[October 29, 2012]

21st Century Oncology Granted Membership in Radiation Therapy Oncology Group, a Prestigious Cancer Research Cooperative

21st Century Oncology, the nation's premier cancer treatment network and largest radiation therapy provider, has been awarded an affiliate membership in the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG). A leading multi-institutional, international clinical cooperative group funded primarily by the National Cancer Institute, the RTOG conducts large-scale clinical trials testing new approaches to many adult malignancies in order to increase the survival and improve the quality of life of patients diagnosed with cancer.

"This membership further expands 21st Century Oncology's research opportunities," says Steven E. Finkelstein, M.D., Board Certified Radiation Oncologist and National Director of 21st Century Oncology's research arm, the Translational Research Consortium (TRC). "By collaborating and sharing data with RTOG on outcomes for novel translational radiation therapy, we will be able to provide enhanced access to groundbreaking clinical findings."

21st Century Oncology is an affiliate member of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, through the 21st Century Oncology-Scottsdale, Ariz. location. Dr. Finkelstein will serve as the RTOG Principal Investigator for 21st Century Oncology.

"21st Century Oncology has made it a priority to invest in high-quality clinical trials to offer our patients the most innovative treatment options available," Dr. Finkelstein says. "Patient benefits associated with study participation support the concept that clinical trials are one of the critical pathways to improved outcomes. This makes research an integral part of our care mission."

Additionally, the following performance sites have been approved for satellite membership:

• 21st Century Oncology-Los Angeles Cancer Institute, CA (News - Alert)

• 21st Century Oncology-Greenville, NC

• 21st Century Oncology-Fort Walton Beach, FL

• 21st Century Oncology-Farmington Hills, MI

• 21st Century Oncology-Lakewood Ranch, FL

• 21st Century Oncology-Clarkston, MI

• 21st Century Oncology-Monroe, MI

• 21st Cenury Oncology-Bradenton, FL

"I congratulate 21st Century Oncology's achievement in becoming an affiliate RTOG member. We are very excited about the potential for each of its nine sites to conduct RTOG trials and to bring cutting edge radiotherapy research into the communities it serves," says RTOG Group Chair Walter J. Curran, Jr., M.D., Executive Director of the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University in Atlanta.

To join the elite ranks of RTOG membership, 21st Century Oncology met high quality standards across practice locations and completed a thorough examination of each location including personnel, equipment, clinical material, physics requirements and records. The RTOG requires that the institution must establish an Institutional Review Board (IRB), a committee that performs ethical review of proposed research, as well as a Federalwide Assurance (FWA) approved by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP). All group members are reassessed each year in order to ensure these requirements are consistently met.

This affiliation represents an expansion of the established academic relationship with Massachusetts General Hospital. 21st Century Oncology and Massachusetts General Hospital have jointly published various original research papers, work together on quality assurance programs, and hospital residents gain clinical experience at 21st Century Oncology facilities.

To maintain RTOG membership, 21st Century Oncology must submit at least five treatment and/or cancer control case credits per year through supplying quality, timely data following strict deadlines. Now as part of the RTOG network, 21st Century Oncology increases clinical collaboration with more of the top institutions in the nation.

About The Radiation Therapy Oncology Group:

The Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) is administered by the American College of Radiology (ACR) and located in the ACR Center for Clinical Research in Philadelphia, Pa. RTOG is a multi-institutional, international clinical cooperative group funded primarily by National Cancer Institute grants CA21661, CA32115 and CA37422. RTOG has 40 years of experience in conducting clinical trials and is comprised of over 300 major research institutions in the United States, Canada and internationally. The group currently is accruing to 40 studies that involve radiation therapy alone or in conjunction with surgery and/or chemotherapeutic drugs or which investigate quality of life issues and their effects on the cancer patient. The American College of Radiology (ACR) is a national professional organization serving more than 32,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, interventional radiologists and medical physicists with programs focusing on the practice of radiology and the delivery of comprehensive health care services.

About 21st Century Oncology:

21st Century Oncology is the premier provider of cancer care services across multiple modalities, the largest radiation oncology provider and one of the largest groups of urologists in the United States. For more than 30 years, 21st Century Oncology has been committed to providing state-of-the-art, academic quality radiation therapy and other cancer treatments in a patient-centric setting focused on continuous innovation. Headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida, the physician-led company operates in 16 states and 7 countries, with a vast network of more than 250 locations, including approximately 100 radiation therapy facilities. 21st Century Oncology employs or is affiliated with over 500 physicians, including radiation oncologists and other cancer-related specialists such as urologists, medical oncologists, hematologists, gynecologic oncologists, surgeons, pathologists and primary care physicians-working together to deliver the most advanced integrated cancer care. For more information, visit www.21stCenturyOncology.com.

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