Cancer Epidemiology in Hispanic Populations: An Analysis of Funded Observational Research at the National Cancer Institute.

BACKGROUND: More than 62 million people self-identified as Hispanic/Latino (H/L) in the 2020 United States census. The U.S. H/L population has higher burden of certain cancers compared with their non-Hispanic White counterparts. METHODS: Key term search using the NIH Query/View/Report (QVR) system, along with Research, Condition, and Disease Categorization codes identified cancer epidemiology research grants in H/L populations funded by the NCI as a primary or secondary funder from fiscal years 2016 through 2021. Three reviewers identified eligible grants based on specified inclusion/exclusion criteria and a codebook for consistency extracting key characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 450 grants were identified through the QVR system using key words related to H/Ls; 41 cancer epidemiology grants remained after applying exclusion criteria. These grants contained specific aims focused on H/Ls (32%) or included H/Ls as part of a racial/ethnic comparison (68%). NCI was the primary funder of the majority of the grants (85%), and most of the research grants focused on cancer etiology (44%) and/or survivorship (49%). Few grants (10%) investigated environmental exposures. CONCLUSIONS: This article provides an overview of NCI-funded cancer epidemiology research in H/L populations from 2016 to 2021. Future cancer epidemiology research should reflect the changing dynamics of the U.S. demography with diverse, representative populations and well-characterized ethnicity. IMPACT: Research that carefully measures the relevant biological, environmental, behavioral, psychologic, sociocultural, and clinical risk factors will be critical to better understanding the nuanced patterns influencing cancer-related outcomes in the heterogenous H/L population.

Applying the Strategic Planning Process to a Large Research Consortium: The Example of the National Cancer Institute Cohort Consortium.

Strategic planning is conducted by many organizations to systematically evaluate and assess their current state, establish or update their mission and/or goals, and identify strategies and activities to achieve the goals. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cohort Consortium is a collaborative network of 62 prospective cohort studies and their affiliated investigators that focus on cancer etiology and outcome research. The organization's membership grew markedly from 10 cohort studies at its inception in 2001 to 59 cohort studies at the time of the launch of the Consortium's strategic planning in 2017. This paper describes the strategic planning process that was conducted to establish organizational goals and to develop strategies and activities consistent with the Consortium's mission. The process involved a 2-year iterative approach combining surveys and in-person meetings. The resulting goals focus on communication, career development, research facilitation, scientific gaps, and common scientific challenges. The NCI Cohort Consortium's strategic plan and evaluation of its progress will advance new initiatives in cancer etiology and survivorship research.

The National Cancer Institute Cohort Consortium: An International Pooling Collaboration of 58 Cohorts from 20 Countries.

Cohort studies have been central to the establishment of the known causes of cancer. To dissect cancer etiology in more detail-for instance, for personalized risk prediction and prevention, assessment of risks of subtypes of cancer, and assessment of small elevations in risk-there is a need for analyses of far larger cohort datasets than available in individual existing studies. To address these challenges, the NCI Cohort Consortium was founded in 2001. It brings together 58 cancer epidemiology cohorts from 20 countries to undertake large-scale pooling research. The cohorts in aggregate include over nine million study participants, with biospecimens available for about two million of these. Research in the Consortium is undertaken by >40 working groups focused on specific cancer sites, exposures, or other research areas. More than 180 publications have resulted from the Consortium, mainly on genetic and other cancer epidemiology, with high citation rates. This article describes the foundation of the Consortium; its structure, governance, and methods of working; the participating cohorts; publications; and opportunities. The Consortium welcomes new members with cancer-oriented cohorts of 10,000 or more participants and an interest in collaborative research. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 27(11); 1307-19. ©2018 AACR.