Attention A T users. To access the menus on this page please perform the following steps. 1. Please switch auto forms mode to off. 2. Hit enter to expand a main menu option (Health, Benefits, etc). 3. To enter and activate the submenu links, hit the down arrow. You will now be able to tab or arrow up or down through the submenu options to access/activate the submenu links.

VA New England Healthcare System

 

Consortia, program and trial updates

August 4, 2015

National Cancer Institute’s cooperative trials group (SWOG)

Many VISN 1 oncologists are undergoing training to be able to participate in SWOG, a cancer research cooperative group and a member of the National Cancer Institute’s National Clinical Trials Network.

A Consortium of VA sites, led by the VISN1 Clinical Trials Network, achieved membership to SWOG in November 2014 leading the way to greater access to innovative cancer therapy for Veterans.

SWOG is a consortium that designs and conducts multidisciplinary clinical trials to improve the practice of medicine in preventing, detecting, and treating cancer, and to enhance the quality of life for cancer survivors. It is also one of the largest cancer clinical trials cooperative groups in the United States.

VISN 1 Precision Oncology Program (POP)

POP is a clinical care program with a research component intended to bring personalized health care and cutting-edge cancer treatment to Veterans. POP has been open since February 26, 2015 and is open in all sites in VISN 1. Specimens have been shipped from every site except New Hampshire (their specimens are obtained and processed at WRJ). Approximately 50 specimens have been sent for testing so far. 

POP’s research component, the Precision Oncology Research Program (PORP), has just recently been approved by the IRB. PORP’s data repository is being reviewed by the IRB and will begin enrolling participants when it is approved.

Karen Pierce-Murray, POP Program Coordinator, has been making good use of MAVERIC’s Informatics department to:

  • Pull pathology and radiology reports from EHR to identify veterans who may be eligible for additional cancer genomic testing
  • Workflow application
  • Initial clinical trial matching application and eventually an automated clinical trial match
  • Electronic return of cancer genomic results
  • E-consult to engage molecular oncologist consult service
  • Data repository to support prediction engine and a learning healthcare system
  • Patient facing application for capture of patient entered data and patient centered outcomes

PARAGON

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of LCZ696 compared to valsartan in the reduction of cardiovascular death and heart failure hospitalizations in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

Since PARAGON’s Boston site initiation visit with Novartis on April 28th, approximately 700 patients have been pre-screened, with an eligibility rate of 5-10%. Four patients have been enrolled into the trial, two of whom are currently in the run-in phase.

White River Junction has randomized one patient, and Providence and West Haven continue to screen patients who may be eligible to participate. 

PARAGON study coordinator Jesse Gass has leveraged both the scientific and operational resources of the Clinical Trials Network to strengthen her research. She has consulted with MAVERIC principal investigators who have expertise conducting clinical trials; utilized administrative support, including guidance on IRB submissions/approvals and quality assurance issues; and worked with the informatics team on data processing and management.

 

 

Share



More Stories

Article index