July 14-16, 1998: “Cancer Clinical Trials: Status and Future Directions”

At the inaugural summit, participants shared ideas on how the system could be improved and ways to increase patient participation. In addition, participants identified eight components to make “participation in clinical trials” and “quality patient care” one and the same.

>> Summary of Summit I (PDF)

February 25-26, 1999: “Patient Care Costs and High Quality Clinical Trials”

Participants explored direct and indirect costs of trial-based care, while simultaneously investigating how to bridge the gap between the oncology community and health care insurers. Different from the first year, Summit members successfully engaged third-party payers and managed care agencies to become active participants in the Summit. A major outcome of this meeting was the realization of a need for an in-depth survey that would gauge patient and public perceptions of clinical trials.

>> Summary of Summit II (PDF)

October 27-29, 1999: “Increasing Patient Participation”

Members of the cancer community heard patients’ concerns and perceptions relative to clinical trials. The meeting was attended by 70 national and regional patient advocacy organizations, representatives of relatively rare cancers, and underserved groups. From these discussions, the participants at the Summit were were able to attain a better understanding of how patients’ concerns impact participation. At this Summit, the nearly 200 participants agreed that a public awareness survey was needed and successfully finalized the topic list from which the Harris Interactive Survey questions were developed.

>> Summary of Summit III (PDF)

October 4-6, 2000: “Improving Communication and Public Awareness”

At this meeting, participants focused on the need for improved communication between the public and those conducting cancer clinical trials. Active discussions addressing current impediments to successful communication, coupled with the Harris Interactive Survey results, helped participants clearly identify the need for a national awareness clinical trials campaign. This ultimately led to awareness initiatives by the Coalition for Cooperative Groups and the American Society of Clinical Oncology, as well as the Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope.

>> Summary of Summit IV (PDF)

October 3-5, 2001: “Retooling the System: The Changes Ahead and How to Prepare For them”

Having identified several changes necessary to the improvement of clinical trials, participants at this Summit focused on examining the growth of emerging paradigms in treatment and their impact on clinical trials. The primary outcome of this meeting was the identification of six key issues and the organization of six working groups dedicated to developing solutions for each issue. From this Summit forward, progress continued as work groups maintained their momentum meeting via conference call throughout the year.

>> Summary of Summit V (PDF)

October 2-4, 2002: “Retooling the System: Focusing on Solutions”

The goal of the meeting was to elaborate upon the work group ideas and proposals, as well as to identify any areas of overlap. This was a defining moment for Summit meetings, as the work groups were able to present their “solutions” and receive feedback from the meeting participants.

>> Summary of Summit VI (PDF)

September 29- October 1, 2003: “Retooling the System: Implementing Solutions”

Participants focused on identifying concrete methods for improving the current clinical trials system. At the outset of the meeting, each work group was asked to identify and prioritize their top three goals, along with their objectives, action steps, a timeline, and a proposed budget. Those action steps and budgets have since been approved by the Conveners and work group leaders.

>> Summary of Summit VII (PDF)

September 30 - October 1, 2004: “Retooling the System: Accelerating Solutions”

The goal of this meeting was to spark innovative ideas and energize the Summit's efforts. Malcolm Gladwell, author of the The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, gave a stirring and thought provoking discourse on how to "tip" cancer clinical trials by raising awareness. Summit Work Groups showcased tangible materials, finalizing various projects and altering their individual objectives to better focus on the overall goal of the Summit Series.

>> Summit VIII Executive Summary, Speaker Presentations, Work Group Reports

September 25-26, 2005: “On the Brink of the Tipping Point? ”

Summit IX aimed to review past achievements and examine successes both in and outside the Summit to gauge how far we've come towards "tipping" cancer clinical trials. From there, Summit members assessed what issues still need to be addressed and discussed potential tasks for the work groups in 2006.

>> Summit IX Executive Summary and Presentations

November 7-8, 2006: “Clinical Trials in Crisis”

Summit X focused on critical issues facing those involved in clinical research due to a changing research environment, including regulatory changes and reductions in federal funding.

>> Summit X Executive Summary and Presentations