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Head and Neck Steering Committee
The Head and Neck Steering Committee (HNSC) was established in FY07. Members of HNSC include three co-chairs, representatives from the cooperative groups (ACRIN, CALGB, ECOG, NCIC, RTOG, and SWOG) along with representatives from all funded HN SPOREs, community oncologists, biostatisticians, pathologists, patient advocates, and 4 NIH staff. The HNSC will function to prioritize and design clinical trials in cancers of the Head and Neck.
HNSC has established the following four Task Forces (TF): (1) Metastatic/Recurrent Disease, (2) Rare Tumors, (3) Previously -untreated Locally Advanced Disease, and (4) Tumor Biology and Imaging. Major goals of the HNSC and its task forces are to:
- provide oversight and leadership for facilitating clinical development of novel therapeutics for patients with recurrent or metastatic disease,
- encourage and expand the investigation of new therapies for rare tumor sites, specifically but not limited to - salivary gland, thyroid, and paranasal sinus cancers,
- develop an evidence-based strategy for clinical trials designed to improve survival endpoints and quality of life, and
- provide evidence-based recommendations and prioritization of new biological aspects of disease, appropriate biomarkers and/or imaging studies for diagnosis, management, and post-treatment surveillance exams.
Each member of the HNSC is expected to regularly participate in the decision making activities of the Committee through monthly teleconferences and face-to-face meeting that will be held, when possible, in conjunction with national symposiums. Additionally, members of the HNSC and its associated TFs will plan and participate in State-of-the-Science Meetings.
