Spring 2025 SWOG Group Meeting

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• Meeting Booklet (will be available in early April)
  • The agenda book will be provided in PDF form only. Printed agenda books will NOT be provided in San Francisco.
  • A printed agenda pocket card/tri-fold brochure WILL be provided in San Francisco.
  • A mobile app with meeting details will also be available for download to your phone or tablet in early April. App content will also be accessible via a standard web browser (no app installation needed).
• Hotel Map
• CME Credits Are Available for Many Sessions: You must use the mobile app or the web-based version to claim credits during and after the meeting.  Details will be posted once the app is available.
• Exhibitor and Sponsorship Information: Exhibits will be held May 1-2 from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm. If you are interested in exhibiting or sponsorship opportunities, please view our prospectus here.
• Pharmaceutical Partners: We look forward to your participation at the SWOG 2025 Spring Group Meeting! SWOG has updated the registration policy to ensure we can maintain meetings of the highest caliber.  Pharma partners attending in person and not specifically invited to present as part of the group meeting agenda will be required to pay a per-person registration fee of $250.
  
  Please visit The Hope Foundation’s Group Meeting Registration Payment Page to make any necessary payments.  Payment can be made via credit card or check.  Questions can be directed to Mallory Glenn at mallory@thehopefoundation.org or (734) 546-8434.
• Speaker/Planner Disclosures
   

Posting the meeting to social media? Please use the hashtag #swogonc.
 

Group Meeting and Travel Logistics

Hotel Reservations

You can reserve your hotel room at the Hyatt Regency online or by calling 415-788-1234. When calling, ask for the SWOG room block. The Group room rate is $309 plus tax. The cut-off date for making reservations is April 7, 2025. Any reservations after that time will be based on rate and space availability. To cancel or change your Hyatt reservation, call 415-788-1234. Book your room early.  SWOG may not be able to add additional rooms to the room block due to a citywide event taking place.

Need Special Accommodations?

If you need special arrangements or accommodations to fully participate in all Group Meeting functions, please contact the meetings manager at 210-614-8808, ext. 1009 after you register online.

​Group Meeting Funding/Travel Support

SWOG and The Hope Foundation provide funding to support travel for member CRAs and nurses and Modality and Discipline Investigators to attend the group’s semi-annual meetings. Committee funds are also available through The Hope Foundation to help support committee efforts at the group meetings that are not funded via the NCORP or NCTN grants.

For specific details and links to apply, please visit the Funding and Travel Support page: Group Meeting Funding/Travel Support | SWOG

Group Meeting Event Information

Plenary Session

SWOG's spring 2025 plenary session will take place Friday, May 2, 2:00 - 4:00 pm PT. 

Chair’s Welcome and Update
Charles D. Blanke, MD, FASCO, FAWM
SWOG Group Chair
Professor, Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health & Science University

Translational Medicine: Introduction
Lee M. Ellis, MD, FASCO, FACS
SWOG Vice-Chair for Translational Medicine
MD Anderson Cancer Center

• TM of S2312, a phase III study in patients with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer, stratified by Aggressive Variant Signature
  Paul G. Corn, MD, PhD
  Professor, GU Medical Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center

• TM at the SWOG Stat Center: A Peek Under the Hood
  Michael C. Wu, PhD, FASA
  Professor, Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

Community Engagement: Introduction
Charles D. Blanke, MD, FASCO, FAWM
SWOG Group Chair
Professor, Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health & Science University

• Engaging community practice oncologists and defining community oncology
  Raymond U. Osarogiagbon, MD
  Baptist Cancer Center

• Increasing participation of oncologists and other research professionals at community care sites in the design and conduct of SWOG clinical trials
  Banu Symington, MD
  Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County

Attendees can earn CME credits for this plenary session.

25 Years of the SWOG Early Stage Investigator Training Course: A Poster Session

A special poster session will feature six recent ESITC participants who are now leading SWOG studies. Posters will be on display throughout the meeting, and presenters will appear with them during the Plenary Reception on Friday, May 2, 1-2 pm PT.

As their posters note, please be sure to ask presenters about their experiences navigating the network and engaging with mentors!

CRA Clinical Trials Training Course

The Clinical Trials Training Course will be held on Thursday, May 1, 7:00 am - 5:00 pm PT. It introduces the fundamentals of SWOG and National Cancer Institute (NCI) policies and procedures and provides the foundation to efficiently perform responsibilities as a SWOG Oncology Research Professional. Space is limited for on-site attendance, so sign up early!

If you are unable to attend the group meeting in person, the morning session will be available as a hybrid option to those that are interested. Please use that alternate registration option to attend remotely.

Enhancing Clinical Trials for Older Adults with Cancer: Integrating Geriatric Principles into Design and Implementation

Date & Time: May 1st, 12:45–1:45 PM PT

Older adults represent the majority of patients with cancer, yet they remain significantly underrepresented in clinical trials. Designing practical and evidence-driven trials for this population is critical to improving care.

This symposium will provide attendees with actionable strategies for successfully incorporating older adults into cancer research. Experts in geriatric oncology will offer practical guidance on geriatric assessment measures, study design innovations, overcoming enrollment barriers, and leveraging telehealth and palliative care research.

The session will conclude with key takeaways and an interactive Q&A to help attendees implement age-inclusive trial strategies in their own research.

Join us to advance the future of clinical trials for older adults!

TAKE ACTION SYMPOSIUM: Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Ensuring Equity in Clinical Research

 Please join us for the TAKE ACTION Symposium presented by the SWOG Recruitment and Retention Committee on Thursday, May 1, 2:00 - 4:30 pm PT. This interactive discussion will focus on the Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) population.  Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from subject matter experts and learn of ways to ensure representativeness in SWOG clinical trials.  Topics include 1) Landscape including prevalence and challenges 2) Patient perspective, and 3) Programs focusing on support and navigation.

Continuing education credit will be available. 

Combined Nursing Research Subcommittee & Advanced Practice Provider Task Force

The Nursing Research Subcommittee and Advanced Practice Provider Task Force meetings will be held jointly on Friday, May 2, 11:30 - 1:30 pm PT.  The meeting is open to Nurse Scientists and APPs interested in advancing collaborative research within the clinical trials network as principal and co-investigators and to Nurses interested in serving as Coordinators for studies involving unique or unfamiliar assessments and/or behavioral interventions. Additionally, our goals are to increase the representation and involvement of Nurse Scientists and Advanced Practice Nurses within SWOG serving as site investigators for DCP studies. If you are interested in attending (and are not on our email distribution list), please contact Co-Chairs: Jamie Myers, Chair, at jmyers@kumc.edu, or Christa Braun-Inglis at cbrauninglis@cc.hawaii.edu.

The Site Operations meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 1, 12:30 - 2:00 pm PT. 

It takes a village to lead research sites and make it possible for participants to enroll on trials. This special perspective is the focus of Site Operations, a subcommittee of the Oncology Research Professionals (ORP) Committee. A variety of practical topics will be discussed, including:

• SWOG statistical and operations updates
• NCI changes and new information
• SWOG quality assurance topics and questions

This meeting is open to everyone and provides an opportunity to hear updates and ask questions.  Please join us!

 

Oncology Research Professionals Open Forum

The ORP Open Forum is set for Friday, May 2, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm PT. Please join us in-person to discuss topics in a small group setting.  Rotate among four 20-minute round table sessions of your choice to learn more about conducting SWOG trials, mitigating challenges, and implementing strategies with your facilitator and tablemates.

Please note we encourage in-person attendance as there will be no remote meeting links for this forum. Although recordings of the round table discussions will not be made, we will post handouts and facilitator contact details for each table topic to the SWOG website after the Group Meeting.

This meeting is open to everyone and provides an opportunity to hear updates and ask questions.  Please join us!

Dr. Robert B. Livingston Translational Cancer Lectureship

Dr. Robert Boyd Livingston was a superb clinician and clinical trialist who greatly impacted the field of cancer research. Within SWOG, he served as chair of both the lung cancer committee (1974-1997) and the breast cancer committee (2000-2008). In his honor, SWOG established the Dr. Robert B. Livingston Translational Breast and Lung Cancer Lectureship. 

This spring, the lecture will occur as part of the lung committee session, 9:30 am -12:30 pm PT on Saturday, May 3. The lecture, titled "Liquid Biopsy in the Assessment of Minimal Residual Disease", will be given by Christain Rolfo, MD, PhD, The James Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Frank & Linda Meyskens Lectureship on Advances in Cancer Prevention

For more than 40 years, Dr. Frank Meyskens has been at the helm of the recognition, development, and clinical usage of prevention in the field of oncology. Opportunities to engage prevention in personalized medicine have grown exponentially in recent years, with heightened focus on interventions such as early detection and genetically focused treatment options. Frank and Linda Meyskens established and endowed this lectureship to educate oncology professionals on the latest research highlighting prevention as a therapeutic approach.

This spring, the lecture will occur as part of the prevention, screening, and surveillance committee session, 4:30 - 6:30 pm PT on Thursday, May 1. The lecture will be given by Ian M. Thompson Jr., MD, Chair Emeritus, SWOG GU Committee.

Nicholas J. Vogelzang, MD, GU Symposium

This spring's Nicholas J. Vogelzang, MD, Symposium, to be held Friday, May 2, 4:15 - 6:15 pm PT, will address the topic of Moving into the 21 Century in Urologic Tumors: The Role of AI.  Speakers TBD.

Honoring the many valuable contributions Dr. Vogelzang made in support of his colleagues and patients throughout his career within SWOG’s research network, Vogelzang symposia are held at SWOG group meetings to provide members with the latest and best resources for extending and improving the lives of those impacted by genitourinary cancers.

This will be an informative symposium you won't want to miss!