Wednesday, January 06, 2021 A look back at 2020, a pandemic year that saw tremendous achievements across the CCTG network This past year has been one of constant challenge within our group, network, country, and the world. Yet despite the disruptions to our daily lives and work, this year has also been one of immense accomplishment. Together with our national and international collaborators, we have spent hundreds of hours adjusting to new methods of remote work, ensuring patient safety and trial integrity, while collectively redesigning our workplace and workflow. Despite these challenges and changes the CCTG network has continued to accrue to ongoing trials, complete analyses and mount new studies. There have also been presentations at international meetings and contributions to national and international initiatives to address the many COVID-19 impacts – including adjustments to clinical trials methods and operations to enable greater efficiency and remote trial conduct. The national CCTG leadership have met virtually over the course of the summer and fall to develop group-wide and committee specific strategic priorities. This work will guide our CCS grant renewal and our scientific agenda over the next five years as we finalize our next strategic plan and submit our CCS grant renewal application. Looking ahead, we will continue our trial work, adjusting to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic as it waxes and wanes. The group will be assessing how to carry forward the lessons learned around virtual engagement with our centers, members, and partners. We will also evaluate our experiences with remote trial conduct, e-consent, virtual patient assessments, and remote monitoring. There will, of course, be new trial activation with plans for supporting data science, cell therapies and translational studies in preoperative trials. None of the progress that has been made over this year would be possible without you, our leaders, contributors, collaborators, partners, and funders. Thank you for your tremendous efforts that have enabled us to overcome challenges and positioned CCTG to be able to address any new opportunities in the year ahead. Together, we will continue to develop and conduct trials that matter to improve the outcomes for our patients and improve our understanding of the biology and impact of cancer. I am looking forward to 2021 and wish you all a happy new year. With highest regards, Janet CCTG 2020 by the Numbers Our Work 18 new trials activated 23 new trial proposals 70 active trials Of the new trails activated in 2020 three were COVID-19 cancer clinical studies including the IC8 trial, testing a vaccine to increase general immunity to protect against severe COVID-19 related lung infections; SC27 Living with cancer in the time of COVID-19, a cohort study of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer patients; and the NCI led ICC1 COVID-19 in Cancer Patients Study (NCCAPS) studying patients who are being treated for cancer and have a positive test for COVID-19. Patients - This year the group has recruited over 3,900 patients - the highest in the last 10 years! with 842 patients screened Grants - 12 grants were submitted with 2 successful and 7 pending Our Network The Canadian Cancer Trials Group now has 86 Canadian member centres working with 700 international centres in 23 countries. Across Canada in 2020 we welcomed more than 400 NEW CCTG members - 48 new investigators and 412 new clinical trial personnel Our network now includes 2,076 Canadian Investigators and 4,257 clinical trial team members who join more than 6,500 International Investigators and 20,000 trial team members world wide Our Impact 3 trial analyses 58 total publications including 29 journal articles and 9 primary trial publications Oral presentations at ASTRO (SC24, ESMO (PA7) and ASCO (BR34)
