Cancer Prevention and Control Program

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CANCER PREVENTION AND CONTROL: ABSTRACT The Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC) research program at The University of Kansas Cancer Center (KUCC) brings together an interdisciplinary team of researchers focused on: 1) developing, testing, and implementing innovative strategies to modify behaviors that drive cancer risk and disparities in cancer incidence (Population-Level Primary Prevention); 2) identifying biomarker-driven opportunities for cancer prevention among high-risk individuals with premalignant disease or hereditary cancer risk and testing interventions to improve detection and modulation of risk biomarkers associated with cancer prevention in these high-risk patients (High-Risk Prevention); and 3) developing and disseminating behavioral, nutritional, and clinical support interventions to address the impact of cancer (Survivorship). The 49 members of CPC come from 23 departments in six schools. They represent a rich mix of expertise, including behavioral science, neuroscience, primary care, nursing, oncology, epidemiology, economics, translational biology, pharmacology, communications, biostatistics, and health services research. Program members are supported by $13.3M in total annual funds, including $3.8M from the National Cancer Institute. Currently, 69% of CPC members are principal investigators on externally funded cancer research grants. CPC program activities support both intra- and inter-programmatic interactions through translational research seminars, a visiting scholar program, and cancer care delivery and equity, tobacco control, implementation science, and health services research working groups. These activities have fostered intra- and inter-programmatic productivity, resulting in 225 articles published by CPC members in 2020, of which 20% had inter-programmatic, 32% had intra- programmatic, and 67% had external collaborations. The work in CPC begins and ends with the needs of the KUCC catchment area. CPC members have shown remarkable success in developing the infrastructure to conduct cancer prevention and control research in our region among rural, African American, Hispanic, and American Indian communities and individuals in the criminal justice system. A strong mentorship program places a significant focus on training. Seven CPC trainees received more than $1.2M in extramural training grant support in 2020 alone; CPC members have demonstrated a 9.2-fold return from CCSG Developmental Funds and a 23.3-fold return from KUCC Pilot Projects. The shared work of CPC members has led to: a better understanding of the cancer control needs in the KUCC catchment area; improved capacity to analyze the needs of affected and at-risk populations; identification of novel pre-cancerous models and new biomarkers; improved strategies to detect and prevent cancer in high-risk patients; better strategies for the design and delivery of cancer prevention and control messages; and improved delivery of tobacco control, cancer screening, physical activity, obesity, and survivorship programs at the level of both the clinical practice and the community-at-large.