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D001208:Asia; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002170:Canada; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality; D007843:Latin America; D054547:National Cancer Institute (U.S.); D009369:Neoplasms; D014481:United States