Radiation Therapy Oncology Group

"The Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) was initially organized in 1968 under the direction of Simon Kramer as a national cooperative group for the purpose of conducting radiation therapy research and clinical investigations in order to treat cancers, including endometrial and cervical cancer. Funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) began in 1971.

Its first study was in 1968, an adjuvant methotrexate study for head and neck cancer. The methotrexate study employed combinations of radiation, methotrexate and surgery in the treatment of advanced head and neck cancer. 700 patients were used to this study clinical investigations in the area of head and neck cancer. In 2009, it was reported RTOG accrued a total of about 60,000 patients for studies. An academically controversial study RTOG published demonstrated good results for treating low-grade glioma, although this treatment was generally incompatible with chemotherapy options for treatment such as temozolomide.

RTOG headquarters are located at the offices of the American College of Radiology in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.