Looking Forward to Chicago

SWOG’s fall 2026 group meeting is just four weeks away (October 8th – 10th). Here are a few of the upcoming Chicago sessions we’re particularly excited about.

Plenary: “SWOG & the NCI: Advancing the Research Cooperative Groups Do Best (Part I)”
Public-powered research represents a distinct and valuable swath of the oncology research landscape. At the fall plenary, we’ll not only explore the types of trials cooperative groups do best, we’ll take a deep dive into how we can become even better at what we do best. Our keynote speaker will be Dr. Brandy Heckman-Stoddard, director of the NCI's Community Oncology Research Program, who will present on the vision for NCORP in the upcoming grant cycle. And we'll hear from several speakers on lessons we can apply in designing, conducting, and enrolling to our next generation of streamlined, highly pragmatic clinical trials. Here’s the full program.  Friday, 2 - 4 pm CT

NCORP Research Base Clinical Trials Workshop
This annual fall workshop aids site research staff and investigators at all sites in the specifics of conducting clinical trials, with an emphasis on studies developed by the four SWOG NCORP Research Base committees. The workshop’s presentation portion (approximately the first 90 minutes) will be livestreamed, while the subsequent breakout sessions will be in-person only.  Thursday, 8 - 11 am CT

SWOG Latin America Initiative Symposium
This fall’s SLAI Symposium turns to rare cancers, with a presentation by SWOG’s sarcoma working group and an exploration of the challenges in conducting rare tumor studies such as the S1609 DART trial. The group will review the rare cancer landscape in Latin American countries and discuss opportunities for collaboration on rare cancers research, starting with the new S2505 sarcoma trial (read on).  Thursday, 9 – 10:30 am CT

S2505 Sarcoma Trial Kickoff
Activated earlier this summer, S2505 is a randomized, non-inferiority trial comparing standard-course radiation therapy to short-course ultra-hypofractionated RT in patients with high-risk, resectable soft-tissue sarcoma. This kickoff session will address key trial components for sites, including resources for required training on tumor contouring.  Thursday, 2 - 3 pm CT 

S2419 BioFront Trial Kickoff
Our S2419 BioFront trial, activated last spring, is the first phase 3 study anywhere to test a gut microbiome intervention as part of a cancer therapy regimen. It asks if a once-daily capsule containing a strain of C. butyricum can enhance the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitor-based therapy in patients being treated for advanced renal cell carcinoma. The study has been designed to make it easy to open and easy to conduct, and all are invited to this BioFront kickoff session to learn more.  Friday, 4:15 - 5:15 pm CT 

AYA-Focused SWOG/COG Collaboration Labs
SWOG’s meeting this fall overlaps the fall meeting of the Children’s Oncology Group – with both events held at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. So, AYA researchers are convening two invitation-only SWOG/COG working sessions on Thursday, October 8th, to generate ideas for collaborative research and to foster closer working relationships among AYA investigators. Dr. Rebecca Johnson, chair of SWOG’s AYA committee, expects the sessions will open new opportunities for SWOG members eager to engage in AYA research. If this describes you and you’d like to learn more, you can reach out to Dr. Johnson at Rebecca.Johnson@multicare.org (please CC meetings@swog.org).

We’ll close with an important reminder about group meetings: in addition to sessions such as those described above, these events also offer great opportunities to meet with colleagues, build working relationships, interact with leaders in your field, and make your own professional contributions that advance cancer research and your own career.

We encourage you to take advantage of all these opportunities, and we hope to see you in Chicago!