US Oncology Ranks 2nd in Affiliate Member Accruals for Radiation Therapy Oncology Group

THE WOODLANDS, Texas, March 2 /PRNewswire/ -- In only its second year as an Affiliate Member of Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), US Oncology, Inc. announced today that its wholly-owned subsidiary US Oncology Research, LLC placed second amongst all affiliate members in patients accrued to RTOG clinical trials. US Oncology is the nation's leading oncology services company uniting the nation's largest cancer treatment and research network to expand patient access to high-quality, cost-effective cancer care and advance the science of cancer care. Its US Oncology Research network has played a role in the development of 39 cancer therapies approved by the FDA and remains committed to increasing patient access to advanced therapies that improve patient outcomes and quality of life.

"This is a tremendous accomplishment for the US Oncology Research network and serves to enhance patient care in all the communities we serve," says Vivek Kavadi, M.D. Medical Director of Radiation Oncology at US Oncology and radiation oncologist with Texas Oncology-Sugar Land, an affiliate of US Oncology and a member of the US Oncology Research network. "RTOG offers premier clinical trial opportunities for patients. This high accrual rating puts our radiation oncologists and our cancer centers in a very positive light and showcases how patients can receive optimal cancer care in their own community."

Seventeen US Oncology Research network sites currently participate in RTOG and five others are up for consideration:

Current locations:

• Southwestern Radiation Oncology -Arizona Oncology Associates
• Cancer Centers Northwest - Spokane
• Florida Institute of Research, Medicine and Surgery- Orlando
• Central Indiana Cancer Centers- E. County Line
• Kansas City Cancer Centers - North
• New York Oncology Hematology- Albany
• Willamette Valley Cancer Center- Eugene
• Rocky Mountain Cancer Center - Aurora
• Texas Oncology: Arlington South, Bedford, Denton, Ft. Worth, Longview, Odessa, Sherman, Sugar Land, and Tyler

Expansion sites being considered:

• Cancer Centers of South Texas - San Antonio
• Northwest Cancer Specialists-Portland
• Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers - Colorado Springs and Littleton
• Texas Oncology- Memorial City

US Oncology is a leader in community care, supporting a network that treats more than 720,000 cancer patients a year. The US Oncology Research (USOR) network has played a role in the development of 39 cancer therapies approved by the FDA and remains committed to increasing patient access to advanced therapies that improve patient outcomes and quality of life. Research trials, from phase I (rarely found in the community-setting) to phase IV, are operated in a world-class manner, helping physicians to successfully engage in top-notch cancer research while running a successful community practice.

For 40 years, RTOG has been a recognized leader in increasing survival and improving the quality of life for cancer patients. Based in Philadelphia, RTOG is a key clinical research component of the American College of Radiology (ACR) and serves as a multi-institutional, international clinical cooperative group funded primarily by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Since its inception, the organization has activated 460 protocols, accrued more than 90,000 patients, and published more than 800 papers. RTOG provides an infrastructure for clinical investigators from the United States, Canada, and international sites to seek more effective treatments for cancer patients including a roster of 40 active studies devoted to the group's primary disease sites: central nervous system, head & neck, lung, gastrointestinal (esophagus, stomach, pancreas, anal canal, and rectum), genitourinary (bladder and prostate), breast, and cervix.

About US Oncology

US Oncology, Inc. is the leading oncology services company uniting the nation's largest cancer treatment and research network to expand patient access to high-quality, cost-effective cancer care and advance the science of cancer care. Headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas, US Oncology provides a broad range of solutions to community oncologists, patients, payers, and the medical industry across all phases of the cancer care research and delivery system, and deploys innovation, technology, research and the use of evidence-based medicine and shared best practices to improve patient outcomes and offer a better patient experience.

US Oncology conducts clinical research through US Oncology Research, LLC, its wholly-owned subsidiary, and enables the nation's largest community-based research network with experienced investigators and dedicated research nurses specializing in Phase I-IV oncology clinical trials in the United States. US Oncology Research serves more than 80 sites in 200 locations managing more than 90 open trials at any given time. The research network has accrued more than 38,500 patients through more than 680 trials since its inception and has contributed to the development of 39 cancer therapies approved by the FDA. For more information, visit www.usoncology.com.

About Radiation Therapy Oncology Group

Radiation Therapy Oncology Group is a dynamic multidisciplinary group with vigorous participation by physicians and other researchers from over 300 of the leading academic and community medical facilities in the United States, Canada and internationally, including nearly 90 percent of all NCI-designated comprehensive and clinical cancer centers and many of the major academic and regional centers of Canada. This participation includes leadership from medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, pathologists, and laboratory scientists as well radiation oncologists. All Group research efforts seek to be transformational in nature, with the goal of improving the quantity and quality of survival of cancer patients. For more information, visit. www.RTOG.org

SOURCE US Oncology, Inc.