NCORP Efforts Highlighted at ASCO Annual Meeting
Posted: June 18, 2019

Connie Szczepanek of the West Michigan Cancer Research Consortium NCORP accepts the ASCO Partners in Progress Award.
As some 42,000 people made their way through the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago May 31-June 4, the efforts of the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) were often evident in the awards, oral abstracts, presentations, and posters.
Awards went to several NCORP affiliated people, including:
- Connie Szczepanek, RN, BSN, CCFP, of the West Michigan Cancer Research Consortium NCORP, who received the 2019 Partners in Progress Award.
- Norman Wolmark, MD, NRG Oncology, who was honored with the Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Award and gave the accompanying lecture entitled, “The Contribution of NSABP Clinical Trials to the Management of Early Breast Cancer: A 60-year Odyssey.”
- The Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO) was bestowed on: David Cella, PhD, Co-Chair of the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Control & Survivorship Committee; Norah Lynn Henry, MD, PhD, Co-Chair of the SWOG Symptom Control & Quality of Life Committee; Robert G. Maki, MD, PhD, investigator in the Northwell NCORP; and Supriya Gupta Mohile, MD, MS, chair of the University of Rochester Cancer Care Delivery Research program.
Among the presentations were: “Clinical Controversies: Are Geriatric Syndromes in the Domain of the Oncologist?” by Supriya Gupta Mohile, MD, MS, FASCO, University of Rochester Medical Center NCORP with Miriam B. Rodin, MD, PhD, St. Louis University School of Medicine.
Numerous oral abstracts focused on NCORP studies, including:
- #508 - NRG (Best of ASCO) “Patient-reported outcomes in NRG oncology/NSABP B-39/RTOG 0413: A randomized phase III study of conventional whole breast irradiation versus partial breast irradiation in stage 0, I, or II breast cancer” by Patricia Ganz, MD.
- #6515 – SWOG “Randomized trial of text messaging (TM) to reduce early discontinuation of aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy in women with breast cancer: SWOG S1105” by Dawn Hershman, MD.
- #11500 – URCC “A phase II RCT of high-dose vitamin D supplementation and exercise for cancer treatment-induced bone loss in breast cancer patients on aromatase inhibitors” by Luke Peppone, PhD. (Presented by Michelle Janelsins in Dr. Peppone’s absence.)
- #11502 – SWOG “Osteonecrosis of the jaw in patients with cancer receiving zoledronic acid for bone metastases: SWOG S0702” by Catherine H. Van Poznak, MD.
- #11508 – SWOG “Association of baseline cardiovascular risk factors and health care utilization and costs in elderly breast cancer patients enrolled in SWOG clinical trials” by Dawn Hershman, MD.
- #11523 – URCC “Improving person-centered communication of goals, proxy, and advance directives in older patients with advanced cancer: Secondary analysis from a University of Rochester NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) cluster randomized controlled trial (CRCT)” by Marie Ann Flannery, PhD.
- #11588 – SWOG “Sex differences in adverse event reporting in SWOG chemotherapy, biologic/immunotherapy, and targeted agent cancer clinical trials” by Joseph Under, PhD.
Among the posters highlighting NCORP efforts were:
“Community and academic partnerships: Moving a new generation of clinical trials in NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) into community oncology practices (#2551).” Worta McCaskill-Stevens, MD, NCORP Director.
“Factors associated with osteonecrosis of the jaw in women with breast cancer receiving high-dose bisphosphonates to prevent breast cancer metastases as part of the SWOG S0307 trial (#552).” Darya Kizub.
“SWOG S1417CD, Design and accrual of S1417CD: Development of a prospective financial impact assessment tool in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (#TPS6652).” Veena Shankaran, MD.
“NRG-CC001, A phase III trial of hippocampal avoidance in addition to whole-brain radiotherapy plus memantine to preserve neurocognitive functions in patients with brain metastases (#2009).” Vinai Gondi, MD.
“NRG-CC003, A randomized phase II/III trial of prophylactic cranial irradiation with or without hippocampal avoidance for small cell lung cancer (#TPS8578).” Vinai Gondi, MD.
“The impact of NCI-sponsored network group clinical trials on guideline care and new drug indications (#6604).” Joseph Unger, PhD.