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I P.O. BOX 2370 RESTO,N,1rIRGINIA TELEPHONE 703-520-4646 COOPERATIVE GROUP REORGANIZATION TO BE OFFERED BY DEVITA AT CLINICAL TRIALS REVIEW NEXT MARCH Vincent DeVita, directoR• of NCI's Div. of Cancer Treatment, will ptlo- pose a major reorganization of the Cooperative Groups at the clinical ~tQ~fe (Continued to page 2) NCI G ETS $937 MI LLION FOR FY 79 AS CONGRESS ADJOURNS; CANCER ACT RENEWED FOR TWO YEARS CONGRESS MANAGED to complete action in the last hectic days before adjourning on the two major bills affecting the Cancer Program- HEW appropriations and renewal of the National Cancer Act. First, the 1979 fiscal year money bill: NCI wil! get S937 million, assuming that it receives 520 million for training programs as :xpected by NCI execu- tives. Congress did not get around to acting on a new training authoriza- tion bill but will when the new Congress meets next year. They probably will be funded with a supplemental appropriation early in the new Congress. The House had voted SSSS million for NCI, plus train- ing. The Senate HEIC Appropriations Subcommittee had approved S950 million, pius training, but thc full Appropriaticns comaniltee chopped that by S25 million. When the bill reached the Senate floor, Birch Baylt succeeded in restoring half the cut, sending a figure of S937.5 plus training to thr conference with the House. Sen. Edward Brooke led the fight for thc Cancer Program, getting the Iloukc con- ferees to agree to S917 million. which was S4 million more than a50- Sq split.,... CANCER:ICT RE:CEW:vL: The contpromise bill ea- tended the National Cancer Act for two years: authorized S9'.).5 and S103 million for Cancer Control, 5924.5 and S927 million for the rest of NCI; approved tiie distribution of chemicals and other research materials and test animals to grantees as well as contractors; retained as Presidential appointees members of the National Cancer Advisory Board and the NCI director; accepted the amendment in the House bill autho- rizing NCI's Cancer Control Pro€ram to support expanded community programs: modified the House proposal requiring \CI to publish an annual report of known and suspected carcinogens and their regulatory status. conferring instead that task to the HEWsecretary: requires that five members of the hCAl3 be experts in environmental carcinogenesis and two be active in treating cancer patients: encourages research in low level radiation effects and intensified efforts in environmental and occupatior.al causes of cancer: adds basic research to official mission of cancer centers. Except for a few other minor changes, the Cancer Act remains as it was renewed in [974.. .. HSA AUTHORIZATION bill, extending the Health Planning Act, with months of work by both ,h,Cn,Ps. went dn..•n the drain: Congress instead passed a straight one year renewal "as is." Cancer Program lobbyist Nathanial Polster had succeeded in getting both houses to accept amendment eliminating most NIH research and demonstration programs from HSA authority. That effort now will have to be repeated next year. QW- ti Hum~ .-..,,~n na n ; .rtrgntt vioumosss~•~.~;.. , :. -~ ~:- Contiriue, But Eome"`~'- •evl-.G. Improvement Seen ; : , ,,- , P • ~. R FA Announced r Or. Models e=or,'-•' Planniny Comrnunicjr a. " . • ..... .. . •.t,: . Prsvention Fropram...aAL. JS_YS;- ~ ~ - .. . . _ , .. . Sources Sought, R FPs Available . . . Page 6 Contract Awards ... Page 8 27 (~ Z N

D'EVITA TO PROPOSE REORGANIZATION OF COOPERATIVE GROUPS BY REGIONS (Continued from page 1) trials review before the DCT Board of Scientific Counselors next March 26-28. DeVit2's proposal will be to reshape the existing groups into regional or geographical 'entities, along the lines of the Northern California Oncology Group or the North Central Cancer Treatment Group. The groups would work independently using theia own protocols, and together when a larger multi-institu- tional effort is required. "This isn't anything new. I've beeft talking about it for quite some time," DeVita said. "I don't want anyone to think we've made up our minds that this is the way it will be. I'm just going to open the meet- ing with this as a proposal, and give them something to shoot at. After heating all the presentations, the Board may feel that everything is fine and we should leave it just the way it is." DCT Board Chairman John Ultmann reported at this week's meeting of the Board that he had met with Barth Hoogstraten. former chairman of the Group Chairmen's Committee: Jerome DeCosse, chairman of the Cancer Clinical Invest:gation Review Committee; and Franco 1•4uggia, chief of DCT's Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program, to work out the agenda for the first two days of the ineeting. The final day will be reserved for Board consideration of the presentations, any actioa it may, decide to take on DeVita's proposal, and other business. At their meeting last June. Cooperative Group chairmen rejected the meeting agenda proposed by DCT staff and objected to the selection by DeVita of speakers making the Group presentations (TheCancer Letter, Jhne 30). Those issues have been resolved, Ultmann reported, with both agenda and speakers agreeable to all concerned. The meeting will review the progress of clinical cancer research over the past 20 years, with the pni- pose oi providing DCT and its Board with a basis for determining how clinical research will be conducted in the future. Cooperative Group chairmen have been apprehen- sive about the review and its conseqttences. Some feel the DCT Board is anti-Group. "We will cover the success areas and highlight the problem areas," Ultmann told the Board. "We hope it will give a balanced view of what has been accom- plished in the last 20 years, and give us a basis for funding'clinical research in the next, 10 years." Board member Henry Kaplan, a Cooperative Group critic, ccimmerued that Groups have conducted "what I call 'me-too' trials, that have added trivial data and accomplished essentially nothing. 1t'ill we be pre- sented with a true idea of what has been accom- plished in light of all the money spent?" "We'll try to present a balanced agenda." was I)e- Thet Cancer Letter Oct. 20, 1978 / Page 2 Vita's response. Aluggia said the overview would be limited to five disea'se sites. Discussion w;il include special problems and needs of clinical trials. The review also will include clinical trials sup- ported by NCI contracts. "I didn't hear where single institution developments will be evaluated," said Board member Sydney Salmon. "This will be primari- ly Cooperative Groups and contractors. The contri- butions of single ir.stitutions with grants have been under-reported." "We have a section in tiie agenda for it, although the speaker has not yet been selected," Ultmann said. "One overriding need in clinical r:.search is ideas," Kaplan said. "There has been a paucity of ideas from Cooperative Groups and contractors. Most ideas have come from individual institutions." Board member Philip Rubin was both a defender and critic of the Groups. "I'm a card carrying member (of a Group) so I can say this. Cooperative Groups are like dinosaus running around. We need to redefine the mechanism." Rubin said the Groups play an important role, as a "shakedown mechanism, a confirmatory process to see if a method can work in multiple institutions, with multiplc physicians." DeVita said he was "suspect when it comes to Cooperative Groups. I think I've been fair." He pointed out that since the Cooperative Group Pro- gram was moved to DCT, its budget has increased by 40%. Ultmann said first that no time would be scheduled at the March meeting for the Board to act on any recommendations coming out of the presenta- tions. "That probably will be spread over the next several Board meetings," DeVita said. Kaplan objected. "We shouldn't delay action," he said. "Memories fade, people rotate on and off this Board. We should obliterate other items and devote the last day to consideration of actions. We will never be better informed than we will then." DeVita said he hoped the Board at least would act on his proposal for reorganizing the Groups. If the Board accepted DeVita's plan, it would be phased in over a fairly lengthy period of time. DeVita believes it would not mean existing Groups would go out of business but that their membership would be considerably changed. One result would be elimina- tion of multigroup membership at individual institu- tions, a practice DeVita feels is wasteful and some- times disruptive. Another would be, if the Northern California and North Central examples are followed, an increase in the number of community physicians in Cooperative Group tnembership. This possibly could make it easier to accrue greater numbers of patients in studies. And if the contention is true that the best cancer treatment is that which is done in research protocols. then another result could be improvement of the quality of treatment at the community level. I ~- Z N 3Q28-

CONGRES.c DEMONSTRATES WERNATIONAL FALLOUT FROM CANCER PROGRAM IN U.S. BUENOS AIRES-The United State National Cancer Program has captured the imagination and fired the enthusiasm-'-as perhaps nothing else has ever done-of clinicians and scientists arotlnd the world. This enthusiasm reaches far beyond the limited sup- port NCI provides foreign pro,iects. U.S. dollars have practically nothing to do with the intense interest in cancer research and r,ontrol generated in the 77 countries which sent representatives to the Xl1th In- ternational Cancer Congress, With the stimulation provided by the International Union Against Cancer, momentum has been generated that is commanding increasing shares of national effort in developed and undeveloped nations alike. This positive fallout from the National Cancer Pro- gram was evident here at the Congress, attended by more than 8,100 professionals and non-professionals from around the world. The attendance was a record, approaching an increase of 50% over the last Congress in Florence. Registrants included 7,200 A1Ds, PhDs and nurses, and 800 associate members. About half of the at- tendees were from Latin America, with 3.300 from Argentina alone. The U.S• had the second largest delegation, 900, with 600 from Japan. more than 200 each from Canada, Germany, Great Britain and Brazil, and more than 100 each from France, Spain, B~lgiu:n and Italy. It was obvious that the rest of the world is closely following the Cancer Program in the States. and many of the countries are reacting to developments. Many may lack the facilities and manpowet to follow up effectively on these developments, but most appear to be working hard to overcome those deficiencies. They seem to know the latest protocols, and imple- ment them when they can. They follow, in the liter- ature and in discussions with U.S. colleagues. develop- ments in basic research and try to add their bit to fundamental understanding of cancer. They are offering some unique and important contributions of their own, particularly in cancer epidemiology. Perhaps the most interesting application of U.S. Cancer Program developments reported on here is in canccr control. Not all countries can participate in sophisticated research, but even the poorest can ini- tiate some effort in control. \1'hat they do take up, it seems, has been based on what they have heard about control programs in the U.S. Most countries IoQk to cheaper methods of cancer control, ruch as the Pap smear and education toward breast self examination• while rejecting more expen- sive mass screening programs. Atost qre concerned about the cigarette problem but are perplexed over what to do about it. Nigel Gray. Australia, said at a cancer control .c„irn that 4 11: of the Australian male population smokes but that 22% of the males are ex-smokers, which he credited to a public education program. His country has been able to elZminate high tar brands (cver 22 mg), Gray said; with the range from 5 to 22. A Venezuela physician asked that UICC reaffirm its resolution passed eight years ago against smoking. "We need to put some pressures against our go.•.rn- ment, which resists antismokirag efforts because it receives so much revenue from cigarette taxesv" he said. "FiE'ty percent of our population is under 20, and they see on television constant propaganda for smoking, and nothing against it:" N.P. Napalkov, who-heads cancer control activities in the Soviet Union, said his country has banned all tobacco advertising and prohibits smoking in mass transportation but that it has riiot decreased cigarette sales. There are special educatidn progzams in high schools, "but I confess we are ss inefficient as other countries. As long as you have,boys and girls kissing on the screen between puffs of cigarettes, such pro- grams are not successful." Takeshi Hirayama, Japan, described a contrbl pro- gram against liver cancer in his country. Based on the belief that viral hepatitis B eventually becomes hepa- tocarcincbma, the program is airned at intervening in the transfer of the virus, preventing transfer frbm mother to babies, and accidentttl.infection, particu- larly in hospitals and blood transfusions. Hospital persor+-nel and medical staff are carefully monitored, with staff examined 12 ti:nes a year, Hirayama said. J.S. Abbatucci, France, said that prevention pro- grams there related to alcohol include public educa- tion. a sales tax on liquor, random tests of drivers for alcohol cmnsumption, and research to lower alcohol content of t.everages. France has a program in breast self examination and recommends cervical smears as part of pr.maritL: preparations ar.d before prescribing oral contraceptives. B. Lissaios, Greece, started a,controversy in one cancer control session on reaching the "hard to reach" by commenting that one tool used in Hellenic Cancer Society outreach efforts is "fear-the easiest, fastest way to motivate people to come in for exami- nations." \'•A. Ngu, Cameroun, disagreed. "More fear can only drive scme beyond our reach. We propose edu- cation rather than exploitation of fear." D.J. Jussawalla, India, related what others at the session described as "clever approaches" to reach vast numbers of persons with high itliteracy in rural areas- satellite communications, TV, tadio, films, slide shows, posters, demonstrations. A representative of the Brazilian Cancer Society reported that his country has begun developing a cancer information telephone network "inspired by the Roswell Park system." U.S. scientists at the Congress contacted by Tlre Cancer Lerrrr generally agreed that there were few Page 3/ Vol, 4 No. 42 The Ca Cer Let"29 " L ~V

new developments presented, at least not itew ta them. There were some exceptions. The Japanese, whb are heavily into development of analogs of proven anticancer drugs, reported on two which one American clinical scientist said should be put into clinical trials in the U.S.-pepleomycin, a bleomycin analog; and aclacinonaycin A, a derivative of actino- mycin. Trials in Japan show them apparently less toxic than the parent drugs and probably at least as effective. Other scientists felt that basic research in carcino- genesis is being done very well at a number of non- U.S. institutions, as judged by several reports on re- search into mechanisms of action. UICC officials, staff and the Argentine hosts did generally an outstanding job in the planning, organiz- ing and running of the Congress. The meetings ran smoothly, although there were some program changes. and the interpreter system worked without flaw. The logistics of moving 8,000 persons from the downtown hotels to the opening ceremonies and to the major social functions across town were for- midable, but accomplished with the aid of squadrons of motorcycle police. Umberto Veronese of Italy assumed the UICC presidency at the meeting's conclusion, replacing Pierre Denaix of France, Seatfle was selected over Brussels as the host city, for the XIIIth Congress An 1982, after Thailand withdrew its proposal because it decided it could to provide enough hotel rooms. HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS CONTINUE IN ARGENTINA; IMPROVEMENT NOTED BUENOS AIRES-There is no question that the present military government of Argentina has cracked down hard on its citizens who someone in the govern• memt or military establishment feel are threats to the regime. Not a single Argentine physician or scientist who discussed the issue with The Carrcer Letter denied that people-including many of their col- leagues-have been arrested and held without trial, or have simply "disappeared." Even Salomon Barg, secretary general of the h+ost organizing committee and an ex-officio spokesman for the government, admitted there havE been and may continue to be some arrests. Almost everyone, however, commented that bad as it may be now, it is nothing compared with the situation when terrorists had created a virtual civil war with bombing, murdering and kidnapping which struck especially hard at the nation's managerial and 9ntelligencia classes. "Every day, four, five, ten of my colleagues dis- appeared," Barg s: id. "Children of my friends were killed, cars were bombed.lVe were afraid to go on the streets. It was like Vietnam. a war." Barg is chief of surgery at a large Buenos Aires hospital. Was it the terrorists who did the kidnapping, or was it the government reacting against the terrorists? The Cancer Letter Oct. 20, 1978 / Page 4 "We didn't know who it was. It was like the Aiafia,` Barg said he has been told that arrests being made now frequently are initiated by lower level police oft3cials acting on their own.lVhen responsible government officials hear about them, the victims are either released or brought to trial, Barg said. Other Argentine physicians, most of whom talked freely, deplored the fact that the country is run by a dictatorship. But the situation was so bad before the coup by the military in 1976 which replaced the Isa- belle Peron government that there is nearly a uni- versal feeling of relief. The country's health establishment appears to have beeh the target of both sides. The terrorists took their toll, but some physicians opposed the military government after the coup, and a few were reported to have helped set up and run clandestine hospitals to treat wounded terrorists. That may be one reason, or excuse, for any continued harassment of physicians. For some reason, psychiatrists seem to be high on the current military hit lists. Henry Kaplan, professor of radiation at Stanford Univ., was one of the leaders of the effort in the U.S. to boycott the Congress in protest of Argentine human rights violations. He was a member of a dele- gation which went to Buenos Aires before the Con- gress in an attempt to personally present their case to the government. Kaplan said the delegation had been promised an interview with the Argentine minister of the interior; but when they arrived, the interview was refused. The delegation turned over a list of 185 nar+.-,es of doctors who allegedly had been arrested and held without bail or trial to UICC President Pierre Denoix, along with a letter to the government as}:ing that ihtsP nerconc either be released or given an early, fair and open trial. Denoix told The Cancer Letter that he had for- warded the letter and the list of names to the govern- ment. Kaplan said that Amnesty International and other organizations have obtained the names of about 5,000 victims of the government's persecution-all arrested or disappeared since the coup in 1976. He said conversations with members of families of victims and other sources indicate that there are from three to five additional victims for each one whose name is known. Many U.S. Congress participants attended a mass held for persons who have disappeared, talked with family members afterwards and were greatly moved. The boycott probably did not affect attendance too much, although it may have cut into the size of the U.S. delegation somewhat. It was obvious, how- ever, th:.t it did embarrass to some extent both the Argentine government and Argentine cancer program officials. The boycott most certainly added to other pressures which have been exerted on behalf of human rights in Argentin:a. r,... I

rhe Buenos Aires Herald, an English language dail) run by a courageous editor, Robert Cox, published an editorial during the Congress calling orp the govern- ment to stop "another form of terrorism." Referring to lifting of economic sanctions and possible removal of the ban on sale of armaments by the U.S. to Argentina, the editorial said: "The material incentives for removing the human rights stumbling block, which has been the cause of tensions in relations with the U.S. for over two years now, are not to be sneezed at. But there is much more to be gained in moving decisively and rapidly to improve the human rights situation in Argentina. The fact is that there is hardly a single leading Western country, among Argentina's traditional friends, allies and trading partners, which does not share U.S. con- cern about the state of human rights in this country. It would be difficult to over-estimate the favorable impact of measures that would clear up misunder- standings about the government's efforts to put a stop to the violation of human rights begun by the leftwing terrorists and, unfortunately, carried on by another form of terrorism. "The admitted excesses in repression committed in the heat of battle, in the course of a dirty, unconven- tional war, are understandable, even if they can never b: justified. But now that the war against terrorism is won, and the major danger is the isolated atrocity committed by inhuman fanatics, the methods which were forced upon the security forces-or tolerated by them-must be replaced by strict law enforcement. Argentina today has antiterrc.rist laws wliich are among the most severe in the world; but they have yet to be rigorously applied. Yet it is only through imposing the law that confidence in the future can be res:ored. "There have been a few i:idications. recently, that peace is being won in the wake of a truly ~ terrible war during which Argentina suffered a terrorist assault which is probably unparalleled in history. Our critics abroad would understand our difficulties in restoring peace more easily if they bore that in mind. Within the past fortnight, Enrique Esteban, a journalist who was kidnapped and held for over two months in cir- cumstances that bore all the hallmarks of what has been called "the other terrorism." has reappeared and is being held, under specific charges, within the penal system. And in Cordoba, the abduction of another journalist and lawyer, Luis Renaudi, by unidentified men wearing hoods, was followed by an announce- ment that lie and five other people were being held by the Army. In this case it is unfortunate that no specific charges have been announced and the de- tained people have not been brought before a iudge. But both these incidents-as well as the rapid release somr 10 days ago of a doctor who was kidnapped by men posing as policemen-are signs that normality is gradually rcturning to a country that is still uncertain that heace has finally been restorcd after almost a decade of terrorist warfare." Lest anyone conclude that publishing this editorial in an English;ang;;age newspaper in a Spanish speak- ing country might not have been such a bold act after all, it should be noted that the editorial was re- peated on the same page-in Spanish. RFA ANNOUNCEMENT Title: Planning model cancer prevention programs at the community level The Div. of Cancer Control & Rehabilitation of NCI is inviting grant applications from investigators to develop cancet prevention programs in environ- mental carcinogenesis. In view of the exposure of sizeable populations to both environmental and occupational carcinogens, the intent of this RFA is to stimulate interest and planning of cancer prevention programs at the com- munity level. Among its objective3 are the identifica- tion of community needs in cancer prevention fol- lowed by development of approaches for meeting these needs that can serve as models for future efforts. The community is defined here as the area within which the programs will be implemented, that is, the program delivery and impact area. Since DCCR is precluded from supporting basic or clinical research except in reaabilitation, approacl}es should utilize or adapt existing knowledge and technology relating to cancer prevention and control. Prevention is being defined here in its broadest sense, ranging from elimi- nation of exposure where possible to detection and diagnosis and includes public and professional educa- tion programs. 1i'hat is desired is the application of the principles of preventive medicine to community needs in the prevention of cancer. Such programs, to be effec:ive and well coordinated, should utilize multidisciplinary approaches and should involve the cooperation of institutions, organizations, and interested groups within the community. Organizations responding should have established oncology and preventive medicine programs. Applicants should address all of the following points, although support is not limited to items: 1. A specific and well defined environmental or occupational cancer prevention problem. An example I would be a population exposed to environmental car- cinogens that are amenable to development of a pre- vention program. A brief description should be in- cluded covering present knowledge of exposed popu- I lation, such as its cancer incidence, morbidity and mortality, extent of exposure, demographic charac- teristics. etc., and methods by which additional in- formation will he collected and utilized. 2. Brief description of possible approaches to the I solution of the problem. The proposed strategies should utilize or adapt known methods and proce- dures and, where indicated, new approaches to the Page 5 l Vol. 4 No. 42 The CltnGer Let r !~r N ~t~~i

particular problem should be identified. Among the components that might be considered in developing strategies are: epideht°ology, worker and corrtmunity professional educational programs, detection and diagnosis, etc. Other points for consideration in de- velopinF a prevention program could be: how to in- form people that they might be at risk, where they should go once they are informed, and defining corn- munity responsibilities in a program of this type. The proposed plan should describe and utilize available resources in the community. In addition to health organizations and services, the program planning efforts should involve other types of community groups, such as labor organizations, business and pro- fessional groups, etc. It must be emphasized that DCCR supports demon- stration programs, rather than those of long term duration. Therefore, mechanisms for obtaining long term support should be included in all programs in- tended to continue indefiritely. and development of long term institutional commitments to the program should be included as part of the plan. 3. Description of the evaluation plan. An evalua- tion component must be built into all prevention programs. The plan should address evaluation of the day to day activities as well as the impact of the pro- gram ay eutlined in the statement of prograrr) goals and objectives. Included should be a timetable and suggested milestones. Award of a grant under this solicitation to a given institution or organization neither implies nor guaran- tees favorable action on any subsequent application for a demonstration grant. Only applications for planning grants will be considered under this solicita- tion. The support mechanism for this program will be the traditional NIH grant-in-aid: successful applicants will plan and execute their own programs. Upon initi- ation of the program, the DCCR will sponsor two workshops in Bethesda to encourage exchanges of in- formation between investigators participating in this program. Although this program is included and pro- vided for in the financial plans for fiscal year 1979, award of grants pursuant to this request for applica- tions is contingent upon availability of funds for this purpose. The following will not be considered under the scope of this RFA: -Programs where the primary emphasis is mass screening, e.g., breast and cervical cancer screening projects. -Development of tumor reFistr.es. Review criteria-The factors consi4.ered in evalu- ating each application u•ili be: 1. Relevance to the scope and objectives provided in this announcement. 2. The merit of the proposed approaches to the problem. 3. The expertise and qualifications of the pro- The Cancer Letter Oct. 20, 1978 / Page 6 posed staff. 4. Sufficient commitment of time by the pro- posed staff. 5. Evaluation plan and tin-etab:e. Method of applying-Each prospective applicant should submit a letter of intent containing a brief de- scription of the proposed project. Due dates are: Letters of intent: Feb. 1, 1979 and June 1, 1979, Applications: March 1, 1979, and July 1, 1970. In addition to the solicitation dates listed, qpplica- tions already in preparation will be considered for the Nov. 1, 1978 deadline. The letter of intent should be addressed to Marcia Litwack, program director for prevention, NCI, Room 719, Blair Bldg., Bethesda, Md. 20014, dele- phone 301-427-7993. Such letters provide an indication of the number and nature of applications, are not binding, and will not enter into the review of any proposal submitted. Applications should be submitted on Form PHS- 398. The conventional presentation for grant applica- tions should be utilized and the points identified under the Review Criteria must be fi;ifilled. The standard procedures for submitting grant applications to DRG should be followed. A brief letter should accompany the application indicjating that it is in response to the program announceiineat: NCI program development of model cancer pneven- tion programs. The words, "Cancer Control" and the RFA number should be typed in block letters iht the upper right hand comer of the first page of the appli- cation. A copy of the covered letter should be sent to Litwack to indicate that the application has been submitted. RFPs AVAILABLE Reqv -sts for proposal described here oertain to corir3rctY planned for award by the National Cancer Institute, unless otherwise noted. Write to the Contracting Officer or Ccntract Specialist for copies of the RFP, citing the RFP number. Some listings will show the phone number of the Contract Specialist who will respond to questions. Listings identify the re,spective sections of the Research Contracts Branch which are issuing the RFPs Their addresses, all followed by NIH, Bethesia, Md. 20014, are: Bioiogy & Diagnosis Section - Landow Building Viral Oncology & Field Studies Section - Landow Building Control & Rehabilitation Section - Blair Building Carcinogenesis Section - Blair Building Treatment Section - Blair Building Office of the Director Section - Blair Building Deadline date shown for each listing is the final day fdr re, ceipt of the completed proposal unless otherwise indicated. SOURC:ES SOUGHT RFP NCI-CI1R•97235 Title: Operation and enhancement oj.%'C!'s rhemi- cal infor;tration s.rstem Deadline: Appru.vimaielr ,\'ot•. I Only one source is known which can perform the abme.mtnlev. the Chemical Abstracts Services. •

Columbus, Ohio. The work required is to support the drug research and development effort of the Div. of Cancer Treatment, NCI, by operating and en- hancing the developmental Therapeutics Program's chemical information system. Specifically, respondents will be required to per- form the following: (1) Review 53,500 structural diagrams yearly to assure conformance with CAS input conventions, including steriochemistry, and input these structural data by chemical typewriter or graphic input device along with non-structural data; (2) process the data in (1) above with other type of transactions to produce 2-odd reports within 10 working days from receipt of input; (3) provide Chemical Abstracts index names "on-demand" and produce periodically an index of non-systematic names selected from both the NCI and CAS cotn- puterized filet of nomenclature; and (4) perform a variety of development tasks, e.g., providing consul- tation and programming support to improve NCI's acquisition preselection model or to enhance the chemical retrieval subsystem: The applications programming for this system employed PLI and IBM 360/70 Assembler Language. Supporting software includes the IBM TCAM package with a device and application specific control module, a custom-tailored data base management system, a customized pre-processor, graphics interface modules and device specific modules for editing of input data and preparation of combined text/graphics output data. The on-line program, supporting three terminals (and possibl% . four in the immediate future) during prime shift. is non-re-entrant and each copy requires a region of 1.2 megabytes. In addition to the on-line programs, the system currently calls for the execu- ticn of over '_6G programs each week, not including file snapshots and file recwvery supporting pro- cedures. The followang software developed by CAS has been integrated into NCI's chemical information sys- tem and will require transfer to and maintenance and enhancement in any new work environment: Regis- try III. Algorithmic Structure Display (ASD), On- Line Structurr Input System (OLSIS), Graphical Data Structure Composition (GDS Comp). Overlap Detection, and Facility for Integrated Data Organiza- tion (FIDO). The computer facility must be capable of processing programs written in PLl and IBAi A.ssembler language ranging in size up to 1.2 mega- bytes, excluding a shared resident data base manage- ment system. Provision must be made for on-line telecommunication access to 600 million bytes of data. Output devices must include a line printer with an extended character set. a combined text/graphics plotting device. and a photocompos"tion device capable of generating a virtually unlimited character set. Input devices must include a text (TTY) type- writer and also a typewriter and/or graphics input dc% ik:c for the inrut of chemical structure diagrams. Cursk'nt programming within this system also requires that the typewriter input devices be linked to a mini- computer system for data editing prior to input of that data to the central system. Organizations having demonstrated technical capa- bilities, eitperience, and adequate facilities to perform the aforementioned work are invited to submit a concise and complete resume describing: (1) organi- zation background and experience; (2) qualification and experience of the proposed principal investigator and supporting personnel who would be assigrled to the project; and (3) computational resources avail- able. Unnecessarily elaborate brochures or other pre- sentations of a general nature beyond that sufficient to provide the information called for herein are neither required nor desired. This synopsis is not a request for proposal. If other qualified sources are identified as a result of this announcement, a com- petitive RFP will be issued at a later date to all inter- ested offerors. Responses must be submitted in 10 copies. Contracting Officer: Daniel Abbott Cancer Treatmen t 301-427-8125 RFP tVCI-•CB-9432G-42 Title: Transpiantation, induction, and preservatiorr of plasma cell tumors in mice and the mainte- nance of special mouse strains Deadline: Approxintately Nov. 10 NCI is seeking a laborator, capable of perfonnitig: { 1) the transplantation, induction and preservation of plasma cell tumors in mice, (2) the charactcr,za- tion of myeloma proteins, (3) the breeding and de- velopment of congenic mouse strains, and (4) the maintenance of a wild mouse breeding colony„ These studies are to be performed in close collaboration with the NCI staff. The contractor's facility must be within a 60-minute normal driving time from the NIH campus in Bethesda, Md. This project is a re- competition of a project presently under contract. RFP NCI-CB-9432542 Title: Alaintenance arrd development of inbred and congenic resistartt mouse strains Deadline: Approxi.nately Nor. 10 NCI is seeking a laboratory capable of (I) main- taining a colony of approximately 40 strains of in- bred mice by strict pedigreed brother-sister matings, (2) breeding and developing new congenic mouse strains. (3) making selective crosses and backerosses between these strains, (4) producing antisera by immunization between these strains, and (5) per- forming quality control testing by serology and skin grafting of oedigreed animals in the colony. A maxr mum of 3,000 mice (to be supplied by the govern- men() will be maintained under this contract. The contractor's facility must be within a 60-minrte Page 7 / Vol. 4 Na. 42 y'~~ apcer

t normal driving time from the NIH campus in Bethes- da, Md. This project is a recompetition of a project currently under contract. Contracting Officer for the above two RFPs: Harold Simpson Biology & Diagnosis 301-496-5565 NCI CONTRACT AWARDS Title: Comprehensive cancer center communica- tions netvrork, renewals: Contractors: Yale Univ., S489,96 1; Institute for Cancer Research, Fox Chase, $453,790; Univ. of Texas Cancer Center, 5473,366; Univ. of Southern California, 5439,419; Ohio State Univ. Research Foundation, 5387,473; Sidney Farber Cancer Institute, S463,881; Mayo Foundation, S496.698; Fred Hutchin- son Cancer Research Center,S394,930,and Johns Hopkins Univ., S421,491. Title: Comprehensive cancer center communica- tions network. four-month extension: Contractor: Colorado Regional Cancer Center, S'_9.189. Title: Breast Cancer Deteaion Demonstration Project. renewals: Contractors: University City Science Center, Phila- delphia. 52,016,500; Univ. of Southern Cali- fornia, $83,083, and Iowa Lutheran Hospital. Des Moines, S 131,296. Title: lntenelationships among diet, steroid hor- mone metabolism and human breast cancer Contractor: Newark Beth Israel Stedicsl Center, S4'_5,100. Title: Relationship between thyroid diseases and breast cancer Contractor: Massachusetts General Hospital, 5477,700'. Title: Development of large area solid state image receptors, continuation Contractor: General Electric Co., $279,185. Title: Biologic, biochemical & immunologic charac- terization of 'premalignant' human epithelial ltyperplaslas Contractor: Univ. of California (Davis), 5257,000. Title: Cervical Cancer screening project, modifica- tion Contractor: Utah Dept of Social Services, S'_'95,531. Title: Evaluation of technology !ransfer in cancer patient management Contractor: CDP Associates, $256,821. r Titlea Additional services and effort for perfor- mance of cancer research program at Fred- erick Cancer Research Center, modification Contractor: Litton Bionetlcs~ S 105,000. Titler Resources modeling and analysis Contractor: JRB Associates, $230,769. Title: Development of a short training course on principles and techniques for the safe hand- ling of chemical carcinogens, renewal Contractor: IIT Research Ins4itute, 521,520. Title: Support services for Field Studies of cancer incidence, continuation Contractor: Westat Inc., $127,997. Title: Support services for epidemiologic studies of lung cancer in communities with nonferrous smelters Contractor; Lehigh Univ., S1.-'_,900. Title: FDA/KCI special study of the role bf sac- charin in bladder cancer in the general popu- lation, continuation. Contractor: Westat Inc., S2 17,409. Title: Research on oncogeaic viruses, virus prcduc- tion and vaccine development, continuation Contractor: Merck & Co., 566,000. Title: Biological studies of FOCAtA expression and biochemical characterization of FOCMA Contractor: Harvard Univ., 5415,830. Title: Study of ovarian cancer in the Greater Wash- ington D.C. area Contractor: George Washington Univ., S89,385. Title: Immunological and biochemical studies of mammalian vira! oncology, continuation Contractor: Meloy Laboratories, $49,513. Title: Metropolitan Atlanta SEER program, con- tinuation Contractor: Emory Univ., S207,460. Title: Support service to maintain studies on role of viruses and experimental oncogenesis, continu- ation Contractor: Hazelton Laboratories, $44,000. Title: Detroit SSMA population based cancer regis- try. continuation Contractor: Michigan Cancer Foundation, 560,095. Title: Maintain holding facility for small animals Contractor: Litton Bionetics, S258,'' l5. Title: Benign and non-invasive breast lesions in populations at different risk for breast cancer Contractor: Univ. of New Mexico, 5278,350. 4hfa CanCe1''° Ll14@ P_Ediror JE R RY D. BOYD Published fifty times a year by The Cancer Letter. Inc.. P.O. Box 2370. Reston. Virginia 22090. All rights reserved. None of the content of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted n any form or by any means (electronic. methanical. photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permissron of the publisher. 1 3lf/!.Y~4 E Z 1V