Panel Envisions New Translational Program to Hasten Hematologic Cancer Drug Research and Development

Temporary Halt to New PRGs

NCI has temporarily suspended naming new Progress Review Groups (PRGs). These groups identify scientific research opportunities for a specific cancer, set a list or research priorities, and make recommendations on how best to exploit these opportunities to reduce morbidity and mortality.

The PRG program has provided excellent recommendations in recent years, Robert Wittes, MD, director of NCI’s Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, told the National Cancer Advisory Board.

"The challenge for us is converting these recommendations into operational plans, implementation strategies, and then assessing what we have done," he said. "Most of our energies have gone into the actual formulation of the recommendations and translating them into things that we are going to do."

Indeed, Dr. Wittes said, the PRGs are much better at making recommendations and putting action plans in place than in analyzing their results. "So we decided to temporarily call a halt to empanelling new PRGs, with the idea of concentrating intensively on what we have already put in motion and making sure that we are on top of it," he said.

NCI also plans to rethink the PRG process itself "to make the initial stage less prolonged and less labor intensive."