THE WOODLANDS, Texas, June 3, 2021 — US Oncology Research, The US Oncology Network (The Network), and OntadaTM announce they contributed to more than 75 studies covering topics including gynecologic cancer, lung cancer and immunotherapy which will be presented at the upcoming 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, to be held virtually from June 4 - 8.
“At this year’s ASCO Annual Meeting, we are looking forward to sharing our latest insights and knowledge across the global oncology community,” said Robert L. Coleman, MD, chief scientific officer, US Oncology Research. “As we emerge from a year that challenged how we approach the fight against cancer, it is more important than ever to discuss how we can work together to ensure this next chapter of commitment to equitable care and innovation.”
Key highlights include a plenary session exploring the role of adjuvant chemotherapy following chemoradiation in women with cervical cancer, featuring results from OUTBACK, a randomized Phase III trial to determine if the addition of adjuvant chemotherapy to standard cisplatin-based chemoradiation improves rates of overall survival. The plenary session, which will be held Sunday, June 6 from 1 -4 p.m. ET, will feature abstract LBA3, “Adjuvant chemotherapy following chemoradiation as primary treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer compared to chemoradiation alone: The randomized phase III OUTBACK Trial.”
“Despite the recently developed cervical cancer vaccine, many women will continue to die from this disease if existing treatments are not improved,” said Bradley Monk, MD, FACOG, FACS, co-author of the study and oncologist with Arizona Oncology, a practice in The Network. “We are eager to present the results from this featured late-breaking plenary and to draw attention to the problem of cervical cancer among women in developing nations.”
Also of note this year are findings from the MYLUNG ConsortiumTM study, which will be featured in an oral abstract session. Given the importance of molecular testing and targeted therapy for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, the findings provide an assessment of real-world biomarker testing rates and turnaround times of more than 1,000 providers across the U.S. The session titled, “Lung Cancer—Non-Small Cell Metastatic,” will be held Friday, June 4 from 1 – 4 p.m. ET and will feature abstract 9004, “Biomarker tissue journey among patients (pts) with untreated metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) in The US Oncology Network community practices.”
“While treatment decisions based on molecular analyses can improve outcomes, many patients do not undergo timely comprehensive testing,” said Makenzi Evangelist, MD, study co-author, principal investigator for Protocol 2 of the MYLUNG Consortium and oncologist with New York Oncology Hematology (NYOH), a practice in The Network. “Through this real-world analysis, we observed that less than half of patients with mNSCLC had five or more biomarkers tested before initiating first-line systemic therapy. These findings deepen our understanding of the barriers patients face and help us target new approaches for improving their care.”
“Through the MYLUNG Consortium, we are able to bring together providers, life sciences companies and patient advocacy groups with a common goal of improving patient outcomes,” added Dr. Coleman, who is the MYLUNG Consortium program principal investigator. “What we are presenting at this year’s ASCO Annual Meeting are findings from Protocol 1. This innovative study will last five years with about 20 participating sites recruiting up to 12,000 patients.”
In a poster session, results will be presented from a retrospective study leveraging electronic health record data from the Ontada database of adult patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). The study investigated patient characteristics and treatment patterns for patients with ES-SCLC receiving treatment in the real-world community setting. The session titled, “Lung Cancer—Non-Small Cell Local-Regional/Small Cell/Other Thoracic Cancers,” will be held Sunday, June 6 from 8 – 11 a.m. ET and will feature abstract 8561, “Real-world evidence of cancer immunotherapy (CIT) combination treatment in first line (1L) extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC).”
“This study was the first real-world study that analyzed the incorporation of immunotherapy in the treatment of small cell lung cancer,” said Eric Nadler, MD, MPP, study co-author and oncologist with Texas Oncology, a practice in The Network. “Being able to leverage real-world data into today’s clinical research is a huge step forward. We now have the ability to take a plethora of already available and extremely valuable data and study thousands of patient journeys for numerous indications.”
Ontada President Susan Shiff, PhD, MBA, concludes, “We are excited to present the results of studies that have used a variety of retrospective and prospective methodologies whose findings can help to improve the lives of cancer patients, which of course is our ultimate goal.”
You can find the full schedule of affiliated data presentations from US Oncology Research, The US Oncology Network and Ontada at ASCO this year, including author details, here. For more information or to interview a trial investigator, contact Claire Crye at 281.825.9927 or Claire.Crye@usoncology.com, or Edie DeVine at 209.814.9564 or Edie.DeVine@gcihealth.com.
About US Oncology Research
US Oncology Research draws from a network of experienced investigators and dedicated clinical staff who specialize in oncology clinical trials. US Oncology Research serves approximately 60 research sites and more than 165 locations, managing about 400 active trials at any given time. For the past 20 years, physicians in the research network have enrolled more than 85,000 patients in over 1,600 trials and have played a role in more than 100 FDA-approved cancer therapies. US Oncology Research is supported by McKesson Corporation.
About The US Oncology Network
Every day, The US Oncology Network (The Network) helps approximately 1,400 independent physicians deliver value-based, integrated care to patients — close to home. Through The Network, these independent doctors come together to form a community of shared expertise and resources dedicated to advancing local cancer care and to delivering better patient outcomes. The Network provides practices with access to coordinated resources, best business practices, and the experience, infrastructure and support of McKesson Corporation. This collaboration allows the providers in The Network to focus on the health of their patients, while McKesson focuses on the health of their practices. The Network is committed to the success of independent practices, everywhere.
About Ontada
OntadaTM is an oncology data, research and technology business dedicated to improving the lives of cancer patients. Part of McKesson Corporation, we partner with life sciences companies to support science through real-world data and evidence, helping to accelerate drug development and commercialization, connect community oncology providers to educational programs that enable them to practice at the forefront of therapies, and advance precise, evidence-driven patient care through practice technologies in the community setting. For more information, visit ontada.com or follow @OntadaOncology
Contact
US Oncology Research
Claire Crye, Public Relations
281-825-9927
Claire.Crye@USOncology.com
GCI Health on behalf of US Oncology Research
Edie DeVine, Public Relations
209-814-9564
Edie.DeVine@GCIHealth.com