Oncology Clinical Trial Improves Disease-Free Survival
Amgen announced new data demonstrating that adding BLINCYTO® (blinatumomab) to chemotherapy significantly improves disease-free survival in newly diagnosed pediatric patients with National Cancer Institute (NCI) standard risk pediatric B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). The data are from a Phase 3 study (AALL1731) conducted by the Children’s Oncology Group. Dr. Glenn Edwards, the Section Chief of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology was the Children's Oncology Group's Principal Investigator for Carilion Clinic. Dr. Edwards has over 30 years of clinical experience and is the PI of numerous pediatric oncology clinical trials. The results from AALL1731 were simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine and were presented at the 66th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting & Exposition in San Diego. COG is an NCI-funded cooperative group and compromised of over 200 member institutions. The vast majority of COG institutions activated and enrolled on AALL1731.
The Children’s Oncology Group (COG) – COG (childrensoncologygroup.org), a member of the NCI National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN), is the world’s largest organization devoted exclusively to childhood and adolescent cancer research. COG unites over 10,000 experts in childhood cancer at more than 200 leading children’s hospitals, universities, and cancer centers across North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia in the fight against childhood cancer. Today, more than 80% of the 15,000 children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States are cared for at COG member institutions. Research performed by COG institutions over the past 50 years has transformed childhood cancer from a virtually incurable disease to one with a combined 5-year survival rate of 86%. COG’s mission is to improve the cure rate and outcomes for all children with cancer.