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Canadian Cancer Trials Group awarded $25 million in funding to support clinical trials

Bringing major cancer clinical trials to Canada through the US National Clinical Trials Network
Janet Dancey, Director of CCTG

The Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG) has been awarded more than 19 million USD over six years (approximately $25 million CAD) from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Cancer Institute (NCI). This award will allow the group to continue their work leading major cancer clinical trials in Canada through the US National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) and to develop new large scale trials under CCTG leadership.

“The renewed funding will continue the US-Canadian research collaboration and allow CCTG to take the lead on a number of important trials over the next few years,” says Janet Dancey, Director of CCTG. “The partnership will support more rapid accrual to trials led by US-based groups who will be working alongside CCTG to identify better treatments for patients with cancer.”

This strong partnership with US investigators within the NCTN, emphasize the need for international collaboration to conduct definitive practice-changing trials, trials in rare cancers settings, and trials testing precision-medicine strategies. CCTG has successfully obtained funding from the NCI since 1997 as a key clinical trials partner in the former US Cooperative Group Program and now with the NCTN.

“CCTG’s outstanding level of quality cancer research means leading international investigators work with Queen’s faculty to generate ideas for trials that enroll many hundreds of patients annually to their studies,” says Richard Reznick, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Queen’s University. “The international scope of the success of the group is due not only to the expertise found here at Queen’s, but also to the hundreds of investigators at over 85 cancer centres across Canada.”

“Thanks to support from partners such as the NIH and NCI, the CCTG is an international leader in advancing both trial practices and cancer treatments,” says Kimberly Woodhouse, Interim Vice-Principal (Research). “Strong research collaborations, both within Queen's and among partner institutions, are critical to their success in addressing this devastating disease."

Dr. Dancey concludes, “Global partnerships like this one, allow CCTG to bring cutting-edge international clinical trials to Canadian cancer patients, helping to prolong and improve the quality of life of those living with cancer.”