From PILOT Project to Completed Trial: NRG-CC007CD Results Convey Importance of Survivorship Care Planning for Patients with Prostate Cancer

11/12/2025

The results of the NRG-CC007CD examining the impact of intensified survivorship care planning on cardiovascular care for prostate cancer survivors that were treated with radiation therapy (RT) and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) indicated that adherence to American Heart Association (AHA) recommended cardiovascular care remained suboptimal even with intensified survivorship care planning. This incredibly important finding highlights the urgent need for further efforts to improve care for cancer survivors. These results were recently presented during the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) 2025 Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

“As we continue to make advancements in cure and survival rates across cancers, we need to also focus on the importance of improving patients’ lives and overall health after cancer treatment. Survivorship care planning is a significant way we can provide a road map following treatment to help mitigate or address any long-term impact of treatment.” stated Ron Chen, MD, MPH, Chair of Radiation Oncology at the University of Kansas Medical Center, NRG Oncology Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Committee Vice Chair, and Lead Author of the NRG-CC007CD manuscript.

NRG-CC007CD enrolled and randomized 548 patients to either a control arm or experimental arm. Patients on the control arm received a treatment summary and outlines for recommended follow-up that were reviewed with the patients during the last week of RT and sent to the patient’s primary care provider (PCP). Patients on the experimental arm received a more intense survivorship care planning process that also included an outlined treatment plan sent to the patient and PCP prior to RT, scheduled visits for the patient to review the care plan with their PCP, and plan updates at one and two-years. The primary goal was to improve adherence to AHA guidelines for cardiovascular monitoring by coordinating care between radiation oncologists and PCPs.

Results of this study showed no significant difference between the two arms in AHA guideline adherence at 2 years, with 62.3% adherence in the control arm and 61.3% in the experimental arm. Other secondary outcomes, such as cardiovascular risk scores and patient-reported satisfaction with care coordination, also did not differ significantly. These data suggest further exploration is needed to bridge the gap in cancer care.

In addition to being immensely successful at pointing a targeted lens on an unmet need for survivorship planning, NRG-CC007CD also is a milestone of success for the NRG Oncology National Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) PILOT Grant Program. NRG-CC007CD stemmed from an RTOG/NRG Oncology NCORP PILOT grant award in 2012 which facilitated collection of preliminary data which were used to design this phase III clinical trial.

“I was very fortunate to have received a pilot grant as a junior faculty. Not only did the funding allow me to conduct a pilot study to collect the necessary preliminary data to design NRG-CC007CD, but it also allowed me the opportunity to work with NRG leaders, researchers and staff – and become more familiar and involved with NRG Oncology.” added Dr. Chen regarding his experiences with the NRG NCORP Pilot Program.

The PILOT Grant Program focuses on NCORP priorities such as trials to assess strategies for cancer risk reduction, decreasing the burden of cancer treatment-related symptoms, innovations in treatment delivery, improve health care access, delivery, utilization and quality, and health outcomes of groups affected by access challenges in oncology clinical trials. The overarching purpose of this pilot project mechanism is promoting research to generate knowledge and provide actionable data that will lead directly to future Phase II-III concepts.