CCG-LTFI: A Groupwide Protocol for Collecting Follow- up Data

Children's Cancer Group clinical trials are conducted to improve understanding of the biology and treatment of childhood cancers. Protocols are developed by expert committees and distributed from the Group Operations Center to the member institutions. Before a protocol can be opened to patient accrual at a CCG institution, the protocol, consent form and any activation amendments are reviewed and approved by the local Institutional Review Board QRB).

Protocols remain open to patient accrual until sufficient evaluable patients have been entered to answer the study questions. During this time, the protocol and any new amendments are reviewed annually by the IRB. When the study has been closed to patient accrual it remains open solely for the purpose of collecting life status and occurrence of adverse events. The IRB must continue its annual review as long as a patient treated on the protocol is alive and follow-up data are being collected. The CCG Long Term Follow-up protocol (CCG-LTF1) is meant to allow continued collective review of all protocols that meet the following criteria: (a) It is closed to patient accrual, (b) all patients have completed treatment, and (c) there are patients who are alive and being followed. The protocols that meet these criteria will be listed as being aggregated under CCG-LTF1 such that an IRB review of CCG-LTF1 will constitute a review of that protocol.