Writing to members of the American Venous Forum (AVF), president Brajesh K Lal (Baltimore, USA), has revealed that the AVF has established a partnership with the C-TRACT study, a randomised controlled trial funded by the National Institutes of Health. As part of the collaboration, AVF will contribute its expertise, perspective, and work effort to advance the trial’s success.
In his letter, Lal described the C-TRACT trial as a large study of endovascular therapy for post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS). Furthermore, the aim of the study is to understand whether image-guided procedures reduce the severity of PTS and improve patients’ quality of life. While long-term safety and costs of endovascular procedures are also being evaluated, the findings of the trial will provide new information on optimal ways to care for patients with PTS. Twenty-three clinical centres are currently participating in C-TRACT, with availability for more to join.
The partnership expands AVF’s tradition of leadership in promoting evidence-based practice in venous and lymphatic disease. As part of agreement with C-TRACT, which is led by Suresh Vedantham (St Louis, USA), AVF will leverage its knowledge and resources to increase awareness of the study, as well as helping to identify investigators and sites to participate in the study, encourage enrolment in the trial, and promote best practices for study conduct.
Discussions of C-TRACT will be presented at AVF meetings, including the 32nd annual meeting of AVF (March 3–6 2020, Amelia Island, Florida) and the Fall and Spring AVF Fellows’ courses. It will also be discussed during AVF sessions at other society meetings and in AVF’s scientific journal, Journal of Vascular Surgery: Venous and Lymphatic Disorders.
Speaking to Interventional News, chief investigator of the C-TRACT trial Vedantham said: “We are grateful to the AVF for its strong support of the C-TRACT Trial. The AVF has a distinguished history of advancing venous research, so this is a perfect fit. This partnership will promote the study’s success and provide insights into a new community partnership model that can be applied to benefit future studies.
“The investment of $12 million in this study by the NIH demonstrates its awareness of the potential for endovascular stent therapy to reduce disability in patients with post-thrombotic syndrome. As such, the C-TRACT Investigators and the AVF have a golden opportunity to develop high-quality evidence that secures access to innovative therapy for patients suffering with this condition.”
The Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) Foundation is already partnering with C-TRACT investigators. Since January 2019, SIR Foundation has worked with Vedantham to raise awareness of the trial within the IR community, support site and patient enrolment, and encourage patient follow-up activities.
“Studies such as C-TRACT exemplify SIR Foundation’s mission to further interventional radiology through high-quality research that impacts our patients,” comments SIR Foundation chair Jeremy C Durack (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA). “We are proud to support this effort and continue to raise awareness among SIR members and the IR community about the value of this ground-breaking trial.”
