The Supportive Care and Symptom Management program supports studies on the prevention or treatment of acute and chronic symptoms and morbidities related to cancer and its treatment. This includes the impact on the quality of life of patients and their informal caregivers. The program also supports studies of patients and their caregivers at the end of life.
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About Supportive Care and Symptom Management
The program supports research in three areas: prevention or treatment of acute or chronic symptoms and morbidities related to cancer, its treatment and caregiving (symptom management research); effects on quality of life from cancer, its treatment and caregiving (quality of life research); and end-of-life psychosocial issues, caregiving and treatment strategies (end-of-life research).
Through the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP), clinical trials are underway to evaluate therapies to prevent or ameliorate a broad range of symptoms and/or toxicities associated with cancer its treatment and caregiving. Other studies funded separately are investigating a range of treatment effects on health-related quality of life and a variety of influences on the end-of-life cancer experience.
Topic Areas include: Anorexia, Cachexia, Cardiotoxicity, Caregiver Issues, Cognitive Dysfunction, Distress/Anxiety/Depression, End of Life, Fatigue, Geriatrics, Hot Flashes, Lymphedema, Medication Adherence, Mucositis, Multiple Symptoms, Musculoskeletal Symptoms, Nausea, Neuropathy, Nutrition, Oral Complications, Other Supportive Care Issues, Pain, Palliative Care, Pediatrics/Adolescents/Young Adult, Physical Functioning, Quality of Life, Skin Toxicities, Sleep Disorders, and Urinary Complications.
Selected Topics
- HEAL Initiative
- Patient Resources on Side Effects of Cancer Treatment
- Patient Resources on Coping with Cancer
Resources
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Building Bridges in Cancer Symptom Science Webinar SeriesThis series is aimed at bringing together interdisciplinary researchers in cancer symptom science to share their expertise and further discussions in the field.
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DCP Early Career Scientist Spotlight Research Seminar SeriesThis seminar series highlights nominated early career scientists who are advancing research within the areas supported by DCP.
Funding Opportunities
| Title | Announcement Number | Activity Code | Clinical Trials Status | Expiration Date Sort descending | Program Official |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HEAL Initiative: Studies to Enable Analgesic Discovery | RFA-NS-25-023 (R61/R33 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | R61, R33 | Clinical Trial Not Allowed | 02/20/2027 | Rachel Altshuler, Ph.D. |
Grantee Details
Clinical Trials
| Title Sort descending | Intervention | Sponsor | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Collaborative Intervention for Improving Cancer Pain Management in Cancer Survivors (ASCENT) | Best Practice, Cancer Pain Management, Educational Intervention, Electronic Health Record Review, Health Telemonitoring, Questionnaire Administration | Mayo Clinic | Recruiting |
| A Culturally-Tailored Mobile Health and Social Media Physical Activity Intervention for Improving Physical Activity in Hispanic or Latino/Latina Adolescent and Young Adult Childhood Cancer Survivors, Walking Juntos Study | Goal Setting, Interview, Media Intervention, Medical Device Usage and Evaluation, Questionnaire Administration, Reward, Text Message-Based Navigation Intervention | Children's Oncology Group | Active, not recruiting |
| A Pilot Unrestricted Payment Program for Early-stage Cancer Patients: the PAYMENT Trial | Electronic Health Record Review, Interview, Support, Survey Administration | Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center | Not yet recruiting |
| A Study About How Blood Cell Growth Patterns Relate to Heart Health After Treatment for Hodgkin Lymphoma | Biospecimen Collection, Electronic Health Record Review, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Survey Administration | Children's Oncology Group | Recruiting |
| A Study of Different Programs to Help ALL Patients With Taking Maintenance Medicine at Home | Biospecimen Collection, Compliance Monitoring, Health Promotion and Education, Informational Intervention, Media Intervention, Medical Device Usage and Evaluation, Mercaptopurine, Questionnaire Administration, Telephone-Based Intervention, Training and Education | Children's Oncology Group | Active, not recruiting |
| A Study of the Drug Letermovir as Prevention of Cytomegalovirus Infection After Stem Cell Transplant in Pediatric Patients | Biospecimen Collection, Letermovir | Children's Oncology Group | Recruiting |
| A Study to Evaluate Genetic Predictors of Aromatase Inhibitor Musculoskeletal Symptoms (AIMSS) | anastrozole | ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group | Active, not recruiting |
| A Study to Learn More About the Health of Persons With Down Syndrome After Treatment for Acute Leukemia | Biospecimen Collection, Clinical Evaluation, Neurocognitive Assessment, Questionnaire Administration, Survey Administration | Children's Oncology Group | Recruiting |
| A Study to See if Memantine Protects the Brain During Radiation Therapy Treatment for a Brain Tumor | Biospecimen Collection, Cognitive Assessment, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Memantine Hydrochloride, Placebo Administration, Questionnaire Administration | Children's Oncology Group | Active, not recruiting |
| A Text-based Intervention in Improving Adherence to Hormone Therapy in Patients With Stage I-III Hormone Receptor Positive Breast Cancer | Best Practice, Focus Group, Questionnaire Administration, Text Message | Thomas Jefferson University | Active, not recruiting |
News and Events
Predicting and Mitigating Nausea and Vomiting
Date Posted: August 22, 2025
Diet and Nutrition for Managing Cancer Symptoms
Date Posted: May 27, 2025
Targeting Aging Biology to Optimize the Long-Term Health of Cancer Survivors
Date Posted: May 15, 2025
Harnessing Studies of Diet and the Gut Microbiome to Reduce Colorectal Cancer Burden
Date Posted: April 29, 2025