Application Catalog

Program Description

Clinical Cancer Prevention Research

Clinicians have the opportunity to participate in multidisciplinary research, the hallmark of the CPFP, in order to help bridge the gap between clinical and pre-clinical cancer prevention science.

Background and Rationale. Clinical research is fundamental to the practice of cancer prevention. Over the past decades, with advances in the basic sciences, innovations in bioengineering, and findings from epidemiologic studies, the multidisciplinary field of cancer prevention has flourished. Through clinical research, the application of these discoveries has led to the identification of effective chemopreventive agents, novel early detection technologies, and recognition of individuals at high risk of developing cancer. Additionally, clinical intervention trials, as exemplified in the nutritional and behavioral sciences, have yielded successful cancer prevention strategies.

The design, implementation, analysis, and interpretation of clinical prevention studies is a relatively new research area for which few clinicians are adequately trained. The opportunity now exists within the CPFP for postdoctoral clinicians, including physicians, nurses, psychologists, and pharmacists, to combine formal training in clinical research methodology with their clinical acumen and interest in cancer prevention.

Research Opportunities. General categories of research topics include:

Behavioral intervention research
Biomarker development
Clinical studies in high-risk populations
Clinical trials of chemopreventive agents
Design and analysis of prevention trials
Epidemiology (clinical, molecular, genetic, nutritional, environmental)
Ethical issues in clinical prevention
Ethics and evidence-based clinical decision making (theoretical and practical studies)
Evaluation and outcomes research of clinical prevention practices
Health disparities and special populations research
Laboratory-based research (chemoprevention studies, molecular biology and genetics, molecular carcinogenesis, nutritional science)
Nutritional intervention studies
Screening and early detection trials
Studies of genetic susceptibility and cancer

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