EASTERN COOPERATIVE ONCOLOGY GROUP

The Albert Einstein Cancer Center has been and continues to be a major scientific resource for ECOG, providing pilot study data for the initiation of new ECOG clinical trials and providing laboratory resources for correlative studies. During the past grant period, ECOG studies in lymphoma, leukemia, breast, head and neck, melanoma and GI malignancies have been initiated based on pilot work from Einstein. Two of Einstein's investigators have obtained RO1 funding for laboratory research related to ECOG clinical trials, and Einstein has initiated 3 laboratory-based correlative studies in the leukemias, 1 in colon cancer and 1 in cervical cancer with partial funding provided by Einstein itself. Einstein has developed 3 core laboratories for ECOG: 1) immunophenotyping reference lab; 2) molecular biology of differentiation related to retinoic acid in leukemia; and 3) molecular biology of bcr-abl in ALL. Einstein, as a tertiary care facility, has maintained its accrual level, with 167 patients entered (140 from main institution) from 7/1/91 -6/30/92, and 391 patients continuing in follow-up. Forty to 52% of patients entered into clinical trials at Einstein are from minority races which in part reflects the efforts made by the institution to recruit such patients into clinical research trials utilizing minority race staff to encourage participation. More than 50% of study participants are women, and Einstein has developed ECOG studies specifically for malignancies of women. An Einstein investigator is the chair of the Gyn Onc Working Group. Einstein investigators have chaired 13 ECOG studies during the past grant period and 5 Einstein investigators have held disease or modality committee leadership roles (chair or co-chair) during the last grant period. The Einstein CGOP, which includes another major university center (SUNY-Stonybrook) and a large hospital in Long island (Nassau County Medial Center) and one in the Bronx (Our Lady of Mercy) has been productive participants in ECOG, in terms of accrual to studies and groupwide meeting attendance.