Instituting NCI-funded thyroid and head and neck cancer studies

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Advancements in rare cancers can rarely be done outside of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) clinical trials network. Clinical studies for rare cancers need many institutions to participate and, due to their low incidence, are unlikely to be as profitable to the pharmaceutical industry as compared to advancements in treatment for more common cancers. Anaplastic thyroid cancers and oncocytic (formerly known as Hürthle cell) thyroid cancers are two prime examples of rare tumors with minimal prior research being done. Eric Sherman, MD, led and completed the first randomized studies conducted through the NCI clinical trials network that were focused on these cancers (RTOG-0912, A091302) as well as accrued the highest number of patients to both studies. Further support will help in these endeavors as Dr. Sherman focuses on developing future studies in rare cancers of the head and neck as well as supporting the success of both these and other studies of rare head and neck cancers both in the cooperative group setting (through both the Alliance in Clinical Trials for Oncology and NRG Oncology groups) and the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP; as part of the CTEP Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Task Force and the NCI Head and Neck Rare Tumor Task Force). As part of his role at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) as the Scientific Director of the Head and Neck Oncology Service and Co-Chair of the MSK Research Council, he will play a significant role in bringing NCI-supported studies to the institution and helping with their success.