1063 - Radiate Equity: The Inclusion of Radiation Oncology and Other Specialities in Lymphoma Collaborative Groups

O. Saifi¹, C. C. Pinnix², C. R. Kelsey³, L. K. Ballas⁴, S. A. Milgrom⁵, R. H. Advani⁶, M. Kasner⁷, S. A. Terezakis⁸, J. P. Plastaras⁹, and B. S. Hoppe¹; ¹Department of Radiation Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, ²Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, ³Duke University Medical Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, Durham, NC, ⁴Department of Radiation Oncology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, ⁵University of Colorado, Department of Radiation Oncology, Aurora, CO, ⁶Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, ⁷Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, ⁸University of Minnesota: Department of Radiation Oncology, Minneapolis, MN, ⁹Department of Radiation Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Purpose/Objective(s): Radiation therapy (RT) is an important modality in the management of lymphoma. However, there has been a significant decrease in the use of RT in clinical practice and research studies. This may be due to underrepresentation of radiation oncology (RO) in lymphoma leadership positions. The NRG Hematologic Malignancies Working Group (NRG_heme) aimed to assess the inclusion of RO among other specialties in the various lymphoma academic leadership positions. Materials/

Methods: We conducted a comprehensive review of the official websites of National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), lymphoma cooperative research groups (ECOG, SWOG, NCTN, NRG, EORTC, COG, GHSG, LYSA, CIBMTR), lymphoma research foundations (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, AACR, EHA, LRF) and hematology journals (Blood, Lancet Heme, AJH, Blood Cancer J, Haematologica, HemaSphere, BJH, Blood Adv; date of access 12/7/2023). The evaluation of participation from various specialties, including RO, hematology/oncology (HO), pathology/molecular biology (PM), diagnostic radiology (DR), and other fields such as patient advocacy, public health, pharmacy, biostatistics, dermatology, and research coordinators, was assessed. Median percentages were then calculated and reported for each specialty.

Results: Detailed breakdown of committees and research groups by specialty is provided in the Table. Among the 8 NCCN lymphoma guidelines’ committees, HO had a median involvement of 77%, while RO, PM and DR had 6%, 7.5% and 0%, respectively. Of the 9 identified lymphoma research cooperative groups, HO had a median involvement of 50%, compared to ROs 11%, PM’s 5% and DR’s 3%. Among the 4 lymphoma research foundations, HO had a median involvement of 80%, with 15% for PM and 0% for RO and DR. The editorial boards of the 8 highest impact hematology journals had a median involvement of 82% for HO, 14.5% for PM and 0% for RO and DR.

Conclusion: HO holds a predominant role in the clinical and research domains of lymphoma, whereas the representation of RO and DR is notably limited. Acknowledging the indications and the significance of therapeutic and diagnostic RT in hematology/lymphoma research and multidisciplinary care, the NRG_heme is actively dedicated to augmenting its representation for the benefit of patients.

		HO (%)	RO (%)	PM (%)	DR (%)	Others (%)
NCCN Category	Adult B-cell	81	11	6	0	3
	Adult Hodgkin	54	29	9	9	0
	Peds Aggressive B-cell	84	0	8	8	0
	Peds Hodgkin	73	13	7	7	0
	Primary cutaneous	59	6	15	0	21
	T-cell	59	6	15	0	21
	Lymphoplasmacytic	94	3	0	0	3
	Small Lymphocytic	91	0	6	0	3
Median (%)		77	6	7.5	0	3
Cooperative Research Groups	ECOG	43	14	14	14	14
	SWOG	40	5	5	5	45
	NCTN	73	7	0	3	17
	NRG	22	78	0	0	0
	COG	50	11	0	4	36
	EORTC	60	20	7	7	7
	GHSG	28	18	16	2	36
	LYSA	72	0	28	0	0
	CIBMTR	67	0	0	0	33
Median (%)		50	11	5	3	17
Research Foundations	LRF	80	0	16	0	4
	Leukemia & Lymphoma Society	80	0	7	0	14
	AACR	72	0	17	0	10
	EHA	86	0	14	0	0
Median (%)		80	0	15	0	7
Journals	Blood	79	0	21	0	0
	Lancet Heme	76	4	16	0	4
	AJH	88	0	10	0	2
	Blood Cancer J	90	0	10	0	0
	Haematologica	85	0	13	0	2
	HemaSphere	61	0	33	0	6
	BJH	90	0	8	0	2
	Blood Adv	78	0	21	0	1
Median (%)		82	0	14.5	0	2