- American College of Surgeons Oncology Group
The American College of Surgeons Oncology Group (ACOSOG) is a
clinical trial cooperative group supported publicly by theNational Cancer Institute (NCI). Established during the 1990s, ACOSOG has a different mission when compared to other cooperative groups. For the most part, ACOSOG focuses on the effects ofsurgery on patients withmalignant tumors . Other cooperative groups like COG,ECOG , andSWOG , tend to emphasize the role ofradiotherapy in patients withmetastatic cancers . Nearly all age groups are considered in ACOSOG studies; however, middle-aged to senioradults tend to comprise the basis for most of theresearch conducted with ACOSOGprotocols . Children who necessitate surgery forresection of malignant tumors typically fall under the auspices of COG. Currently, ACOSOG offices are located at theDuke University Medical Center inDurham, North Carolina .Quality Assurance
The American College of Surgeons Oncology Group has all of its protocol driven cases reviewed at the
Quality Assurance Review Center (QARC). As mandated by theNational Cancer Institute (NCI), everyradiotherapy department participating in an ACOSOG study must submit their data to QARC for review. QARC is located inProvidence, Rhode Island and reviews thousands of cases per year. The center was founded in 1977 as a not-for-profit healthcare organization designed to provide quality assurance forCALGB studies. Radiotherapy data from around one-thousandhospitals in both theUnited States and abroad is reviewed and archived at QARC.Another center for quality assurance is the
Radiological Physics Center (RPC) inHouston, Texas . The primary responsibility of the RPC is to assure theNational Cancer Institute (NCI) and its cooperative groups like COG that all participating institutions are following the guidelines set-forth for the physics-related aspects of radiotherapy. Established in 1968, the RPC has consistently received funding from the NCI in order to perform the aforementioned mission.References
* [http://www.acosog.org/ American College of Surgeons Oncology Group]
External links
* [http://www.qarc.org/ Quality Assurance Review Center]
* [http://rpc.mdanderson.org/ Radiological Physics Center]
* [http://www.cancer.gov/ National Cancer Institute]
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