The Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) stands as the worldwide leader in conducting phase II and III multi-institutional clinical trials with a focus on radiation oncology issues. Over its forty-plus year history, the group has repeatedly defined new standards of cancer care and has developed new processes for the study and application of new technologies.  

Clinical cancer research is an incredibly rewarding endeavor but it is also resource intensive. RTOG's primary financial support comes from the National Cancer Institute, but our federal funding is insufficient to meet the demands of our growing research portfolio. Increasingly, all cooperative groups rely on private and corporate partners to fulfill our research mission. Almost a quarter of RTOG's operating costs, including reimbursements to member institutions, come from private and corporate sources. 

The RTOG Foundation was created in 1997 for the purpose of receiving and allocating corporate and private donations to allow us to sustain and expand important activities critical to our research mission. Today the RTOG Foundation supports: 

• Seed grant funding for basic, clinical, and translational investigators to collaborate with RTOG in the development of both biologic and biophysical targeted therapies.

• Expansion of our efforts to study novel RT delivery approaches including adaptive, image-guided radiotherapy and particle therapy.

• Development and conduct of industry-supported clinical trials that are important to RTOG's research mission.

• Creation of an image-guided radiation therapy core laboratory at RTOG Headquarters.

• Strengthening the group's infrastructure in bioinformatics and epidemiology.

• Expansion of the group's patient accrual enhancement resources, particularly those targeted toward minority and underserved populations.

• Engagement of young investigators from many disciplines within the RTOG research enterprise through fellowships, travel awards, and RTOG Next Generation Investigator Awards.  

The RTOG Foundation offers an opportunity for all those interested in the research of the RTOG to contribute to its success. Members of our professional community, corporations, patients and friends have been invited to contribute to support the research of the RTOG. It is critical to advance the efforts of the RTOG now so that it can pursue new avenues quickly. The needs of our future patients depend upon generous support from our friends and colleagues.

Please consider a generous donation so the RTOG can continue to improve current standards of care in radiation oncology. Your donation is tax deductible and may be made in payments over one to three years. You can download a donation form here. 

For further information, call or write Sharon Hartson Stine, Senior Director, Clinical Trials, 1818 Market Street, Suite 1600, Philadelphia, PA 19103-3604 (PH:215-717-0834; FAX 215-923-0300; shartson@acr.org). 

William U. Shipley, M.D., F.A.C.R., F.A.S.T.R.O.  

Walter J. Curran, Jr., M.D.
RTOG Group Chair 

Donation Form