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SWOG Update
October 2009

Contents  
Welcome to the October 2009 SWOG Update.

For all members and friends of the Southwest Oncology Group, the SWOG Update will keep you informed of what's happening with the Group. News to report? Send it to communications@swog.org.

View a one-page version for printing.
 
Chair's Corner  
How should we spell success?
Laurence H. Baker photo Questions of how we define success in cancer research and how costs should factor into that definition have been much in the news. [more]

Study Updates  

S0702: Zoledronic acid and ONJ risk
Patients taking zoledronic acid seem to face an increased risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw, or ONJ. S0702 seeks answers. [more]

Dawn Hershman, M.D. S0715: Does ALC prevent neuropathy?
Pain and numbness in hands and feet is a common side effect of taxane-based chemotherapy. Can the dietary supplement acetyl-L-carnitine prevent it? [more]

 
Don't Miss It  
Visualization of MCF-7 genome depicting somatic breast tumor chromosomal rearrangements. (Hampton, et al. Genome Res. 2009 Feb; 19(2); 167-177.) The War on Cancer: Raise the bar, or move the goal line?

Plenary Session
SWOG Fall 2009 Group Meeting
Friday, October 23, 12:15 - 2:45 pm
Gold Level, Regency B - D
Hyatt Regency Chicago
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SWOG Spotlight: Comparative Effectiveness
GO grant brings vision of SWOG as a national leader in comparative effectiveness research on cancer

A $4 million grant of federal stimulus money to Scott Ramsey, MD, PhD, should help SWOG better identify which proposed trials will bring a significant clinical benefit to patients. [more]
  scales

Federal stimulus funds reach SWOG trials
Two grants from NCI economic stimulus funds will add imaging components to two SWOG trials. [more]


Rick Bangs New bladder cancer advocate comes aboard
Rick Bangs replaces Diane Zipursky Quale as SWOG's patient advocate for bladder cancer. [more]


SWOG Young Investigators storm Seattle
Five talented young physicians attended the 2009 Young Investigator course for three days of intensive training in how to develop and implement cancer clinical trials. [more]


Megan Othus Megan Othus, PhD, is new melanoma, leukemia statistician
For SWOG's newest faculty statistician, coming to the Hutch is like coming home. [more]


CRAs: Q tips
When coding, use two new Medicare modifiers to distinguish clinical services that are routine from those that are investigational. [more]


CTSU Oncology Patient Enrollment Network CRAs: The time to OPEN up is here!
As of October 1, 2009, all SWOG sites need to work with CTSU's new Oncology Patient Enrollment Network, or OPEN. [more]


From the GU Committee: GU trains new investigators
This year's Uro-Oncology New Investigators Course is slated for this month's Group Meeting in Chicago. [more]


Nursing Committee: Economy's tough; nurses are tougher
Doing more with less? Welcome to the club. We'll convene in Chicago. [more]


SWOG investigational drug training video SWOG investigational drug training video a valuable resource
Will this tutorial help you handle investigational drugs more safely? More than 1,300 colleagues can't be wrong. [more]


The Hope Foundation logo Hope Foundation: Contribute, win prizes
Need a better reason than curing cancer to make your contribution to The Hope Foundation? How about a chance to win fabulous prizes? [more]


Coltman Fellowship deadline Oct. 15
The deadline for the Coltman Fellowship and the Coltman Fellowship in Translational Medicine has been extended to October 15th. We mean it. [more]


Ops Office moving
Heads up: New phone numbers for your book [more]


SWOG Update goes monthly
Send your newsletter items by the 23rd for timely dissemination. [more]


 
Clock's ticking: Deadlines

Did You Know ...?
SWOG's total budget for fiscal year 2008 exceeded $45 million.
 

 

Got news to tell? Send it to communications@swog.org.