Population and Cancer Prevention

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland OH

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

POPULATION AND CANCER PREVENTION (PCP) PROGRAM PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The goal of the Population and Cancer Prevention (PCP) Program is to decrease the burden of cancer, improve public health practices, and eliminate cancer disparities in the 15-county catchment area of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center (Case CCC) and beyond. PCP is driven by innovative population science research spanning the three levels of cancer prevention - primary, secondary, and tertiary - thus resulting in both clinical and public health translational impact. Cutting-edge research applies methodology from epidemiological and behavioral science disciplines to identify biomarkers for personalized cancer care, improve the adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviors, develop programs to increase the uptake of evidence-based cancer screening and early detection approaches, and optimize survival and quality of life after a cancer diagnosis. The program is organized around 3 scientific aims: (1) Discover the underlying etiology linking genetic, lifestyle, and environmental risk factors with cancer burden indicators; (2) Investigate and evaluate evidence-based interventions that seek to reduce disparities across the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of the cancer care continuum; and (3) Inform and develop patient-based clinical applications for improving cancer detection, healthcare decision-making, and treatment outcomes. These aims reflect major working groups and initiatives that coalesce program members with other cancer center investigators through inter-programmatic collaborations that have impacted paradigms for cancer detection, patient care, and health policy. Pilot funding and extensive use of an array of shared resources, in particular Population Cancer Analytics, Biostatistics, Integrated Genomics, Translational Research, and Tissue Resources facilitate all aspects of member discoveries. Under the leadership of Gregory Cooper (Co-Leader), Stephanie Schmit (Co-Leader), and Fredrick Schumacher (Co-Leader), the PCP Program has 45 full members representing all 3 consortium institutions. Members represent 19 departments, giving rise to a total of $12.7M in grant funding (annual direct costs), of which $8.8M is peer-reviewed and $4.5M is NCI-funded. During the current cycle, PCP program members published 1,082 publications. Cancer and program-related publications included 30% inter-programmatic, 16% intra-programmatic, and 54% that involved collaborations with another Cancer Center. This highly effective Program has successfully created synergy among Case CCC PCP members and collaborations with investigators in other research programs, as evidenced by new discoveries and initiatives in, for example: risk reduction for obesity-related cancers, cervical cancer screening and treatment in low-resource settings, tobacco control, food insecurity, genetic variation-guided therapeutic decision-making, new approaches to prostate, esophageal and colon cancer screening and prevention, end-of-life care of patients with advanced cancer, and cancer risk in HIV infected individuals.