By Peter J. O’Dwyer, MD (left)
and Mitchell D. Schnall, MD, PhD

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) Grant is the largest of the grants that support our Group. Following an outstanding priority score, we received a Notice of Award this summer and have finally been funded. Hot on the heels of that award, the Request for Applications for the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) Grant was published, with a due date of September 17, 2026. We are happy to report that the NCORP Grant application has been successfully submitted and is moving on to review. The application reflects the enormous amount of work accomplished in the prior grant period and the impactful results that are advancing early detection and prevention, optimizing cancer treatment, and improving the patient experience through innovations in both cancer care delivery and symptom management.

ECOG-ACRIN continues to make significant strides in cancer research and treatment through its innovative and multidisciplinary approach, and this holds true in the NCORP research environment as it does in NCTN trials. More information will be shared during the General Session at the Fall Group Meeting, including key programmatic updates. These include a reorganization of the Cancer Control and Outcomes Program, to be presented by Dr. Lynne Wagner, and the launch of two new divisions: Population Science and Cancer Interception. Cancer Population Science will bridge the NCTN and NCORP Programs and provide opportunities for epidemiologically-driven research and novel research designs. Led by Dr. Al Benson, the division will include Clinical Trials Support (Dr. Melissa Simon), Geriatric Oncology (Dr. Efrat Dotan), Real-World Data (Dr. Benson), and the Community Cancer Committee (Dr. Matthias Weiss). Cancer Interception aligns with the NCI Division of Cancer Prevention’s definition of prevention, including research aimed at evaluating new screening technologies, examining surveillance strategies, and testing approaches to managing precancerous lesions. The overarching goal is to identify more accurately cancers that are likely to be harmful without intervention, and thereby to reduce overdiagnosis and overtreatment. It will be led by Dr. Christopher Comstock and will include the Prevention, Screening and Surveillance Committee (Dr. Comstock) and the Prevention Subcommittee (Dr. John Kirkwood).

Thank you to everyone who contributed to a successful NCORP Grant submission! A shout-out here to all who helped write the application, and especially to the reviewers, who read the texts carefully and constructively: Dr. Paul Catalano, Dr. David Cella, Dr. Constantine Gatsonis, Kerry Higgins, Dr. David Mankoff, Dr. Larry Shulman, Mary Lou Smith, Lisa Beckendorf, Dr. Michael Thompson, Dr. Kathy Yost Butler, and Dr. Philip Lammers. The grant was better for this input. We expect to hear from the initial review in the spring and have a target date for funding of July 2027.

Finally, we look forward to our semi-annual meeting in Philadelphia on October 20–22, 2026. In this newsletter we introduce changes in the schedule that we trust will increase convenience. In particular, the Comis Symposium and the General Session address opportunities for future research and our current environment, respectively, the latter placed in perspective by Dr. Marge Foti, CEO of the American Association for Cancer Research, and by the leaders of the cancer centers in Philadelphia.

Read the September 2026 issue here.