A collaborative structure supporting 
groundbreaking clinical trials

As part of the National Cancer Institute’s National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) and NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP), the Alliance brings together 26,000 physicians, researchers, nurses, statisticians, and other healthcare professionals across 112 member institutions and nearly 1,500 affiliated medical centers to transform scientific questions into practice-changing cancer interventions. 

From concept to clinical trial

How Alliance clinical trials move from concept through development, review, and activation across NCTN and Alliance Foundation Trial (AFT) pathways.

NCTN and AFT: Two pathways for advancing research

Alliance’s collaborative structure supports rigorous clinical trials while ensuring strong scientific oversight, operational efficiency, and broad participation across academic and community settings.

Alliance’s role in the NCTN

Part of the NCI, the National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) brings together cooperative groups, academic centers, and community oncology sites to design and conduct large, multi-site cancer clinical trials within a shared framework for scientific review, oversight and data quality.

AFT: Industry-sponsored trials

Alliance Foundation Trials (AFT) supports industry- and foundation-sponsored cancer clinical trials conducted through the Alliance’s national research network. AFT trials are conducted independently of NCTN-funded trials and are supported through non-NCI funding sources.