CANCERGEN is a multidisciplinary collaborative consortium, which includes the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC), University of Washington, CMTP, and the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG), one of the largest of the National Cancer Institute-supported (NCI) cancer clinical trials cooperative groups in the United States. Funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Grand Opportunities, CANCERGEN’s mission is to generate high quality evidence regarding the clinical utility and economic value of Genomics and Personalized Medicine (GPM) applications compared to standard care.
The goal of CANCERGEN is to develop methods and processes to enable comparative effectiveness studies of existing and emerging tests along the genomics pathway. Traditional priority setting in both cancer clinical trials and Genomics and Personalized Medicine has relied disproportionately on the views of expert panels and researchers. CANCERGEN proposes to take a new, more balanced approach – one that better meets the needs of those who manage, are served by, and have a stake in the technologies that are moving from discovery to practice.
One of the primary aims of CANCERGEN was to develop and implement a stakeholder engagement process to help shape the selection and development of a CER study in the area of cancer genomics. To do so, CMTP led the consortium in establishing an Expert Stakeholder Advisory Group (ESAG) and led them through a 2-year process of continuous stakeholder engagement that used a modified-Delphi process to identify high priority areas in need of evidence from prospective trials. CANCERGEN, in close collaboration with SWOG, used the Advisory Group’s recommendations to promote trials for cancer genomic applications in need of high quality evidence.
CMTP is currently evaluating the stakeholder engagement process in CANCERGEN with the goal of creating a foundation for the evaluation of stakeholder engagement within CER.
For more information, contact Pat Deverka.