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Walter J. Curran Jr., M.D., professor and chair of radiation oncology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and Deputy Director for Clinical Science of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson, will accept the Distinguished Service Award for Scientific Leadership on behalf of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) June 1, 2007 at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago.

Dr. Curran is Group Chair of the Philadelphia-based RTOG, one of 12 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded cancer cooperative groups to receive this honor.

According to ASCO, this prestigious annual award is given this year in recognition of the cooperative groups’ more than 50 years of contributions to programs that support the design of clinical trials, many of which have led to the development of new cancer treatments.

RTOG is comprised of approximately 250 major research institutions in the United States and Canada. The primary areas of focus for RTOG investigators are: brain tumors, head and neck cancer, lung cancer, cancers of the gastrointestinal system (esophagus, rectum, anal canal and stomach), genitourinary tract cancers (bladder and prostate), sarcomas, gynecologic cancer (cervix) and breast cancer.