Background
What other federal agencies sponsor cancer trials?
What nonprofit voluntary groups sponsor trials?
How many pharmaceutical companies are involved in cancer treatment trials?
How many anticancer drugs are being tested in clinical trials?
How many of these drugs are being developed by or with support from NCI?

Background

Although the NCI represents the largest single organization supporting an extensive program of clinical trials testing new interventions designed to detect, diagnose, prevent, or treat cancer, many other public and private organizations in the United States and the rest of the world are also pursuing vigorous programs of clinical cancer research. In the United States itself, NCI partners or otherwise interacts with a large number of other federal agencies, private companies, and nonprofit organizations, including advocacy and voluntary groups, that are involved in supporting or conducting cancer clinical trials. These alliances accelerate the pace of scientific and medical progress.

What other federal government agencies sponsor cancer trials?

In addition to NCI, several other NIH institutes or centers sponsor clinical research studies related to cancer. For example

• The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute is sponsoring trials for blood-related cancers, such as leukemia.
• The National Institute of Child Health and Development is sponsoring trials for patients with adrenal gland or pituitary gland tumors.
• The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is sponsoring trials for patients with brain tumors.
• The National Institute of Nursing Research is sponsoring trials related to supportive care and the quality of life of cancer patients.
• The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine is sponsoring trials related to the treatment, supportive care, and quality of life of patients with cancer.
• The National Human Genome Research Institute is sponsoring trials related to the genetic basis of various cancers.

Other NIH Institutes that have sponsored clinical trials for cancer include the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (AIDS-related cancers), the National Eye Institute (ocular melanoma), the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (skin cancers), and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (thyroid and pancreatic cancers).

Outside the NIH, the two major federal agencies sponsoring cancer clinical trials are the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA).

• The DoD's Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) sponsors research, including clinical trials in cancer. More information is available on the CDMRP Web site or from CDMRP's public affairs office, 301-619-7783.
• The VA conducts cancer trials at many of its medical centers around the country, which are funded through its own appropriations as well as through grants from the NCI and pharmaceutical companies.

U.S. veterans and DoD TRICARE beneficiaries can participate in NCI-sponsored cancer clinical trials as part of their health benefits. For more information, see Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense Beneficiaries.

What nonprofit voluntary groups sponsor trials?

Many foundations and other voluntary groups provide funding for clinical cancer research, including:

• The American Cancer Society (ACS)
  As of January 2005, the ACS supported 37 clinical research projects, including17 phase III randomized trials. General information on ACS research is available from its Web site and by calling toll-free1-800-ACS-2345.
• The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
  The Komen Foundation sponsors a wide range of basic, clinical, and translational research studies on breast cancer. From 1982 through 2004, the Foundation awarded more than 1,000 grants totaling more than $144 million for breast cancer research. In 2003/2004, the Foundation funded four projects that involved the conduct of a clinical trial. More information on the foundation is available on its Web site or by calling 972-855-1600.
• The Avon Foundation
  In partnership with the NCI, the Avon Foundation has provided funds for a grant program called the Progress for Patients Awards, which provides funding for early-phase clinical trials to develop new interventions aimed at the prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment of breast cancer.

How many pharmaceutical companies are involved in cancer treatment trials?

There is no simple, precise answer to this question. As with government-sponsored trials, there is no single, all-inclusive database listing all trials sponsored by drug companies.

The most comprehensive listing of pharmaceutical and biotechnology company trials is found in an annual survey on anticancer medicines under development published by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).¹⁵ PhRMA does not limit its survey to its own members, but aims to include all drugs in development at U.S. companies and NCI. Nearly 200 companies appear in PhRMA's most recent survey.

How many anticancer drugs are being tested in clinical trials?

As of April 2005, 399 drugs were being tested in cancer clinical trials, according to the latest PhRMA survey of medicines under development for cancer treatment.¹⁶

How many of these drugs are being developed by or with support from NCI?

Out of the 399 anticancer drugs being tested in clinical trials that are listed in the 2005 PhRMA survey, 69 are designated as being sponsored by NCI.

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