Trial Sponsorship

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Sponsorship and Economics of Imaging Trials 

NCI-Sponsored Clinical Trials  NCI sponsors many clinical trials that are conducted through four different programs:1. Clinical Trials Cooperative Group Program  2. Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP) and the Minority-Based   Community Clinical Oncology Program (MBCCOP)  3. Cancer Centers Program  4. Clinical Grants Program  :All NCI-sponsored trials must meet all FDA and Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) regulations for participant protection in clinical trials. 

Clinical Trials Cooperative Group Program Clinical trials are often conducted through NCI cooperative clinical trial groups, which are networks of institutions that jointly carry out large clinical trials following the same protocols.   Members of these groups include: University hospitals, Cancer centers, Community physicians and community hospitals.   Cooperative groups develop and conduct new clinical trials that follow national priorities for cancer research. They conduct phase 3 trials as well as phase 2 trials. Some of the groups are categorized by type of cancer, others by type of treatment or other reasons, such as:  

1.  American College of Surgeons Oncology Group (ACOSOG),
2. Cancer and Acute Leukemia Group B (CALGB),
3. Children’s Oncology Group (COG),
4. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG),
5. Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG),
6. National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP),
7. National Wilms Tumor Study Group (NWTSG),
8. North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG),
9. Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG),
10. Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG),
11. American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN),

For more information about Cooperative Group program, see http://ctep.info.nih.gov.

Community Clinical Oncology Programs (CCOPs) and Minority-Based CCOPs (MBCCOPs)   These programs allow community physicians to work with scientists conducting NCI-supported clinical trials. Participation in the CCOP benefits lay people and health professionals in the community as well as scientists in research centers. The MBCCOP provides members of ethnic and racial minorities with access to state-of-the-art cancer treatment, prevention, and control technology.

Cancer Centers Program   NCI cancer centers conduct clinical trials under an NCI-approved protocol review and surveillance mechanism. The Cancer Centers Program consists of more than 50 NCI-designated cancer centers involved in many different cancer research efforts. Cancer centers also participate in at least one cooperative group. List of Cancer Centers

Clinical Grants Program   Many clinical trial protocols are carried out under the direct support of an NCI peer-reviewed grant (often labeled R21 grants)

Industry-Sponsored Trials   Pharmaceutical and biotech companies conduct their own trials, both locally nationally and internationally. They may have as partners universities, hospitals, NCI, or local doctors. These trials are subject to the companies’ own review panels and to an IRB, which may be local or national in scope.

Referrals to Clinical Trials   Once someone is diagnosed with cancer, the health care provider may suggest several possible treatment options, one of which may be a clinical trial. Similarly, health care providers may offer people at high risk for cancer several options for prevention, including a clinical trial. If a person finds that his or her physician does not participate in clinical trials, the person can request a referral to a physician who does.