A research blog from the NCI Division of Cancer Prevention Subscribe Smart Technology Is Aimed at Nutrition, Gut and Metabolism in Cancer Prevention Research Funding Opportunities September 8, 2020 | By DCP Staff As the availability and sophistication of smart technology for health (such as wearables, sensors, and micro-robotic tools) continues to increase, these devices could prove transformative in cancer prevention. Two ongoing Division of Cancer Prevention (DCP) funding opportunities are promoting the creation of smart devices to examine the interrelationships among nutrition, the gut microbiome, and human metabolism as tools for progress in cancer prevention research. One DCP funding opportunity (PAR-20-133) seeks to examine the diet-host-microbiome interactions along the biogeography of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract using an ingestible micro-robotic pill. The other (PAR-20-134) focuses on the continuous monitoring of nutrients and their metabolites through wearable devices. New Technology Gives Patients Access to a 5-Minute, Office-Based Test to Identify Risk for Esophageal Cancer June 1, 2020 | By DCP Staff A new technology coupled with a new biomarker test now in clinical trials are giving patients timely access to a quick, accurate and less invasive way to identify risk for one type of esophageal cancer. EsoCheck™ and EsoGuard™ are the device and test created for the detection of Barrett's esophagus, the benign and treatable precursor condition to esophageal adenocarcinomas (EAC). EAC are usually diagnosed at an advanced stage and are difficult to treat. Finding Barrett's esophagus, a sign of risk, could help patients by giving physicians a chance to intervene early. The technology was made more widely available with a special Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designation in February 2020. Researchers Search the Genome for Clues to Early Age Onset Cancers in Racial/Ethnic Minorities March 5, 2020 | By DCP Staff While researchers have identified some of the genetic changes that lead to cancer development, a key knowledge gap remains: finding the genetic changes that drive the development of cancers that arise at an earlier age than average (early onset) in racially and ethnically diverse populations. Compared to a White population, people who are Non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, American Indian or Alaska Native are more likely to develop early age onset cancers and an overall higher incidence and mortality for breast, prostate, colorectal, liver, and kidney cancers, and for multiple myeloma. Although socioeconomic differences and availability of healthcare plays a factor in some health disparities, there are likely to be genetic differences as well. Optimizing Clinical Interventions for Prevention of Cervical Cancer and HPV-related Cancers in People Living with HIV February 3, 2020 | By Vikrant Sahasrabuddhe, M.B.B.S., M.P.H., Dr.P.H. Cervical cancer is highly preventable, yet it is not fully prevented. Significant advancements in our understanding of the human papillomavirus (HPV)-linked development of cervical cancer have created highly effective clinical tools for primary prevention (HPV vaccines) and secondary prevention (screening and treatment of precancerous lesions). Despite this, more than half a million women are diagnosed and over 300,000 women die of cervical cancer every year globally. Women with HIV have a three to five times higher risk of cervical cancer due to immunosuppression. Facing a dual burden of HIV disease and HPV/cervical cancer, these women are younger than the average age at cancer diagnosis. Their disease has a more aggressive clinical course and is less responsive to treatment. Access to affordable HIV treatment has expanded globally over the past several years, and millions of women living with HIV are living longer lives. Yet with the absence of efficient clinical prevention services, these women continue to be at risk of dying from cervical cancer. In addition to cervical cancer, people living with HIV are also at risk for other HPV-related cancers, including anal cancer, other lower genital tract cancers, and oropharyngeal cancers. Preventing the Progression of Low-Risk Localized Prostate Cancers: A New Frontier January 17, 2020 | By Howard L. Parnes, M.D. In the path toward understanding the development and ultimate prevention of prostate cancer, researchers are studying how to keep low-grade, early stage prostate cancer being monitored on Active Surveillance from progressing to disease that needs definitive treatment. Attempts at prevention of prostate cancer have had mixed results. While both dutasteride and finasteride reduced the incidence of prostate cancer in large, randomized clinical trials, both agents were associated with an increase in high-grade, potentially more aggressive, cancers. Notably, long-term follow-up studies have not shown an increase in prostate cancer mortality with these drugs. Taking Advantage of the Transportation Processes from Inside to Outside the Cell to Detect Cancer December 11, 2019 | By DCP Staff As cancer researchers delve into the many molecular processes that guide cell life within the body, NCI is looking for ways to characterize and measure different substances in this process, with an eye to identifying who has cancer or who is at risk for the disease. One ongoing funding opportunity is promoting research on the isolation and characterization of extracellular vesicles (EVs) and their cargo for the discovery of biomarkers to predict cancer and cancer risk. EVs are membrane-enclosed vesicles that are secreted by all cells. EVs are circulated in the blood and are readily accessible in most body fluids. The cargo of these vesicles includes RNA, DNA, proteins, metabolites, and lipids that reflect the cell of origin, making EVs appealing for biomarker development as part of the goal to create liquid biopsies. New Onset Diabetes Cohort Sought to Unravel Complexities of Pancreatic Cancer Development November 19, 2019 | By DCP Staff The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is leading a project to create a cohort of people who are newly diagnosed with diabetes in the hopes that this group, who are at increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer, provide the clues in their blood and tissues to unravel some of the unknowns about this highly fatal cancer. The New Onset Diabetes Study (NOD) will include 10,000 people ages 50 to 85 across the United States. Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose is too high. The hormone insulin, made by the pancreas, is responsible for regulating blood glucose, so having diabetes signals a problem with the pancreas. Cancer Prevention Science is Key to Making Progress Against Cancer October 31, 2019 | By DCP Staff Cancer Prevention Science editors spoke with Deborah Winn, Ph.D., acting director of the NCI Division of Cancer Prevention, about cancer prevention and early detection research in the division and beyond. Why is cancer prevention research important? One important way to make sustained progress against cancer deaths is to prevent people from developing cancer in the first place. In 2019, there will be about 1.76 million people diagnosed with cancer in the United States. By 2025, the estimate is that there will be 2.1 million people who get cancer. Some of this is due to the aging of the U.S. population, but there is a public health imperative to do what we can to decrease those numbers by using existing and emerging knowledge of ways to reduce cancer risk, which could result in many more lives saved. TMIST Ramps Up to Illuminate Breast Cancer Screening October 16, 2019 | By DCP Staff TMIST (Tomosynthesis Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial), the large NCI screening study to learn about the best ways to find breast cancer in women who have no symptoms, is ramping up with 16,505 participants enrolled to date at 84 certified mammography clinics in the United States, Canada and Argentina. The number of women and sites participating is likely to increase rapidly in the months ahead. Etta Pisano, M.D., chief research officer at the American College of Radiology, and the principal investigator of TMIST, heads the efforts to get clinics involved. “We have 15 approved clinics working on the logistics to begin enrollment, and another 34 have committed to joining. We are pleased that there has been a great deal of interest from international sites and expect to bring on additional sites in Europe and Asia in the next 6 months,” Dr. Pisano said. Pagination « First First page ‹ Previous Previous page … 3 4 5 6
