Research Programs
The funds provided to the Duncan Family Institute for Cancer Prevention and Risk Assessment will be used to fuel emerging areas of study, bolster resources and enhance faculty recruitment. The Institute will maintain flexibility to respond quickly to scientific advances in areas such as modeling preclinical prevention, and complementary and alternative medicine. Additionally, plans are being made to enhance the Cancer Prevention Center to include a broader offering of genetic testing and counseling, tailored screening and surveillance, and survivorship services. Initial investments fall into five program areas, which fit together in a discovery-to-development-to-delivery cycle of investigation:
Personalized Risk Prediction
Researchers and clinicians are developing methods to individualize risk prediction and personalize prevention. By marrying new types of data with traditional screening tests and family history, and including genetic assessments and information on molecular changes in precancerous tissues, interventions can be tailored to the individual. Research questions in this area include those focused on understanding how cancer results from genetic changes. M. D. Anderson investigators are involved in several projects, predominantly tobacco-related, to study genetic changes in cancers of the bladder, lung and esophagus. Future plans are to expand this type of investigation to other cancers and other genetic changes.
The Beginnings of Cancer
Moving beyond research on advanced cancers, investigators at M. D. Anderson are focusing on the earliest stages of cancer. Studies to assess the risk factors contributing to the progression from healthy individuals to those with precancerous lesions to cancer patients, and to determine molecular differences among these tissues, may lead to better risk prediction tools, targeted prevention efforts and earlier and more reliable outcomes assessment.
E-Health Initiative
Using communication technologies, such as cell phones (smart phones), webcams, tablet computers, and personal digital assistants (PDAs), to deliver content and capture data can facilitate information exchange between researchers and clinical study participants. These technologies can help to accelerate the pace of discovery of the most effective interventions for lifestyle modification to reduce cancer risk and improve quality of life and overall health of cancer survivors. The most recent findings suggest that lifestyle interventions may even influence cancer-specific and overall survival. The E-Health interventions can be customized and tailored to individuals and delivered electronically. The use of innovative technologies to disseminate information can more rapidly and effectively make new interventions available to health care providers, educators, and the public at large.
Community, Implementation, and Dissemination Research
Research aimed at enhancing the adoption of best practices and evidence-based interventions in the community, with a specific focus on underserved populations, will help address a national priority to close the gap between research discovery and program delivery in community and other settings. The development, evaluation, implementation and dissemination of new interventions, diagnostic tests, and prediction models has the potential to change clinical practice and impact public health.
Mexican-American Cohort
The Mexican-American population has a lower rate of cancer mortality than the general population and other minority groups. Nobody understands why: Is it culture, diet, lifestyle, genetic makeup? To answer these questions, M. D. Anderson epidemiologists launched Mano a Mano – the nation’s largest study focusing solely on Mexican-Americans, with 15,000 participants enrolled to date. Because of this population segment’s rapid growth, findings from this and related studies may give us important insights into cancer’s causes and how we might prevent it in other populations.