Ending Cancer as We Know It

DCCPS funded efforts to increase uptake of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. The latest data show an increase in vaccine completion and a decrease in HPV infections, helping to reduce cervical cancer mortality.

The Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE®) helps doctors select the best treatments for patients.

DCCPS-funded surveys, research networks, and registries led to better screening uptake and monitoring and a decrease in disparities of outcomes among high-risk and economically disadvantaged groups. Efforts resulted in an estimated 20% reduction in breast cancer mortality and 40% reduction in colorectal cancer mortality.

The Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network (CISNET) played a significant role in advancing the US Preventive Services Task Force’s screening recommendations for colorectal, breast, lung, and cervical cancers.

Declines in smoking from 1975-2000 led to the prevention of nearly 800,000 deaths. DCCPS-funded research built an evidence base for tobacco reduction strategies that prevented 8 million premature deaths from 1964-2012 and led to a reduction in lung cancer mortality rates, which are projected to decrease by approximately 50%.

NCI and its collaborators published data on indoor tanning, which showed a consistent decrease in its prevalence, particularly among young women. This reduction coincided with a decrease in melanoma incidence.

An increasing number of states have banned or regulated per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in response to DCCPS-funded epidemiological studies showing a link between those substances in the bloodstream and a higher incidence of several cancers.

DCCPS-funded epidemiological research helped women who are predisposed to breast and ovarian cancer benefit from risk-reduction strategies and showed that individuals with other inherited syndromes benefit from earlier and more frequent surveillance.

DCCPS-supported research using SEER data – the only comprehensive source of population-based cancer information in the United States – underscored the importance of long-term surveillance investments and revealed that short-term mortality from childhood cancer has improved, but life expectancy for childhood cancer survivors was still lower than for their peers.