The Borstkanker Onderzoek Groep (BOOG) or in English, the Dutch Breast Cancer Research Group, is a collaborative study group that was founded in April 2001 with the aim of initiating, promoting, coordinating and facilitating clinical breast cancer trials in the Netherlands. In particular, the group’s focus lies on the development and conduct of multicenter phase II and III trials.
BOOG performs national as well as international breast cancer trials (BIG, EORTC, GBG, IBCSG) relevant for the current state of the Dutch healthcare system in the Netherlands. An official membership is not required, but any physician who takes part in BOOG’s trials automatically joins the study group. BOOG has acquired a good reputation among many Dutch clinical researchers. Each hospital in the Netherlands is participating in at least one BOOG study, and over 70 clinical institutions and 500 investigators are working to facilitate the entry of their patients into an appropriate BOOG trial. In 22 years, over 34,000 patients were enrolled: an impressive number.
BOOG also collaborates with several pharmaceutical companies that are interested in the conduct of clinical breast cancer trials in the Netherlands. To avoid conflict of interest of standard clinical care, the BOOG Foundation has been established. In February 2008, BOOG started its own company, the BOOG Study Center B.V. This Study Center represents the operative and legal platform for the conduct of BOOG’s trials. The BOOG Board consists of five members. The BOOG Study Center employs seven individuals.
Four indication-specific working parties were established: (neo)adjuvant, loco-regional, advanced and metastatic disease, and diagnostic research. These working parties monitor the studies’ portfolio and initiate new studies in their specific indication. The members of these working parties are opinion leaders in the field of breast cancer treatment and research in the Netherlands; they are selected by the BOOG Board, which ensures that different disciplines and types of institutes as well as geographical areas are represented. If a decision is made about a new study project within a working party, the BOOG Study Center takes over the planning, organisation and conduct of the trial.
A patient advisory group provides feedback on BOOG trials from a patient’s perspective. They give advice on practical aspects and relevance of the trial and they review study information for patients.
A (research) nursing advisory group is also active and gives practical and logistical advice about the implementation of BOOG trials in clinical settings. This group also participates in the development of nursing protocols.
Furthermore, once a year BOOG organizes a symposium that summarizes updates of Leading conferences. During the BOOG symposium, prominent Dutch investigators report the latest findings in breast cancer clinical treatment and research. The relevance is then discussed in the context of the trials running in the Netherlands and in the context of the Dutch guidelines for treatment.
