In the 1950’s, a group of clinical scientists recognized that, because childhood cancer was a rare disease, no single medical center could study enough patients to make the necessary advances across the spectrum of pediatric oncologic diseases. The decision to conduct collaborative research across multiple institutions resulted in the development of cooperative group research.
卓有成效的持续科学合作是主要推动力。20世纪50年代临床科学家认为因为儿童癌症是一种罕见疾病，没有单一哪个医疗中心有能力研究足够的患者样本以推动儿科肿瘤的进步。多机构合作研究决策带来了合作团队研究的推进。