CANCER PREVENTION AND CONTROL

University Of California San Diego, La Jolla CA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Description: (Applicant's Description) The Cancer Prevention and Control Program consists of 29 Members, representing total peer-reviewed funding of $11,330,141 in annual direct costs. During the last year, its Members were responsible for a total of 90 cancer-relevant, peer-reviewed publications 38% of which were intra- and inter-programmatic collaborations. The Program is comprised of 5 sub-programs, which are: Tobacco Control; Health Services Research; Nutrition; Cancer Epidemiology and Health Education and Patient Outreach. The overall goals of the Program focus on research to assist the achievement of national cancer objectives for the nation and, hence, promote a reduction in cancer incidence, mortality and morbidity. The Tobacco Control sub-program has been a major emphasis in the UCSD Cancer Center as tobacco usage is the most important single cause of cancer in the United States. Members of this Sub-program have focused on the behavioral epidemiology of smoking and have established a national reputation for the identification of factors associated with both smoking initiation and cessation. The Health Services Research Sub-program has focused on measurement of quality of life for cancer patients and on decision making by both patients and physicians relating to utilization of aggressive therapy. The Nutrition Sub-program was developed during the last CCSG cycle and has made a strong start focussing on studies of the role of dietary intake in cancer recurrence. The majority of the Members of the Cancer Epidemiology Sub-program also have strong reputations in the field of cardiovascular disease. This team has been one of the leading groups in studying the role of hormone replacement in the incidence of both cardiovascular disease and cancer and developed some of the major hypotheses currently being tested by the Womens Health Initiative. Health Education and Patient Outreach are exceedingly important to the achievement of the national cancer goals and this Sub-program is active in research on optimal ways to reach out to the diverse populations in the San Diego County area. The size and strength of this Program adds immense value to the investigative power of the other Center Programs, particularly Translational Oncology, Palliative Care, and Viral Malignancy. This is implemented by feeding expertise and topics to each which are of value to the community, but can only be studied collaboratively.