A research blog from the NCI Division of Cancer Prevention Subscribe Large Studies Evaluating How to Personalize Breast Cancer Screening for All Women May 6, 2022 | By DCP Staff In the era of personalized medicine, prevention and screening for breast cancer are evolving toward new approaches that assess each womanās risk and lifestyle factors. All women do not carry the same risk for the same type of breast cancer. The old one-size-fits-all screening method can miss the most aggressive forms of the disease, or result in overdiagnosis of indolent disease. How Precision Cancer Prevention Can Promote Health Equity April 18, 2022 | By Jack J. Lee, Ph.D. Overall, cancer death rates in the United States have been declining about 2% per year, current SEER data from 2014 through 2018 show. However, these improvements have not been experienced equally by everyone, which is one of the reasons that April is Minority Cancer Awareness Month, when we call attention to these disparities. Engineering Synthetic Biomarkers for Early Detection of Cancers February 9, 2022 | By Jack J. Lee, Ph.D. Tumor cells release telltale molecules into blood, urine, and other bodily fluids. But it can be difficult to detect tumor-derived DNA, RNA, and proteins in the earliest stages of disease, when cancers can be easier to treat and cure. Earlier stages shed fewer cancer cellsāand fewer tumor markers. āEndogenous markers may be there, but not detectable with current technology,ā said Sudhir Srivastava, Ph.D., M.P.H., chief of the Cancer Biomarkers Research Group in the NCI Division of Cancer Prevention. The clinical detection of tumors is limited to masses larger than roughly one... Identifying New Biomarkers to Detect Lung Cancer Earlier January 14, 2022 | By Jack J. Lee, Ph.D. Lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide killing 1.8 million people each year, is often diagnosed at an advanced stage when the chances for a cure are limited. In the United States, almost 60% of people diagnosed with localized lung and bronchus cancer are likely to survive for 5 years. This is nearly 10 times more than those who are not diagnosed until their cancer has spread to distant parts of the body, who have a 5-year relative survival of 6.3%. Right now, more than half of lung cancers are diagnosed at this late state. Ending Cancer as We Know It Is the Work of Many Capable Hands: A Moment to Say "Thank You" December 20, 2021 | By Philip E. Castle, Ph.D., M.P.H. Fifty years ago this week, the National Cancer Act was signed into law, kick-starting research that has changed how cancer is prevented, detected, diagnosed, treated, and survived, and moving us closer to a time when no one dies of cancer. Starting in March of this year, we, the NCI Division of Cancer Prevention, honored the champions and changemakers of prevention, detection, and supportive care science, including those who focused on cancer health disparities in these areas. When we brainstormed who should be included among the individuals who gave years of their lives and work... Studies Focus on Testing Family Members of Cancer Gene Carriers November 29, 2021 | By DCP Staff If your family member had cancer, would you want to know if you carried a gene mutation that increased your risk of the same cancer? This question is at the heart of three novel research projects underway to determine how best to connect with the family members of women with ovarian cancer so they can decide whether to get genetic testing and counseling about their own risk of cancer. Equity and Access to Trials Highlight the 2021 NCORP Grantee Meeting November 10, 2021 | By DCP Staff The NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) annual meeting for grantees in August 2021 virtually brought together representatives from every NCORP Research Base and Community and Minority Underserved Site to discuss and learn about a range of topics. Study Seeks to Unravel the Complexity of Rare Blood Disorders Known as Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) October 5, 2021 | By Susan Jenks In a clinical study underway, scientists hope to unravel the complexities of a group of poorly understood and relatively rare blood disorders that often lead to cancer. In myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), the problem arises when normal blood cells fail to function properly or are ill-formed inside the spongy bone marrow where blood production begins, leaving patients vulnerable to infection, anemia or easy bleeding. A Message from the Director: A Year of Making the Cancer Prevention Intention Clear September 20, 2021 | By Philip E. Castle, Ph.D., M.P.H. A year ago, I said that coming on board as the Division of Cancer Prevention Director in July 2020 was a āchallenge,ā adding that I had faith in science that the pandemic would be solved soon. Science has brought us a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 and medicine to treat the disease, but we still arenāt all together in the workspace or many other places. We all look forward to that day. Despite the challenges that continue to keep us physically apart, I think we are philosophically together in our desire to prevent cancer. Our mission hasnāt changed, and our motivation hasnāt changed... Study Seeks to Prevent Cancer and Extend Quality of Life for Women at Increased Genetic Risk of Ovarian Cancer September 7, 2021 | By Susan Jenks Researchers in gynecologic oncology have begun testing a promising surgery for premenopausal women at high genetic risk for ovarian cancer that avoids early menopause and may prevent these malignancies from developing. Studies have shown that most ovarian cancers actually begin to grow from cancer cells that developed in the fallopian tubes. This trial is testing if removing the fallopian tubes before menopause prevents ovarian cancer. 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