NRG2026 Winter Meeting: NCORP Bootcamp Recap

04/15/2026

For colleagues who were unable to attend the NCORP Bootcamp at the NRG 2026 Winter Meeting, the session offered an engaging introduction to how the NCI National Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) operates within NRG Oncology—and why it matters to clinicians, investigators, research teams and patients across community practice settings. Attended by approximately 100 participants, the bootcamp served as both an orientation for newer members and a broader invitation to understand the scientific reach, collaborative infrastructure, and practical value of NCORP.

The program underscored NCORP’s core mission: bringing cancer clinical trials and cancer care delivery research to patients in their own communities. Presenters reviewed the breadth of NCORP science, including cancer prevention, symptom management, screening, post-treatment surveillance, patient-reported outcomes, cancer care delivery, and health care access research. The session also described NCORP’s relationship with the National Clinical Trials Network, highlighting that community sites contribute not only to supportive care and care delivery studies, but also substantially to treatment trials. In fact, NCORP sites account for approximately one-third of accrual to NRG treatment studies, emphasizing the program’s critical role in the national research enterprise.  In addition, the program introduced the breadth of NCORP leadership and operational and statistical support, and the central role of patient advocates in shaping meaningful research.

Importantly, the bootcamp demonstrated NCORP’s impact. Speakers highlighted studies that have informed national guideline changes, including work in neurocognitive preservation during whole-brain radiotherapy and reductions in patient-reported toxicity. A site-focused presentation from the New Mexico NCORP further illustrated how multidisciplinary partnerships, recurring educational touchpoints, and strong community engagement can expand access to trials and strengthen local research networks. Overall, the session positioned NCORP not simply as a mechanism for trial accrual, but as a platform for high-impact, practice-relevant oncology research embedded in the communities we serve. The slides from the NCORP bootcamp are available on the NRG website.