cancer thesis topics

271 Cancer Research Topics for Undergraduates and High School Students

Are you looking for the best oncology research topics? You’re at the right place! StudyCorgi has prepared a list of cancer research topics for undergraduates and high school students! Read on to find a good title for your projects or term papers on prostate, breast, and other cancer types.

🏆 Best Research Topics on Cancer

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• The Cobalt-60 Machine in the Fight Against Cancer
• The New Cancer Cure
• Cervical Cancer: Case Study
• Physical and Mental Care for Cancer Patients
• The Colon Cancer: Main Aspects
• Lung Cancer Pathophysiology
• Breast Cancer: The Story of One Patient
• Breast Cancer: Research Review Paper Plenty of scholars’ investigations help doctors, nurses, and patients to take precautionary and care measures to improve their physical and psychological condition.
• Type C Personality as a Risk Factor for Cancer The paper is on the scientific relationship between personality C and the aspects of gene and hormonal activity that leads to the build-up of cancer cells.
• Breast Cancer: Literature Review Breast cancer is the single most common type of cancer among women. This type of cancer can be detected by such simple methods as (BSE) breast self-examination.
• Breast Cancer: Analysis and Data Collection The study to determine the quality of health was a qualitative research study because it showed a significant improved in the quality of life for the breast cancer victims.
• Cancer: Symptoms and Consequences The research of the symptoms of cancer and its consequences to evaluate the seriousness of the problem in the USA but and the whole world.
• Cervical Cancer Screening Methodology This paper reviews cervical cancer screening methodology and provides a rationale for applying each recommendation to a specific group of the population.
• Pancreatic Cancer: Symptoms and Treatment Treatment is complicated by the fact that pancreatic cancer often does not cause any symptoms until it reaches a large size or does not spread to other tissues.
• Disease Research: Breast Cancer Breast cancer is a multifactorial, complex illness that demands proper clinical understanding and a multidisciplinary way to determine diagnosis and treatment.
• Cultural Sensitivity in Medicine and Cancer Treatment Any medical practitioner should understand the cultural aspects of a community for him to be able to come up with a lasting solution for cancer treatment.
• Alternative Medicine in Cancer Pain Management The quality of life of cancer patients can be improved by combining pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies to achieve the desired effect and alleviate pain.
• Cervical Cancer: Pathophysiological Processes Cervical cancer is a serious disease that may take human lives in a short period of time because its signs and symptoms are not always easily recognized.
• Breast Cancer and Effective Medical Treatment The aim of this paper is to characterize breast cancer and to describe the modern methods of its treatment and prevention.
• Stomach Cancer: Diagnosis and Treatment Stomach cancer is a malignant neoplasm that develops in the organ’s gastric mucosa cells and first affecting the epithelium and then growing into the stomach tissue.
• BRCA Gene Mutation and Breast Cancer This study aims to determine how BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 gene mutations contribute to breast cancer, to analyze the role of BRCA1 and BRCA 2 in the restoration of the damaged DNA.
• Understanding Epigenetic Mechanisms in Breast Cancer Human cells become cancerous when they undergo genetic modifications that make them acquire growth and multiplication advantages.
• Cancer Biology: Oncogenes and Tumor Suppressor Genes This paper seeks to interpret the role oncogenes and tumor suppressors play in transformation during cancer formation.
• Epidemiology of Breast Cancer in UK As of 2011, the incidences of breast cancer have been increasing continuously over forty years. Also, there was a general reduction in the rate of mortality caused by breast cancer.
• Esophageal Cancer and Its Treatment The paper researches the causes of esophageal cancer, its various symptoms, diagnostic, treatment and possible ends.
• Colorectal Cancer Intervention Model The unique skills needed are for successful colorectal cancer intervention includes knowledge of the behavioral challenges, interventions strategies, and health policies.
• “Preferences for Photographic Art Among Hospitalized Patients With Cancer” the Article by Grossman, A., Schroeter, K., Hanson, A. and Hanson, H. The article reviewed in the scope of this paper is titled “Preferences for Photographic Art among Hospitalized Patients with Cancer.”
• Cancer Patients and Survivors Support Group This paper dwells upon some peculiarities of managing a support group consisting of young adult cancer patients and cancer survivors.
• Cancer Management: Effective Diagnosis, Treatment, Lessening the Effects of Complications Cancer refers to any dangerous and abnormal mass of tissue caused by hysterical dissection of cells in the body. Effective management of cancer entails timely and effective diagnosis.
• Inner Strength in Women Survivors of Cancer This is a summary of the article “The role of inner strength in quality of life and self-management in women survivors of cancer” by C. Dingley and G. Roux.
• Conference: Breast Cancer Survival In the medical sphere, cancer studies are one of the most essential and necessary specialties. For millions of cancer patients worldwide, life is a continued fight for survival.
• The Importance of Nutrition in Cancer Prevention In the last few decades, the role that diet and nutrition play in the development, progress, and management of cancer has become an important area of study.
• Bilateral Mastectomy for Breast Cancer Prevention One of the options for preventing the development of breast cancer is a bilateral mastectomy. But it may not be a good preventive choice for genetic markers of breast cancer.
• Social Determinants of Health and Cancer A larger population of the black community suffering from cancer loses their lives while receiving treatment at the hospital due to failed cancer care.
• Skin Cancer Prevention in Australia Skin cancer, or melanoma, is the abnormal behavior of skin cells that is mainly caused by prolonged exposure of unprotected skin to ultraviolet rays.
• Addressing Cancer: The Nursing Process Nurses must use as much information and resources as possible to offer the highest-quality patient-oriented care.
• Health Promotion to Reduce Lung Cancer: Grant Proposal Template The project aims to reduce the rate of lung cancer infection and deaths among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in South Australia.
• Breast Cancer: Pathophysiology, Types and Treatment Breast cancer is a common malignant neoplastic disease in women and mostly develops in the stage of women postmenopausal.
• Wellness Programs for Colorectal Cancer In this plan, the researcher intends to give a clear intervention plan that can help address the problem of colorectal cancer that has affected so many elderly people in our society.
• Approach to Care. Human Cancer Cancer is a group of diseases caused by the uncontrolled division of cells. There is a great variety of cancers, and they are ranked by the type of sell, which the tumor imitates.
• A Family Experience of a Child Being Diagnosed With Cancer Family members of a child being diagnosed with cancer have to go through a long and complicated road that regrettably, not always leads to success.
• Cancer Prevalence and Health Care More than 5 million people living today in the US are living with cancer. Sixty three percent of 65 years and above have had cancer.
• Colorectal Cancer: Factors and Prevention Colorectal cancer is a serious disease that is estimated to affect many individuals in the US by 2030. The primary approach to preventing it is regular screenings.
• Approach to the Care of Cancer This paper discusses cancer, including the approach to cancer care, cancer complications and side effects, and the ways of addressing the side effects.
• Postmenopausal Women with Breast Cancer This research discusses, Experience of adjuvant treatment among postmenopausal women with breast cancer: health-related quality of life, symptom experience, stressful events and coping strategies.
• Colorectal Cancer and Other Cancer Signs and Diagnoses The reasons for increased colorectal cancer rates and decreased cervical cancer rates in Western society may be related to preferred lifestyles.
• Colorectal Cancer Screening and Its Importance Colorectal cancer screening is recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force as an effective way to reduce disease-related morbidity and mortality.
• Researching of Cervical Cancer In its initial stages, the cancer process is asymptomatic and is only detected during an extensive gynecological examination.
• Cancer Treatment Process Perceived by Women With Ovarian Cancer The current paper explores how the process of treating ovarian cancer affects the well-being and physical and emotional state of women.
• Smoking and Gender Factors of Lung Cancer The rising prevalence of lung cancer in young females compared to young males is widespread and not entirely explained by gender variations in smoking habits.
• Breast Cancer: Diagnosis and Treatment Recent efforts from medical professionals and interest groups like Breast Cancer Awareness Month facilitate open discussion around breast cancer.
• Drug Repurposing in Cancer Treatment This article examines the concept of drug repurposing in the context of pharmaceutical companies’ innovation policy: the methods and economic feasibility of repurposing drugs.
• Cancer: Disease Specifics and RNA-Based Detection The paper presents the analysis of cancer as one of the most common causes of death. It shows that there are many types of this disease.
• Breast Cancer: Diagnostic and Treatment Breast cancer is one of the most common oncology disorders among females. It has a complicated chain of immune reactions and various structures identified histologically.
• Diet, Physical Activity, Obesity and Related Cancer Risk The paper addresses the connection between cancer and physical activity, diet, and obesity in Latin America and the USA. The transitions in dietary practices may be observed.
• Thyroid Cancer as a Public Health Issue Due to the explosion and fire at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, a huge quantity of radioactive iodine and cesium penetrated the air.
• EBP Guideline for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network The National Comprehensive Cancer Network clinical guidelines are the recognized standard and most synoptic evidence-based practice policies.
• The Ethics of Control Groups in Cancer Research A study is proposed to determine whether women with breast cancer who underwent a mastectomy have a higher rate of survival.
• Health-Related Misconceptions Regarding Antiperspirants and Breast Cancer There is a myth about the use of antiperspirants, especially aluminum-containing ones, as a risk factor for breast cancer.
• Physical Activity and Cancer Prevention Physical activity (PA) has to be efficient in preventing cancer, evading cancer repetition, and increasing good results.
• Esophageal Cancer: Description, Population Affected, and Prognosis In esophageal cancer, malignant cells develop in the esophagus tissues, leading to tumor formation; it accounts for 1% of all malignancies diagnosed in the USA each year.
• Diet, Physical Activity, Obesity, and Related Cancer Risk One’s health is affected by their lifestyle, which should be well managed since childhood to set a basis for a healthier adulthood.
• The Cancer Trial: Useful Medical Tool A cancer trial is a tool that helps medical professionals examine and trace the illness to develop its background and establish treatment methods.
• Macmillan Cancer Support Organization’s Data-Driven Decision-Making Macmillan Cancer Support Organization’s stakeholders must examine the cancer care workforce and predict how the future ratio might look for strategic management.
• Low-Income Men With Prostate Cancer The paper shows the clinical importance of post-treatment prostate cancer. Low-income disadvantaged men face various barriers, including knowledge.
• Cancer Screening Promotion for Middle-Aged Adults Public health policy among middle-aged adults that promotes cancer literacy and the importance of frequent screenings is likely to yield positive results.
• Naturalistic Observation of Couples Coping With Breast Cancer Couples who are suffering with cancer and their spouses’ psychological well-being were explored in study, which focused on the natural setting and substance of dialogues.
• Passive Smoking and Pancreatic Cancer in Women The association between ETS and pancreatic cancer is weak. The pancreatic cancer risk associated is confounded by environmental tobacco smoke exposures.
• Breast Cancer: Preventive Measures and Support Methods One of the most common types of cancer that women encounter worldwide is breast cancer. This disease was the cause of approximately 570,000 deaths in 2015.
• Health & Medicine: Breast Cancer in XIX Century The disease of breast cancer was a disease of women, which began to be actively noticed from the beginning of the nineteenth century.
• Breast Cancer: Threat to the Patients Cancer is developed from mutations, namely from atypical changes in genes that regulate cell growth and keep them healthy.
• Environmentally and Lifestyle Linked Cancer The paper argues it is critical to clearly understand the causes of cancer to avoid public misinformation that’s why the paper presents etiology and diagnosis of cancer.
• Case Brief on Colon Cancer and Colostomy The paper presents a medical case brief on a 54-year-old patient suffering from colon cancer who had undergone a surgery known as colostomy.
• Post-operative Breast Cancer Patients With Depression: Annotated Bibliography This paper is an annotated bibliography about risk reduction strategies at the point of care: Post-operative breast cancer patients who are experiencing depression.
• Cancer Insurance Evaluation An evaluation of what cancer insurance is, what it covers, how it works, the best providers, and how it differs from health insurance can facilitate a better sense of the policy.
• How to Lower your Cancer Risk. Nutrition Action Health Letter Cancer is the abnormal growth of cells. If a person is genetically predisposed to the disease, it can be difficult to avoid getting it.
• Cancer Patients: The Effectiveness of Pain Diary The pain diary assists the cancer patients in pain management by helping them to identify the nature of pain and where it is localized.
• Herceptin and Breast Cancer Treatment Cancer growth is a series of processes that are driven by alterations of genes that bring about the progressive conversion of usual body cells into extremely malignant imitation.
• The Diagnosis and Staging of Cancer The essay describes the diagnosis of cancer. It also highlights three complications associated with cancer. The discussion offers a detailed approach towards better care of cancer.
• American Cancer Society: The Aspects of Melanoma The current paper discusses the aspects of melanoma. It is a type of skin cancer caused by the uncontrolled growth of melanocytes.
• HIV-AIDS, Nutrition and Cancer in Society Patients suffering from HIV/AIDS need to have a perfect schedule for their nutrition. It is important that they watch their diet to boost their immunity.
• Cancer Early Detection, Prevention, and Survivorship in Arab Countries This paper aims to analyze perception, attitudes, and practice towards cancer early detection, prevention, and survivorship in Arab countries and Oman.
• Postoperative Breast Cancer Care The chosen for the paper articles support the implementation of risk reduction strategies for depression in post-operative breast cancer patients.
• Public Health Initiative on Prostrate Cancer Among Maryland’s Blacks The primary goal of the public health initiative is to improve the quality of life for all people in the US and reduce the racial prostate cancer disparities.
• Researching of Testicular Cancer Men with undescended testicles are at increased risk of developing testicular cancer. If the undescended testicle is not in the groin but in the abdomen, the risk is even higher
• Lung and Bronchus Cancer in Smoking Americans Among the causes of lung and bronchus cancer, smoking is the first to be distinguished, which is the reason for the vast majority of incidence cases.
• Breast Cancer and Exercise. Article Summary The research study focused on breast cancer survivors in the Rocky Mountain Cancer Rehabilitation Institute (RMCRI) who had already been treated.
• Dental Caries Among Survivors of Childhood Cancer Some professionals considered caries to be one of the long-term health consequences experienced after cancer while others do not support such an idea.
• The Risk Factors of Breast Cancer This paper will throw light upon what breast cancer is all about, the risk factors, the distribution, and determinants of the same.
• A Collaborative Stress Management Initiative for Mothers of Cancer Children The article explored the psychological stress experienced by mothers who have cancerous children. The research is current and relevant to contemporary health issues.
• Multicausality: Reserpine, Breast Cancer, and Obesity All the factors are not significant in the context of the liability to breast cancer development, though their minor influence is undeniable.
• Reducing Cancer Risk With Diet and Lifestyle Change This paper explores the reasons why a strict diet together with changes in lifestyle could significantly reduce the risk of cancer.
• Prostate Cancer Among the Blacks in the State of Maryland Empirical evidence reveals that race or ethnicity is the leading risk factor in the predisposition of men to prostate cancer.
• Breast Cancer: Etiology, Signs and Symptoms Breast cancer is believed to have claimed many human lives in the last four decades, but its prevalence rate has decreased significantly due to improved disease awareness.
• Behavioral Theory: Education Program for Oral Cancer This article uses the social learning theory and the theory of planned behavior to demonstrate the tenets of an effective health education program for the prevention of oral cancer.
• The Epidemiology of Breast Cancer in Young Women The researcher has clearly outlined the essence of the referenced study as aimed at reviewing the epidemiology of breast cancer in young women.
• Factors of Older Adults’ Decision on Cancer Treatment Puts et al. conducted a qualitative study in order to establish the factors that affect the elderly in making a decision to accept or reject cancer treatment.
• Optimal Care For Patients With All Forms of Cancer The nursing profession can benefit from several findings in this study. Optimal care for patients with all forms of cancer can indeed improve the quality of life.
• “Identifying Dietary Patterns Compatible With the Reduction of Cancer Risk” Article Review The review analyzes the purpose of the study aimed at assessing the viability of building healthy eating guidelines in four international settings.
• Processed Meat Consumption Causes Pancreatic Cancer In the United States, more than 30,000 Americans are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer annually, whereas in Europe over 60,000 people suffer from pancreatic cancer yearly.
• Cancer Treatment and Role of Nurses The primary purpose of this paper is to draw attention to current issues related to the treatment of cancer and the role of nurses.
• Addressing Risk Factors for Lung Cancer Lung cancer cannot be pinpointed to a particular cause. The first prevention measure is ceasing smoking as cigarettes carry chemicals poisonous to the lungs.
• Skin Cancer Types, Cells of Origin Melanoma is the severest form of skin cancer that grows quickly, and it can appear as a spot of a red, brown, black, or grey color with asymmetric sides.
• Genetic Alterations and Cancer The paper will discuss cancer symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment, side-effects of treatment, and also its link with a genetic alteration.
• Approach to Cancer Care: Diagnosing and Treatment This paper will discuss the process of diagnosing and staging cancer, the complications that are common among patients, and the various treatment remedies available.
• Prostate Cancer Among Blacks in Maryland: Cost-Effectiveness Analysis In the context of the black community in Maryland, the cost-effectiveness analysis portrays the ability of the chosen intervention to minimize the consequences of prostate cancer.
• The Relationship Between Breast Cancer and Genes Cancer, in general, is a disease caused by genes that have mutated or adapted in a different way than was intended.
• Does Marijuana Use and Misuse Cause Cancer? The purpose of this paper is to review two studies that have attempted to define the possible link between marijuana use/misuse and lung cancer.
• How Cancer Affects the Skin? Melanoma represents a type of cancer that affects the melanocytes based in the epidermis section of the skin, and it presents itself as patches of lesions on the skin.
• Functional Characterization of MicroRNAs in Prostate Cancer Prostate cancer is the name given to cancer that starts in the prostate gland. The prostate is a part of the man’s reproductive system and is as big as a walnut.
• Pathology the Respiratory System: Lung Cancer Lung cancer is among the leading causes of death through respiratory illnesses and it has posed a major challenge to the global healthcare system.
• A Perfusion Based 3D Cancer Model for Micro Tumor Formation In vitro perfused 3D cancer model, developed in this thesis, proved valuable for cancer cell culture and related anti-cancer drug tests.
• Deathography of Cancer From an early age, children get to learn about relatives and friends who have passed away and who passed away during their lifetime.
• Breast Cancer Development and Progression: Understanding Epigenetic Mechanisms The development and progression of breast cancer have been attributed to a series of cellular and molecular events, most of which are not well understood.
• Cervical Cancer: Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice This essay seeks to discuss the annual cervical cancer screening practice to identify the EBP that can be used to replace it.
• Impact of Alcohol Abuse on Breast Cancer Risk in Women This paper will examine the effects of alcohol abuse on the development of breast cancer in women to uncover its devastating consequences.
• Cancer Pain Experiences in Caucasians vs. Minorities Race, age, genetics, cancer type, culture, and psychosocial context have all been shown to impact the manner in which cancer patients experience pain during their illness.
• Cancer Treatment Practice Data Research Evidence-based practice in the nursing profession is fundamental towards effective delivery of care services to patients.
• Effects of Nutrition on Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Control The high prevalence rate of cancer and heart disease has necessitated the need to underline not only the use of drugs but also the role of nutrition in eradicating cancer.
• Virtual Colonoscopy to Screen for Colon Cancer The aim of this paper is to estimate the technology of virtual colonoscopy from the perspective of several factors, for filling the mentioned gap with the proper amount of arguments.
• African American Women and Cancer The existing disparities regarding healthcare services provision in the United States is a critical issue related to such phenomena as racial and gender discrimination.
• Americcan College of Radiology Protocol and Cancer Therapy Response to Antiangiogenetic Drug Chemotherapy and antiangiogenic drug use are essential in the process of treatment the organs affected with caner cells because the drugs are aimed at reducing the effect of cancer.
• Lung Cancer: Causes and Treatment In the current paper, the crucial peculiarities of lung cancer, as well as the reasons that cause it, will be discussed.
• Grant Proposal: Cancel Cancer To ensure that patients diagnosed with cancer can effectively reduce their stress and anxiety levels, a grant is needed to use the program of emotional relief.
• Socioeconomic Factors of Oral Cancer The significant probability of oral cancer being incident in unemployed people was high since the OR (odds ratio) is 2.27.
• Summaries of Three Articles About Lung Cancer One of the most straightforward and efficient ways to understand the pathogenesis of lung cancer is researching the molecular mechanisms that slowly initiate it.
• Cervical Cancer: Symptoms and Treatment Cervical cancer is a condition that affects the cells close to the vagina that can be located in the lower section of the uterus, which is called the cervix.
• Prophylaxis Breast Cancer This paper examines the majority of the parts in detail and considers every risk linked to the development of this dangerous disease.
• Expanded Treatment Options in the Adjuvant Therapy of Colon Cancer Nurses can make a difference in improving survival rates for stage III and IV patients by remaining up to date about treatment options offered by new adjuvant agents.
• Pancreatic Cancer: Diagnostics and Treatment The article analyses the most recent techniques in the diagnosis and management of pancreatic cancer malignancy with a very poor prognosis.
• Nutrition Research With Reference to Colorectal Cancer The present paper is concerned with evaluating the validity and reliability of nutrition research with reference to colorectal cancer.
• Nutritional “Cures” for Clients With Cancer or HIV-AIDS The paper analysis nutrition, which can play a pivotal role in providing some relief to patients especially those with HIV/AIDS.
• Human Patient Simulation for Skin Cancer Prevention Kuhrik et al. conclude that human patient simulation (HPS) can benefit future healthcare providers and promote early prevention and detection.
• The Disease of Breast Cancer: Definition and Treatment Breast cancer is a serious disease during which the breast cells experience abnormal growth. Females usually have a higher risk of developing the disease.
• Cancer and Humor in Children: Approach to Research The paper has discussed the factors that a researcher must consider when planning to investigate the relationship between the sense of humor and hospitalized childhood cancer stressors.
• Synthetic Lethality Approach as Used in Cancer Treatment The essay aims to demonstrate that Synthetic Lethality (SL) is an effective therapy that triggers two mutations in cancer cells that lead to cell death in the result.
• Virtual Colonoscopy – Colon Cancer Screening Virtual Colonoscopy is constantly becoming more and more popular, in comparison with the traditional approach and conventional colonoscopy in particular.
• Genetic Mechanism of Colorectal Cancer Colorectal Cancer (CRC) occurrence is connected to environmental factors, hereditary factors, and individual ones.
• Care of Breast Cancer-Related Lymphoedema The lymphoedema’s clinical manifestations include swelling of the upper or lower extremities, violation of skin nutrition, and subcutaneous fat tissue.
• Lung Cancer among Indigenous Australians A great number of severe diseases are widespread among the Indigenous Australian community. Cancer, especially lung cancer, is one of the most frequent cases.
• Spread of Respiratory Cancer and Ethnicity of the Patient Based on the descriptive statistics, it is possible to study how the spread of respiratory cancer and the ethnicity of the patient are related.
• The Use of Nanotechnology: Cancer Diagnostics and Treatment This article provides an overview of research and presentations on the use of nanotechnology for cancer treatment.
• Cancer: Definition, Epidemiology, and Pain Management Cancer is estimated to reveal itself in as many as 100 types. Statistically, in 2008 the mortality rate from cancer was at the level of 62%.
• Women’s Disease: Breast Cancer and Its Consequence Breast cancer is one of the most common cancer types worldwide amounting to 25-30% of all cancer cases detected yearly among women.
• Listing Occupational Carcinogens and Cancer Prevention Occupational carcinogens make up bulk of the known human carcinogens. In the quest to define occupational carcinogens the number of staff exposed is of paramount importance.
• Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines: Lung Cancer The evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) target early detection of lung cancer in patients based on screening tools and techniques suggested by the recent literature.
• Cancer Problem for Today’s Women The critique imposed in the study encompasses the fullness of the knowledge base in medical innovative therapies and pre-caution procedures for women living with cancer.
• Racism in Breast Cancer Treatment Cancer treatment is the least studied field that arises numerous ambiguities and requires a more sophisticated approach in studying.
• Cancer Interference With Dna Replication Reports indicate that a greater percentage of human cancers originate from chemical substances as well as environmental substances.
• Skin Cancer, Its Causes and Preventive Measures Skin cancer is one of the most common of all cancers, therefore, society needs to know the risks involved and must be better educated when it comes to preventative measures.
• Understanding the Skin Cancer Causes and Protecting the Skin Exposure to too much sun can lead to skin cancer. If we do not change our habits majority of us will one time get skin cancer during our lifetime and many people will die from it.
• Cancer and Contemporary Therapeutic Approaches
• Breast Cancer: Discussion of the Problems and Way of Treatment
• Colon Cancer: Possible Treatment Analysis
• Ethical Dilemma: Handling a Request for No Further Cancer Treatment
• Lung Cancer Early Screening in African Americans
• “Preferences for Photographic Art Among Hospitalized Patients With Cancer” the Article by Hanson et al.
• “Preferences for Photographic Art Among Hospitalized Patients With Cancer” the Article by Asmus, K., & Grossman, A., Hanson, H. and Schroeter, K.
• “Preferences for Photographic Art Among Hospitalized Patients With Cancer” the Article by Hanson, H., Schroeter, K., Hanson, A., Asmus, K., & Grossman, A.
• Computed Tomography and Related Cancer Risks
• Breast Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention
• Miami Breast Cancer Conference: Scholarly Activity
• Databases in Early Lung Cancer Screening
• Evaluating Intrinsic and Non-Intrinsic Cancer Risk Factors
• Recommendations for Breast Cancer Screening: USPSTF Guidelines
• Factors Influencing Breast Cancer Screening in Low-Income African Americans in Tennessee
• The Approach to the Care of Cancer
• American Cancer Society: Risk Factors, Effective Care and Enhancing Nursing Knowledge
• Cancer: Approach to Care
• American Cancer Society Guidelines Implementation
• “A Culturally Tailored Internet Cancer Support Group for Asian American Breast Cancer Survivors”: Article Analysis
• Lung & Bronchus Cancer Rates in the United States
• Cancer Pain Management and Education Programs
• Depression in Female Cancer Patients and Survivors
• Cervical Cancer Intervention in Clinical Practice
• Skin Cancer in Latin American Population
• Breast Cancer and Stress Heightening
• Prevention of Breast Cancer
• Pain Management Issues in Cancer Patients
• Reactive Oxygen Species and Cancer Cells Relationship
• Anthem Blue Cross: Breast Cancer Screenings
• Cancer Care, Diagnostics and Complications
• Women’s Healthcare: Breast Cancer Prevention & Treatment
• Colon Cancer Among Male Hispanic Population
• Vomiting and Nausea in Patients with Gastric Cancer
• Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia and Prostate Cancer
• Breast Cancer Inheritance Biophysical Factors
• Cancer: Diagnosis and Treatment
• Gastric Cancer Treatment: Research Instrument
• Cancer Stages, Treatment and Side Effects
• Anxiety and Depression Among Females with Cancer
• Breast Cancer Screening Promotion
• Cancer Risk Factors: Biology Concepts
• Bladder Cancer, Its Mortality Trends and Projection
• Mindfulness-Based Music Therapy and Cancer Treatment
• Mammary Cancer: Health Screening Initiative
• Mammography Screening and Breast Cancer Mortality
• Skin Cancer: Examination and Prevention
• Cervical Cancer in the UK
• Cancer Effects Management Methods
• Cancer Burden and Prevention Strategies
• Mindfulness-Based Therapy for Cancer Patients
• Cervical Cancer Prevention Among British Women
• Breast Cancer Studies: Evaluation and Analysis of Scientific Papers
• Value Care of Cancer
• Community Cancer Screening and Detection Project
• Cancer Care Approaches: Diagnosis, Side Effects, and Treatment
• Music Therapy Effects for Breast Cancer Patients
• Gastric Cancer Treatment: Data Collection
• Cancer: Steps of the Implementation Plan
• Endometrial Cancer Symptoms in Women After 35
• Birth Control Pills and Cervical Cancer Development
• Lung Cancer, Its Etiology Pathophysiology
• Who Work with Cancer Patients?
• Cancer Diagnostics, Staging and Complications
• Breast Cancer: Disease Screening and Diagnosis
• Mindfulness-Based Music Therapy in Cancer Patients
• Prostate Cancer: African American Cancer Initiative
• Cancer Treatment Research: Informed Consent
• Possible Trends in the Cause of Cancer
• Cancer Diagnosis, Complications and Treatment
• Approaches to Cancer Care
• From Breast Cancer to Zika Virus – Nursing Issues
• Tanning Booths and Skin Cancer Relationship – Medicine
• Massage Therapy vs. Simple Touch to Improve Pain and Mood in Patients with Advanced Cancer: A Randomized Trial
• A Research of Breast Cancer Survival
• Can Aspirin Help Reduce the Risk of Lung Cancer?
• What Are the Challenges for Relative Effectiveness Assessment and Early Access of Cancer Immunotherapies in Europe?
• Does Cellular Phone Use Contribute to Cancer Formation?
• Has Medical Innovation Reduced Cancer Mortality?
• Can Diet and Exercise Help Prevent Cancer?
• Does Detecting Breast Cancer with MRIs Increase the Rate of Mastectomies?
• How Are Cancer Cells Structurally Different From Normal?
• Can Elderly Patients With Pancreatic Cancer Gain Survival Advantages Through More Radical Surgeries?
• How Does Cancer Affect Individuals From All Backgrounds?
• Can Immunogenic Chemotherapies Relieve Cancer Cell Resistance to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors?
• Does Diet Really Help Prevent Colon Cancer?
• Why Do African American Women Contract Breast or Cervical Cancer More Than Any Other Ethnic Group?
• How Does Cancer Form and Spread in the Human Body?
• Can Korean Red Ginseng Increase the Life Span of Cancer Patients?
• Does Natural Killer Cell Deficiency Increase the Risk of Cancer?
• Why Do Women Generally Get Breast Cancer Rather Than Other Cancers?
• Should the Cervical Cancer Vaccine for Girls Be Compulsory?
• Can Religion Help the Healing Process of Cancer?
• Does Green Tea Offer the Prescription for Beating Cancer?
• How Can Nanomedicine Help Cure Cancer?
• What Are the Symptoms and Treatments for Breast Cancer?
• Does Medicare Coverage Improve Cancer Detection and Mortality Outcomes?
• Are Pet Owners Really at Greater Risk of Cancer?
• How Can People Protect Themselves From Cancer?
• Does the Immune System Naturally Protect Against Cancer?
• Understanding cancer: causes, types, and risk factors.
• Complementary and alternative medicine for cancer patients.
• Environmental factors affecting cancer risk.
• The connection between cancer and aging.
• The role of artificial intelligence in cancer diagnosis.
• Strategies for improving quality of life after cancer treatment.
• Precision oncology: how it works.
• The significance of biomarkers in cancer diagnosis and prognosis.
• The role of diet in preventing and managing cancer.
• Ways to reduce cancer risks.
• Breast cancer awareness campaign: causes and prevention.
• Art therapy sessions for cancer patients.
• A healthy eating cookbook for a balanced diet during chemotherapy.
• Inspirational storytelling: collecting personal stories of cancer survivors.
• Raising awareness of the effects of smoking on cancer risk.
• Cancer prevention podcast: interviewing experts.
• Decision-making guide for cancer treatment for patients and their families.
• Surveying the impact of cancer treatment on patients’ daily lives.
• Volunteer-based transportation services for cancer patients.
• A social media campaign for raising awareness about cancer.

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StudyCorgi . 2021. "271 Cancer Research Topics for Undergraduates and High School Students." September 9, 2021. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/cancer-essay-topics/.

These essay examples and topics on Cancer were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

This essay topic collection was updated on January 5, 2024 .

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Home > Eppley Institute > Theses & Dissertations

Theses & Dissertations: Cancer Research

Theses/dissertations from 2024 2024.

Novel Spirocyclic Dimer (SpiD3) Displays Potent Preclinical Effects in Hematological Malignancies , Alexandria Eiken

Therapeutic Effects of BET Protein Inhibition in B-cell Malignancies and Beyond , Audrey L. Smith

Identifying the Molecular Determinants of Lung Metastatic Adaptation in Prostate Cancer , Grace M. Waldron

Identification of Mitotic Phosphatases and Cyclin K as Novel Molecular Targets in Pancreatic Cancer , Yi Xiao

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

Development of Combination Therapy Strategies to Treat Cancer Using Dihydroorotate Dehydrogenase Inhibitors , Nicholas Mullen

Overcoming Resistance Mechanisms to CDK4/6 Inhibitor Treatment Using CDK6-Selective PROTAC , Sarah Truong

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Omics Analysis in Cancer and Development , Emalie J. Clement

Investigating the Role of Splenic Macrophages in Pancreatic Cancer , Daisy V. Gonzalez

Polymeric Chloroquine in Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer Therapy , Rubayat Islam Khan

Evaluating Targets and Therapeutics for the Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer , Shelby M. Knoche

Characterization of 1,1-Diarylethylene FOXM1 Inhibitors Against High-Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma Cells , Cassie Liu

Novel Mechanisms of Protein Kinase C α Regulation and Function , Xinyue Li

SOX2 Dosage Governs Tumor Cell Identity and Proliferation , Ethan P. Metz

Post-Transcriptional Control of the Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) in Ras-Driven Colorectal Cancers , Chaitra Rao

Use of Machine Learning Algorithms and Highly Multiplexed Immunohistochemistry to Perform In-Depth Characterization of Primary Pancreatic Tumors and Metastatic Sites , Krysten Vance

Characterization of Metastatic Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma in the Immunosuppressed Patient , Megan E. Wackel

Visceral adipose tissue remodeling in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cachexia: the role of activin A signaling , Pauline Xu

Phos-Tag-Based Screens Identify Novel Therapeutic Targets in Ovarian Cancer and Pancreatic Cancer , Renya Zeng

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Functional Characterization of Cancer-Associated DNA Polymerase ε Variants , Stephanie R. Barbari

Pancreatic Cancer: Novel Therapy, Research Tools, and Educational Outreach , Ayrianne J. Crawford

Apixaban to Prevent Thrombosis in Adult Patients Treated With Asparaginase , Krishna Gundabolu

Molecular Investigation into the Biologic and Prognostic Elements of Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma with Regulators of Tumor Microenvironment Signaling Explored in Model Systems , Tyler Herek

Utilizing Proteolysis-Targeting Chimeras to Target the Transcriptional Cyclin-Dependent Kinases 9 and 12 , Hannah King

Insights into Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Pathogenesis and Metastasis Using a Bedside-to-Bench Approach , Marissa Lobl

Development of a MUC16-Targeted Near-Infrared Antibody Probe for Fluorescence-Guided Surgery of Pancreatic Cancer , Madeline T. Olson

FGFR4 glycosylation and processing in cholangiocarcinoma promote cancer signaling , Andrew J. Phillips

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Cooperativity of CCNE1 and FOXM1 in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer , Lucy Elge

Characterizing the critical role of metabolic and redox homeostasis in colorectal cancer , Danielle Frodyma

Genomic and Transcriptomic Alterations in Metabolic Regulators and Implications for Anti-tumoral Immune Response , Ryan J. King

Dimers of Isatin Derived Spirocyclic NF-κB Inhibitor Exhibit Potent Anticancer Activity by Inducing UPR Mediated Apoptosis , Smit Kour

From Development to Therapy: A Panoramic Approach to Further Our Understanding of Cancer , Brittany Poelaert

The Cellular Origin and Molecular Drivers of Claudin-Low Mammary Cancer , Patrick D. Raedler

Mitochondrial Metabolism as a Therapeutic Target for Pancreatic Cancer , Simon Shin

Development of Fluorescent Hyaluronic Acid Nanoparticles for Intraoperative Tumor Detection , Nicholas E. Wojtynek

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

The role of E3 ubiquitin ligase FBXO9 in normal and malignant hematopoiesis , R. Willow Hynes-Smith

BRCA1 & CTDP1 BRCT Domainomics in the DNA Damage Response , Kimiko L. Krieger

Targeted Inhibition of Histone Deacetyltransferases for Pancreatic Cancer Therapy , Richard Laschanzky

Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) Class I Molecule Components and Amyloid Precursor-Like Protein 2 (APLP2): Roles in Pancreatic Cancer Cell Migration , Bailee Sliker

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

FOXM1 Expression and Contribution to Genomic Instability and Chemoresistance in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer , Carter J. Barger

Overcoming TCF4-Driven BCR Signaling in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma , Keenan Hartert

Functional Role of Protein Kinase C Alpha in Endometrial Carcinogenesis , Alice Hsu

Functional Signature Ontology-Based Identification and Validation of Novel Therapeutic Targets and Natural Products for the Treatment of Cancer , Beth Neilsen

Elucidating the Roles of Lunatic Fringe in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma , Prathamesh Patil

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Metabolic Reprogramming of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Cells in Response to Chronic Low pH Stress , Jaime Abrego

Understanding the Relationship between TGF-Beta and IGF-1R Signaling in Colorectal Cancer , Katie L. Bailey

The Role of EHD2 in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Tumorigenesis and Progression , Timothy A. Bielecki

Perturbing anti-apoptotic proteins to develop novel cancer therapies , Jacob Contreras

Role of Ezrin in Colorectal Cancer Cell Survival Regulation , Premila Leiphrakpam

Evaluation of Aminopyrazole Analogs as Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitors for Colorectal Cancer Therapy , Caroline Robb

Identifying the Role of Janus Kinase 1 in Mammary Gland Development and Breast Cancer , Barbara Swenson

DNMT3A Haploinsufficiency Provokes Hematologic Malignancy of B-Lymphoid, T-Lymphoid, and Myeloid Lineage in Mice , Garland Michael Upchurch

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

EHD1 As a Positive Regulator of Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor-1 Receptor , Luke R. Cypher

Inflammation- and Cancer-Associated Neurolymphatic Remodeling and Cachexia in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma , Darci M. Fink

Role of CBL-family Ubiquitin Ligases as Critical Negative Regulators of T Cell Activation and Functions , Benjamin Goetz

Exploration into the Functional Impact of MUC1 on the Formation and Regulation of Transcriptional Complexes Containing AP-1 and p53 , Ryan L. Hanson

DNA Polymerase Zeta-Dependent Mutagenesis: Molecular Specificity, Extent of Error-Prone Synthesis, and the Role of dNTP Pools , Olga V. Kochenova

Defining the Role of Phosphorylation and Dephosphorylation in the Regulation of Gap Junction Proteins , Hanjun Li

Molecular Mechanisms Regulating MYC and PGC1β Expression in Colon Cancer , Jamie L. McCall

Pancreatic Cancer Invasion of the Lymphatic Vasculature and Contributions of the Tumor Microenvironment: Roles for E-selectin and CXCR4 , Maria M. Steele

Altered Levels of SOX2, and Its Associated Protein Musashi2, Disrupt Critical Cell Functions in Cancer and Embryonic Stem Cells , Erin L. Wuebben

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Characterization and target identification of non-toxic IKKβ inhibitors for anticancer therapy , Elizabeth Blowers

Effectors of Ras and KSR1 dependent colon tumorigenesis , Binita Das

Characterization of cancer-associated DNA polymerase delta variants , Tony M. Mertz

A Role for EHD Family Endocytic Regulators in Endothelial Biology , Alexandra E. J. Moffitt

Biochemical pathways regulating mammary epithelial cell homeostasis and differentiation , Chandrani Mukhopadhyay

EPACs: epigenetic regulators that affect cell survival in cancer. , Catherine Murari

Role of the C-terminus of the Catalytic Subunit of Translesion Synthesis Polymerase ζ (Zeta) in UV-induced Mutagensis , Hollie M. Siebler

LGR5 Activates TGFbeta Signaling and Suppresses Metastasis in Colon Cancer , Xiaolin Zhou

LGR5 Activates TGFβ Signaling and Suppresses Metastasis in Colon Cancer , Xiaolin Zhou

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Genetic dissection of the role of CBL-family ubiquitin ligases and their associated adapters in epidermal growth factor receptor endocytosis , Gulzar Ahmad

Strategies for the identification of chemical probes to study signaling pathways , Jamie Leigh Arnst

Defining the mechanism of signaling through the C-terminus of MUC1 , Roger B. Brown

Targeting telomerase in human pancreatic cancer cells , Katrina Burchett

The identification of KSR1-like molecules in ras-addicted colorectal cancer cells , Drew Gehring

Mechanisms of regulation of AID APOBEC deaminases activity and protection of the genome from promiscuous deamination , Artem Georgievich Lada

Characterization of the DNA-biding properties of human telomeric proteins , Amanda Lakamp-Hawley

Studies on MUC1, p120-catenin, Kaiso: coordinate role of mucins, cell adhesion molecules and cell cycle players in pancreatic cancer , Xiang Liu

Epac interaction with the TGFbeta PKA pathway to regulate cell survival in colon cancer , Meghan Lynn Mendick

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Deconvolution of the phosphorylation patterns of replication protein A by the DNA damage response to breaks , Kerry D. Brader

Modeling malignant breast cancer occurrence and survival in black and white women , Michael Gleason

The role of dna methyltransferases in myc-induced lymphomagenesis , Ryan A. Hlady

Design and development of inhibitors of CBL (TKB)-protein interactions , Eric A. Kumar

Pancreatic cancer-associated miRNAs : expression, regulation and function , Ashley M. Mohr

Mechanistic studies of mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP) , Xiaming Pang

Novel roles for JAK2/STAT5 signaling in mammary gland development, cancer, and immune dysregulation , Jeffrey Wayne Schmidt

Optimization of therapeutics against lethal pancreatic cancer , Joshua J. Souchek

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Immune-based novel diagnostic mechanisms for pancreatic cancer , Michael J. Baine

Sox2 associated proteins are essential for cell fate , Jesse Lee Cox

KSR2 regulates cellular proliferation, transformation, and metabolism , Mario R. Fernandez

Discovery of a novel signaling cross-talk between TPX2 and the aurora kinases during mitosis , Jyoti Iyer

Regulation of metabolism by KSR proteins , Paula Jean Klutho

The role of ERK 1/2 signaling in the dna damage-induced G2 , Ryan Kolb

Regulation of the Bcl-2 family network during apoptosis induced by different stimuli , Hernando Lopez

Studies on the role of cullin3 in mitosis , Saili Moghe

Characteristics of amyloid precursor-like protein 2 (APLP2) in pancreatic cancer and Ewing's sarcoma , Haley Louise Capek Peters

Structural and biophysical analysis of a human inosine triphosphate pyrophosphatase polymorphism , Peter David Simone

Functions and regulation of Ron receptor tyrosine kinase in human pancreatic cancer and its therapeutic applications , Yi Zou

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

Coordinate detection of new targets and small molecules for cancer therapy , Kurt Fisher

The role of c-Myc in pancreatic cancer initiation and progression , Wan-Chi Lin

The role of inosine triphosphate pyrophosphatase (ITPA) in maintanence [sic] of genomic stability in human cells , Miriam-Rose Menezes

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353 Cancer Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best cancer topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on cancer, 📌 most interesting cancer topics to write about, 💡 good research topics about cancer, ⭐ simple & easy cancer essay titles, 🔎 interesting topics to write about cancer.

• Different Applications of Calculus in Cancer Treatment and Monitoring The type of treatments applied is pre-determined by the location, the type, and the severity of the tumors. The mathematical concept of calculus is applied when doctors consider the diffusion of different drugs into the […]
• Breast Cancer Symptoms and Causes The mammogram is the first indication of breast cancer, even though other indications such as the presence of the lymph nodes in the armpits are also the early indications of breast cancer.
• Breast Cancer: Concept Map and Case Study Each member of the interdisciplinary team involved in treating patients with cancer and heart disease should focus on educational priorities such as:
• Esophageal Cancer Overview and Analysis Esophageal Cancer mainly refers to the growths that forms within the tissues that line the walls of the esophagus; the tube composed of muscles that aid the passage of the food from the exterior opening […]
• Health Psychology: Going Through a Breast Cancer Diagnosis He is unaware that she has been diagnosed with depression and that she is going for breast screening Stress from work is also a contributing factor to her condition.
• Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Plan Cervical cancer is a type of cancer that affects the lower part of the uterus known as the cervix. The presence of these cells in the cervix is an indication that a woman may be […]
• American Cancer Society History Its main duty is to ensure there is a reduction of the number of patients suffering from cancer and eradication of the disease as one of the major health problem faced by many Americans today.
• Asbestos, Carcinogens, and Occupational Cancers: Insights from Dr. Demers With the cases of asbestos-related cancer rising and the vast amounts of asbestos existing in buildings, water pipes, and workplaces, there is a dire need for stringent policies to remove all asbestos from the environment.Dr.
• Enhancing Cancer Screening Access and Treatment Equity Increasing the accessibility and equity in cancer screening solutions is extremely important. The existing screening criteria should be expanded through changes in guidelines, and increased funding.
• Progress in Cancer Control: Rhetorical Analysis According to their study, these behaviors are more likely to lead to cancer, and the authors’ goal is to convince the audience that they should take responsibility for their health and strive to minimize the […]
• Breast Cancer and Its Population Burden The other objectives that are central to this paper are highlighted below: To determine which group is at a high risk of breast cancer To elucidate the impact of breast cancer on elderly women and […]
• Pap Smear and Cervical Cancer: Oncology Nursing The piece of legislation I believe has most significantly affected women’s healthcare in the past century is the regulation for women to take Pap smear regularly to prevent cervical cancer development.
• Colorectal Cancer Screening Methodology CRC affects the colon, the large intestine, and the rectum a passageway between the colon and the anus. In 2019, the average incidence rate for CRC in the United States was 41.
• Screening Colonoscopy for Colorectal Cancer Prevention Colonoscopy allows visualization of the entire mucosa of the distal terminal ileum and the large intestine. Before the screening, the natural history of the disease is essential for the practitioner to identify the prevention levels.
• Prostate Cancer: Urinary Frequency and Incontinence In terms of the back and spine pain that the patient reported, it is notable that the x-ray revealed some mild degenerative changes in the form of a cystic mass near the spine.
• Discussion: Understanding of Cancer Annually, the IARC estimates the number of new cancer cases and fatalities worldwide and in the United States and gathers the most up-to-date data on the prevalence of cancer in populations.
• Ovarian Cancer: Risk Factors, Health Disparities, and Preventive Measures The most common signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer include weight loss, pain in the pelvic region, swelling and bloating in the abdomen, low appetite, and increased urination.
• Mindfulness Practice During Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer She discusses the significance of the study to the nursing field and how nurses can use the findings to help their patients cope with stress.
• The Role of hnRNPs in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Blood and lymph are tissues of mesenchymal origin, which consist of plasma and corpuscles suspended in it and form the internal environment of the body.
• Benefits of Good Nutrition During Cancer Treatment Eating various foods is an important part of a healthy diet to get the nutrients the patient needs to fight cancer.
• Community-Based Health Education on Cervical Cancer Through awareness, women will be able to understand the life of the diseases and the control measures that should be put in place to eradicate the infection.
• Antioxidants: The Role in Preventing Cancer and Heart Disease Some of antioxidants are more widely known as vitamins E, C, and carotenoids, and have a reputation of preventing cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
• The Lung Cancer Incidence Research The attributed risk is calculated by dividing the newly diagnosed incidence of cancer attributed to smoking by the total number of newly diagnosed cases of lung cancer.
• Breast Cancer: The Effective Care Domain Information about how the patient is seen, how often the patient is seen, and whether she will return for mammograms can be collected and analyzed to verify the successful intervention to extend consistency with mammograms.
• Colorectal Cancer Screening and Its Effect on Disease Incidence The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental quality improvement project was to determine if or to what degree the implementation of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s System Approach to Tracking and Increasing Screening for […]
• The Burden of Cancer in the United States Both Hispanic men and women are the least affected by lung cancer in terms of incidence and mortality. Therefore, considering the DALYs measure and smoking rates in the Hispanic group, it can be concluded that […]
• Statistical Analysis of Lung and Bronchus Cancer Data Using the mean obtained, the Black community has recorded the highest cases of lung and bronchus cancer, with the lowest ethnic group recording, such being the Hispanic race.
• Garden Pesticide and Breast Cancer Therefore, taking into account the basic formula, the 1000 person-years case, the number of culture-positive cases of 500, and culture-negative of 10000, the incidence rate will be 20 new cases.
• Breast Cancer as a Genetic Red Flag It is important to note that the genetic red flags in Figure 1 depicted above include heart disease, hypertension, and breast cancer.
• Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium Analysis Simultaneously, the resource is beneficial because it aims to “improve the delivery and quality of breast cancer screening and related outcomes in the United States”.
• Drinking Green Tea: Breast Cancer Patients Therefore, drinking green tea regularly is just a necessity- it will contribute to good health and physical vigor throughout the day and prevent severe diseases.
• Pathophysiology of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Lung Cancer It is also evident that the illness acts fast due to the continuous multiplication of the cancer cells leading to breathing disruptions and eventual death. This sustained weight loss is primarily essential to the advancement […]
• Breast Cancer Prevention: Ethical and Scientific Issues Such information can potentially impact the patient and decide in favor of sharing the information about the current condition and risks correlating with the family history.
• Prostate Cancer Statistics for a Term Paper Prostate cancer is also known as ‘Carcinoma of the Prostate’ and it starts when cells in the prostate glands develop an abnormality that allows them to grow out of control.
• Colorectal Cancer: Promoting a Healthy Diet The aims and goals were to analyze the goals, techniques of solution, and outcomes of particular research and enhance knowledge about the topic area based on a review of freshly released data. I would also […]
• Colorectal Cancer Development Due to Dietary Habits A fundamental research interest of the present dissertation was to run a pilot test on a small sample to assess the possibility of using questionnaires as a tool to assess Saudis’ perception of dietary habits […]
• Cancer Patients’ Late Admission to a Hospice Mulville et al.set out to evaluate and identify the reasons that prevent timely admission to the hospice of cancer patients at the end of life.
• Breast Cancer: Epidemiology, Risks, and Prevention In that way, the authors discuss the topics of breast cancer and obesity and the existing methods of prevention while addressing the ethnic disparities persistent in the issue.
• Breast Cancer Development in Black Women With consideration of the mentioned variables and target population, the research question can be formulated: what is the effect of nutrition and lifestyle maintained on breast cancer development in black women?
• Dietary Habits as a Risk Factor of Colorectal Cancer The risks, however, reduce with the adoption of healthy dietary habits, such as the intake of fresh fruits and vegetables. The author advised conducting more qualitative studies on factors affecting the Saudis population to adhere […]
• Traditional and Complementary Medicine Among Indigenous Cancer Patients Therefore, it is necessary to increase the overall understanding of the role of CAM among breast cancer patients alongside identifying the key motivating factors, where the prime manifestations of the phenomenon are faith and prayer.
• Mechanisms Behind Cancer Development This shows that epigenetics can be employed to determine the type of cancer an individual is expected to develop and make it easier to detect the disease at its early stages. Thus, the combination of […]
• Education for Parents of Children With Cancer The hospital was selected because I am have been working there for a long time, and the personnel is willing to help me with the implementation of the process.
• Health Inequities in Cancer Patients Despite a recent slowdown in overall spending, the United States spends more on health care than other high-income nations and still has some of the worst health results.
• 177Lu-PSMA Radioligand Therapy for Prostate Cancer The therapy is proved to be safer and more effective than its alternatives, with a great deal of success in reducing PSMA.
• Lung Cancer: Diagnostics and Treatment Thus, it is essential to invest in research about lung cancer and be aware of the factors that contribute to its emergence to protect themselves.
• Khalaf’s Burden of Pancreatic Cancer Study Analysis The outcome factors in this study are that regular-dose and low-dose Aspirin were observed to decrease the risk of pancreatic cancer.
• Cancer Blood Tests Saving Lives It is important to note that the article explores novel ways of cancer diagnostics and screening methods using blood tests for various signs of the condition.
• Breast Cancer in Miami Florida The situation with the diagnosis of breast cancer is directly related to the availability of medicine in the state and the general awareness of the non-population.
• 177LU-PSMA Radiological Therapy of Prostate Cancer More clinical trials are necessary to define the efficacy of PSMA treatment and develop more concomitant medication. Also, Gafia et al.found that PSMA is a long-term clinical condition whose changes in management are observed after […]
• Cancer Among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People When compared to non-Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, also known as Indigenous Australians, are disadvantaged across a number of health and socioeconomic indices.
• The Ethical Problem in the Case of the Cancer Patient On the other hand, urgently inducing the patient’s death may have been an administrative problem for the patient, and it is not sure that it was caused by the wife’s deliberate decision.
• Cancer Treatment Strategies and Challenges Inspired by the merits of the natural nanovesicles and the state of the art of the advanced engineering versatility of synthetic nanomaterials, we previously presented the synthetic and biological hybrid exosomes for targeted synergistic chemo […]
• Urinary Tract Infections and Pancreatic Cancer The laboratory technician is supposed to culture the urine and use Gram’s staining method to detect the microbes in the sample. The practitioners used a combination of mecillinam and cefotaxime to manage the condition.
• Patient HealthCare: Early Diagnosis of Cancer The NCQA describes the three patients’ interventions and explains how the Nurse Practitioner explicitly measures the listed interventions’ effects. While the patient is in the clinic for routine care, problems with preventive tests and their […]
• Machine Learning Algorithms in Cancer Detection One of the most fundamental tools for machine learning in cancer detection is the use of imaging, with the premise that prognostic data is embedded in pathology images and digital pathology can provide big data […]
• Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and Nutritional Influences A complete blood count is used to determine the precise number of each blood cell type in an individual, whereas a peripheral blood smear is used to determine alteration in the appearance and mobility of […]
• Breast Cancer: Genetics and Malignancy In the presence of such conditions, the formation of atypical cells is possible in the mammary gland. In the described case, this aspect is the most significant since it includes various details of the patient’s […]
• Video Consultations Between Patients and Clinicians in Diabetes, Cancer, and Heart Failure Services For example, during one of my interactions with the patient, I was asked whether the hospital had the policy to avoid face-to-face interaction during the pandemic with the help of video examinations.
• Diets to Prevent Heart Disease, Cancer, and Diabetes In order to prevent heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, people are required to adhere to strict routines, including in terms of diet. Additionally, people wanting to prevent heart disease, cancer, and diabetes also need to […]
• Smoking as a Risk Factor for Lung Cancer Lung cancer is one of the most frequent types of the condition, and with the low recovery rates. If the problem is detected early and the malignant cells are contained to a small region, surgery […]
• Skin Cancer: Description, Causes, and Treatment Skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer; the three most common types of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma.
• Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Its Prevalence and Incidence The purpose of this paper is to present the first part of the case study by describing the disease’s pathophysiology, treatment options, prevalence, and incidence.
• Colon Cancer: Symptoms, Genes, and Immunosuppression Colon cancer is the type of cancer that starts in the large intestine, which is the last section of the digestive tract.
• Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Causes, Origin, and Gene Mutation Apart from analyzing chromosome abnormalities present in patients with ALL, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the disorder’s origin, including primary causes and the process of gene mutations.
• Researching the Colon Cancer and Nursing It is critical for the nurse to have trusted information about cancer tumors because many studies have indicated that patients appreciate and rely on the competence of nurses.
• Nebraska State Department of Health Registries for Cancer and Immunization There is a need to report the progress of breast cancer in Nebraska to help do more research on preventing and introducing improved chemotherapy plans. Nebraska state has immunization and cancer registries which are helpful […]
• Cancer Terminology and Characteristics Carcinomas arise from epithelial tissue, lymphomas are cancers of lymphatic tissue, leukemias are cancers of blood-forming cells, and sarcomas come from connective tissue.
• The Cancer Cell Development: Causes and Sources Loss of function of suppressor genes resulting from mutations becomes the cause of cancer development: the cell divides abnormally, increasing the cell mass of the tissue.
• Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia and Granulocytosis: Causes and Treatment The accumulation of the underdeveloped stem cells impairs the functioning of the blood cells resulting in such diseases as cancer. This is because white blood cells are part of the immune system and help fight […]
• Epidemiology: Lung Cancer Risk The continued exploration of the factors, as well as agents, leading to the spread of pandemics led to a quantitative and qualitative examination and the development of immunization to reduce infections.
• Case Study for a Patient With Cancer Because Julia refused to continue chemotherapy and radiation treatment, her adenocarcinoma should be expected to get worse, which means she may need further services of a nurse, who would create plans for supportive care; as […]
• Financing of Public Health Initiative on Prostate Cancer Additionally, they need to demonstrate to the public that the resources bestowed on them are adding value to the facilities they are in charge of.
• Genetic Testing: Screening for Colon Cancer This disorder is characterized by the development of hundreds of thousands of adenomatous polyps in the colon and rectum early in life.
• Cancer: Causes, Diagnostic and Treatment This article recommends that the new dietary patterns can be used to reduce the risk of cancer and other diseases. Vegetables can be used to reduce the occurrence of stomach cancer and colorectal cancer.
• Prostate Cancer Among Blacks in Maryland: Public Health Initiative This paper evaluates the economic principles underlying community health needs assessment of the initiative and the health economics relevant to the utilization of the service.
• New Gene Discovered That Stops Spread of Cancer At this point, it is crucial to mention that the discovery by the Salk institute is just a beginning of a long scientific journey that is anticipated to culminate in a comprehensive and conclusive study […]
• Genes Cause Breast Cancer Evidence suggests the role of BRCA1 in DNA repair is more expansive than that of BRCA2 and involves many pathways. Therefore, it is suggested that BRCT ambit containing proteins are involved in DNA repair and […]
• Do Cellphones Cause Brain Cancer? The reason for the worries is that cellphones emit RF energy that contains both electric and magnetic energy, and exposure to it may be unhealthy for a human being.
• Cancer Survivorship and Reproductive Health Outcomes This life includes the social, emotional, psychological, and financial effects that start at the beginning of diagnosis and commences up to the final stage of the disease.
• Patients With Cancer: The Importance of Early Referrals to Hospitals The purpose of this study was to prove the connection between early referrals to hospitals for patients with cancer and the possibility of a positive outcome of treatment for them.
• Aspects of Testicular Cancer The cancer is narrowed to the testicles and the epididymis as the tumor markers level reads normal at the first stage and has not grown into the blood.
• New Venture: Cancer Risks of Firefighters In my opinion, being a firefighter is not just a profession, it is the ability to come to the rescue, to have compassion, to feel pain, and to empathize with people who are in a […]
• Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Genetic Features of Black Patients According to the researcher, the differences in the biological impact of disease and the socioeconomic factors play a crucial role in the disparity between the Blacks and the Whites in the recovery process.
• Cancer Alley and Environmental Racism One of the sources under study is valuable, as it examines the current situation of the coronavirus and the impact of pollution on human health.
• Cancer: Risk, Treatment and Prevention Cancer is a condition characterized by abnormal cells that do not function usefully in the body, thereby destroying normal body tissues.
• Colon Cancer: Treatment Options, Medication Research Colon cancer typically begins in the large intestine, which is at the end of the digestive tract and is called a colon.
• Managing Patient With Pancreatic Cancer Overall, pancreatic cancer affects the cellular functioning of the pancreas and disrupts the operation of the digestive system. PanIN is the most common antecedent of pancreatic cancer and occurs in the small pancreatic ducts.
• Cancer Medication and Treatment Alternatives: Project Proposal Indeed, despite the advances made in the management of cancer, particularly, the surgical removal of the tumor and the following therapy allowing to reduce health risks, cancer remains one of the major causes of death […]
• Does the Sun Radiation Cause Skin Cancer? Moreover, from the article written by American Cancer Society, it is evident that Ultraviolet A and Ultraviolet B from the sun lead to skin cancer.
• Light Use in Cancer Treatment The notable strength of this article is that it goes further to identify ZnPc-Q1 as a possible candidate for using light therapy in the treatment of cancer. In this work, the authors examine and describe […]
• The Virus That Causes Throat Cancers The research article used after the insight of the summary in the New York Times was from the journal of American medical association.
• Esophageal Cancer: Credible Internet Information Esophageal cancer has become one of the main forms of cancers which usually causes a lot of suffering to patients due to immense pain, difficulty in swallowing or dysphagia.
• Breast Cancer. Service Management The trial specifically looks at the effect on breast-cancer mortality of inviting women to screening from age 40 years compared with invitation from age 50 years as in the current NHS breast-screening programme.
• Fibrocystic Breast Condition or Breast Cancer? The presence of the fibrocystic breast condition means that the tissue of the breast is fibrous, and cysts are filled with the liquid or fluid. The main characteristic feature of this cancer is that it […]
• Cervical Cancer: Causes and Treatment Cervical cancer develops in the cervix – the lower part of the uterus. It starts in a particular part of the cervix, where its squamous and glandular cells connect.
• Analysis in Epidemiology: “Epithelial Ovarian Cancer and Oral Contraceptives” Therefore, in the current case, since the use of combination oral contraceptives reduces the occurrence of epithelial ovarian cancer, then the factors that affect the OCs MUST ALWAYS precede the factors affecting the occurrence of […]
• Coping With Stress in Breast Cancer Patients Therefore, it is important for research experts to ensure and guarantee adherence to methodologies and guidelines that define scientific inquiry. However, various discrepancies manifest with regard to the initiation and propagation of research studies.
• Breast Self-Examination and Breast Cancer Mortality Though it is harsh to dismiss self-exams entirely due to studies that indicate little in deaths of women who performed self-exams and those who did not, the self-exams should not be relied on exclusively as […]
• Breast Self-Exams Curbing Breast Cancer Mortality The results of the study were consistent with the findings of other studies of the same nature on the effectiveness of breast self-examination in detecting and curbing breast cancer.
• Prostate Cancer: Pathophysiology and Diagnostics The disease is normally multimodal in the prostate gland and just about 70% of the illness exists in the or the Peripheral zone.
• Cancer: Factors of Prevention and Treatment The paper focuses on studying polyploidy/multinucleated giant cancer cells, calcium, BXL Protein, Acetylsalicylic Acid, and their specific roles in the prevention and treatment of cancer.
• Herbal Therapy for Cancer Herbal therapy is a theoretical and practical medicine based on the scientific study and use of medicinal plants or drugs obtained from them for therapeutic or prophylactic purposes.
• An Approach to Care of Cancer Overview Suspecting the presence of ovarian cancer is primarily based on a number of symptoms, especially abnormal physical examination, CT and NRI scans of the abdomen as well as the pelvis region.
• Taxol Effectiveness in Inhibiting Breast Cancer Cells The following were the objectives of this experiment: To determine the effectiveness of Taxol in inhibiting breast cancer cells and ovarian cancer cells using culture method.
• Control Breast Cancer: Nursing Phenomenon, Ontology and Epistemology of Health Management Then, the evidence received is presented in an expert way leading to implementation of the decision on the management of the disease.
• Leukemia: Causes, Pathogenesis, Morphological Changes, Basic Management Studies are ongoing to establish the exact cause of the disease, which is still unknown according to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
• MD Anderson Cancer Center: Community Health Assessment The focus of the assessment is the city of Houston, Texas, and the MD Anderson Cancer Center. Most health issues are related to income disparities, immigration status, and the insurance status of Houston residents.
• Researching the Ovarian Cancer In the European continent, for every 100,000 females, 12 to 17 will have ovarian cancer, depending on the nation of origin; this is the age-standardized rate. BRCA1 and BRCA2 profoundly account for the prevalence of […]
• Local Inflammation and Human Papillomavirus Status of Head and Neck Cancers The objective of the study was to assess whether periodontitis is related to the human papillomavirus status of the head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
• Throat Cancer With Diagnosis of Human Papillomavirus The infection by the HPVs often appears in the epithelium, particularly in the areas with tissue lesions. In this respect, by means of the RNA scope, it is possible to transcribe the HPV genome and […]
• Breast Cancer: Effects of Breast Health Education The design of the research focused on research variables like skills, performance, self-efficacy, and knowledge as the researchers aimed at examining the effectiveness of these variables among young women who underwent training in breast cancer […]
• Community Nursing Role in Breast Cancer Prevention However, early detection still remains important in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer. The community has thus undertaken activities aimed at funding the awareness, treatment and research in order to reduce the number of […]
• Radiotherapy: The Efficient Cancer Treatment Method The main purpose for the proposal of this policy is to increase the safety levels and promote efficiency in the delivery of radiotherapy services to patients.
• Measuring the Uncertainty in Children With Cancer The Limitations of using Mishel Uncertainty Illness Scale and Children Uncertainty Illness Scale led to the development of Uncertainty scale for kids.
• Self-Examination and Knowledge of Breast Cancer Among Female Students Shin, Park & Mijung found that a quarter of the participants practiced breast self-examination and a half had knowledge regarding breast cancer.
• Prognosis in Ulcerative Colitis for Risk of Cancer After that the attempt was to extract the information about incidence of colon cancer in populations previously diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, to check whether the cancer risk increased with the duration of disease and finally […]
• “Tracking Breast Cancer Cells on the Move” by Gomis The article serves the purpose of examining the role of NOG, a gene that is essential in bone development and its role in breast cancer.
• Nutritional Assessment for Cancer Patients The consumption of fatty fish and a reduction in the consumption of unhealthy fats can reduce the risk of colon cancer that is brought about by the consumption of animal fat.
• Cancer Treatment Measures in the Sydney Cancer Center Overall, the study enhanced the proper understanding of the effectiveness through the analysis of the number of health specialists working in the Sydney Cancer Centre and the number of cancer patients attended per day.
• Association Between Pre-Diagnostic Circulating 25-(OH) D and Cancer This was what made the authors to undertake an investigation on correlation between pre-diagnostic of circulating 25- D concentration in the body and dietary intakes of vitamin D and calcium with colon and rectum cancer […]
• Sonodynamic Therapy for Cancer Treatment Sonodynamic therapy also known as ultrasound therapy is a hopeful innovative cancer treatment method that focuses on synergistic effect on tumor cell killing of a photosensitizer and ultrasound. Cavitation refers to the growth, oscillation and […]
• The Relationship Between Cancer and Lifestyle In addition, other lifestyle aspects, such as cigarette smoking, sun exposure and stress need to be addressed to reduce the risks of cancer.
• Cancer: Angiogenesis, Recent Research, Ethical Concerns Zayed et al.’s research reveals that the CIB1 protein controlling the endothelial cell functions is the same as the one causing red blood cell formation in cancer tumors.
• Breast Cancer Survivorship: Are African American Women Considered? The finding of the analysis is that the issue of cancer survivorship is exclusive, developing, and at the same time it depends on what individuals perceive to be cancer diagnosis as well as personal experiences […]
• Gaining Ground on Breast Cancer: Advances in Treatment The article by Esteva and Hortobagyi discusses breast cancer from the aspect of increased survival rates, the novel treatments that have necessitated this and the promise in even more enhanced management of breast cancer.
• Pain Management in Hillman Cancer Center’s Patients Medical and surgical approaches are considered to be the main ways for pain treatment in cancer patients. Advanced stages of cancer result into a multidimensional pain and are where the clinical psychologists step in.
• Ovarian Cancer: Description and Treatment In applying various treatment options, it is important for doctors to ensure that they understand all options, means of navigating through the process, as well as the development stage of the cancer.
• Effects of Hypoxia, Surrounding Fibroblasts, and p16 Expression on Breast Cancer The study was conducted to determine whether migration and invasion of breast cancer cells were stimulated by hypoxia, as well as determining whether the expression of p16 ectopically had the potential to modulate the cell […]
• Breast Cancer: Preventing, Diagnosing, Addressing the Issue In contrast to the MRI, which presupposes that the image of the tissue should be retrieved with the help of magnetic fields, the mammography tool involves the use of x-rays.
• Smoking and Lung Cancer Among African Americans Primarily, the research paper provides insight on the significance of the issue to the African Americans and the community health nurses.
• Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia in Adult Patients Acute lymphocytic leukemia is the cancer of the blood and the bone marrow. The final type of lymph cells is natural killer cells whose role in the body is to nullify the effect of cancerous […]
• Dietary Fat Intake and Development of Breast Cancer This study aimed to determine the relationship between dietary fat intake and the development of breast cancer in women. The outcome of the study strongly suggests that there is a close relationship between a high […]
• The Detection and Diagnosis of Breast Cancer The severity of cancer depends on the movement of the cancerous cells in the body and the division and growth or cancerous cells.
• Smoking and Cancer in the United States In this research study, data on tobacco smoking and cancer prevalence in the United States was used to determine whether cancer in the United States is related to tobacco smoking tobacco.
• Prostate Cancer: Preventive Approaches and Treatment However, the case of prostate cancer seems to oppose this ideology; hence, the purpose of this paper is to understand preventive approaches and therapies used to manage prostate cancer.
• Skin Cancer: Comparison of Samples The aim of this experiment is to examine and thereafter represent low and high power illustrations of a normal skin specimen and of skin specimens that have been affected by various forms types of skin […]
• The Female Reproductive System and Ovarian Cancer The ovary is the one of the central organs of the female reproductive system. The zona granulosa is the exterior layer of cells enclosing the follicles.
• Property Rights to the Cancer Genes The easiest way to understand the protection of patents and the rationale behind them is by appreciating the fact that patents are part of human rights.
• Dietary Approach to Colon Cancer Prevention These research findings appear to support the hypothesis that the presence of folate in the diet is linked to the risk factor for colon cancer.
• Treatment of Ovarian Cancer Factors that predispose women to ovarian cancer include infertility, use of certain medication, hormone replacement therapy, use of oral contraceptives, and party.
• The Pennsylvania Cancer Registry (PCR) This data is essential in that, doctors or clinical experts are able to identify the form of treatment to be provided to each cancer patient, to follow up on the patients’ progress, give any necessary […]
• Breast Cancer: WMI Research and the Current Approaches Although the conclusions provided by the WHI in the study conducted to research the effects of estrogen and progesterone cessation on the chance of developing a breast cancer do not comply with the results of […]
• Oesophageal Cancer as a Global Health Concern The incidence of oesophageal cancer is high in various parts of the world, but for the purposes of this paper, China will be the region of focus.
• Using Genetically-Modified Bacteria to Fight Cancer at Johns Hopkins To do so, a concise summary of the article will be provided, followed by a review of its relevance to the course.
• Skin Cancer and Sunlight: Case Control, Cohort, and Clinical Trial Design The main component in sunlight that is said to be responsible for the development of skin cancer is the Ultraviolet emission.
• Battle Against Cancer in New York State On the other hand, the cancer goals for New York target to reduce the new forms of the disease as well as the various disabilities and body deformations resulting from cancer.
• Various Proteins Targets for Lung, Breast and Colorectal Cancers This protein has been identified in recent research as the one playing the biggest role in causing the growth and the spread of cancer in the lungs.
• Global Health Organization – World-Cancer Campaign The organization can collaborate with other organizations such as the World Economic Forum and the International Council of Nurses to tackle the cancer crisis.
• Healthcare: Colon Cancer The colon refers to the longest section of the large gut and the most low-down section of the digestive arrangement in the human body.
• Dosage & Regimen for MEK Inhibitor: Cancer Clinical Trial The study is a treatment trial aimed at designing the correct dose of GSK1120212. The trial is aimed at determining the dosage and regimen for MEK inhibitor that should be mixed with everolimus in order […]
• Breast Cancer Susceptibility Gene (BRCA2) The mechanisms underlying the genetic predisposition to a particular disease are manifold and this concept is the challenging one to the investigators since the advent of Molecular Biology and database resources.
• Prostate Cancer Pathophysiology and Management At the moment, the use of tumour markers such as kallikrein is the most widespread method of differentiating these two disorders.
• Terminal Cancer Patients: Community Nursing The sole purpose of any nursing activity during any given kind of illness and end-of-life stage is to maximize the quality of life and functioning for individuals, families, and the community at large.
• Ovarian Cancer Overview and Analysis However, several factors have been deemed to contribute to the risk of developing ovarian cancer, for instance, the lesser children a woman has and the later in life she bears children, the higher the chances […]
• Prediction of Breast Cancer Prognosis It has been proposed that the fundamental pathways are alike and that the expression of gene sets, instead of that of individual genes, may give more information in predicting and understanding the basic biological processes.
• The Genetic Basis of Human Cancer This is one of the most difficult in curing, as it may affect any part of the body, and seriously damage the body tissues.
• Breast Cancer Survivors: Effects of a Psychoeducational Intervention While the conceptual framework is justified in analysis of the quality of life, there is the likelihood of influence of the context with quality of life adopting different meanings to patients in different areas and […]
• Cancer and Oxygenation: Oxygen as a Remedy for Cancer Cancer is simply the decrease of oxygen in body cells to levels low enough to allow for a change in the nature of the cells.
• Cancer: Gene Mutation’s Influence, Treatments
• The Effective Pain Assessment in Patients With Lung Cancer
• Providers’ Role in Quality Assurance in Breast Cancer Screening
• Framing Qualitative Research on Lung Cancer
• Oncology: Colorectal Cancer
• Prostate Cancer: Symptoms and Treatment
• Clinical Laboratory Science of Breast Cancer
• Induced and Spontaneous Abortion and Breast Cancer Incidence Among Young Women
• Quality of Life in Chronic Leukemia Patients
• Dyspnea in Cancer Patients
• Ovarian Cancer: Medical Review
• Lung Cancer Cells Migrating to Other Parts of the Body
• Prostate Cancer: The Ion Channels
• To Live Until You Die: Palliative Care in Cancer Experience
• Care Needs of Children Whose Parents Have Incurable Cancer
• New Screening Guidelines for Breast Cancer
• Breast Cancer in Afro- and Euro-Americans
• Cancer Treatment and Life Quality in Adult Patients
• Breast Cancer Assessment in London
• Oral Cancer Reconstruction
• Skin Cancer Awareness Overview
• Angiostatic Approaches to Cancer Therapy
• Genetics of Prostate Cancer and Physical Features
• Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Investigation
• Creativity in People With Cancer
• Cancer: Alternative and Complementary Therapies
• Promotion of Cardiovascular Health and Cancer Prevention
• Cancer Longitudinal Exploration
• Breast Cancer: At-Risk Population, Barriers, and Improvement
• Effective Solutions to the Prevention of Cervical Cancer
• Breast Cancer: Moral and Medical Aspects
• Breast Cancer and AIDS: Significant Issues in the United States in the Late 20th Century
• Breast Cancer Risk Factors: Genetic and Nutritional Influences
• Breast Cancer Genetics & Chromosomal Analysis
• The Role Genetics Information Plays in Treating Cancer
• Breast Cancer: The Case of Anne H.
• Leukemia Types: Characteristics, Genetics, and Symptoms
• CRISPR and Cas-9 Technology as the Solution to Cancer
• Colon Cancer: Risk Factors
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• Long Distance Cancer Treatment Ethics
• A Community Capacity-Enhancement Approach to Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening
• The Role of Inflammation in Cancer
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Plan for Cancer Pain
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• Fundraising Methods for the Canadian Cancer Society
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• Breast Cancer Diagnosis Procedure in Saudi Arabia
• Language and Stigmatization: Cancer, HIV, and AIDS
• The Three Most Common Types of Cancer in America
• Breast Cancer and the Effects of Diet
• J. Overcash on Older Adults With Cancer
• Postmenopause Hormone Therapy and Endometrial Cancer
• Risk Factors for Cervical Cancer
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• Motivational Interviewing as a Smoking Cessation Intervention for Patients With Cancer
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• Cancer Pathophysiology and Nursing Management
• Breast Cancer: Causes and Treatment
• Integumentary System Diseases. Skin Cancer and Eczema
• Digestive Cancer. Complementary & Alternative Treatment
• The History of Cervical Cancer: Treatment and Care
• Ethics of Leukemia Treatment With Disabled HIV Cells
• Human Papillomavirus Infection and Cervical Cancer
• Colorectal Cancer Care Coordination
• Penectomy Challenges in Cancer Patients
• Monoclonal Antibodies in Treating Breast Cancer
• The American Cancer Society’s Website Evaluation
• Acute Lymphocytic and Myelogenous Leukemia in Children
• Viruses as a Cause of Cancer
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• Chronic Diseases: Heart Failure and Cancer
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• Lung Cancer Stages, Complications, and Support
• Breast Cancer: Women’s Health Initiative & Practices
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• Complex Fibroadenoma and Breast Cancer Risk
• Cannabis and Cancer Pain Management
• Breast Cancer: Health Psychology Plan
• Colorectal Cancer Patient’s Discharge Planning
• Cancer Epidemic Research and Expectations
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• Carcinoma in Situ Management Options
• Cancer Epidemiology in the United States
• Understanding Pathophysiology of Cancers
• Registered Nurses and Cancer Patients
• ”Preferences for Photographic Art Among Hospitalized Patients With Cancer” by Hanson ET Al.
• Pain Assessment for Cancer Patients: Literature Search
• Keytruda as an Innovative Cancer Control Tool
• Oncology: Innovative Solutions to Fight Cancer
• Cancer, Its Nature and Gene Therapy
• Body pH and Cancer Occurrence Correlation
• Cancer: Psychological Effects and Coping Strategies
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• Establishing a Cancer Treatment Unit in a Hospital
• Cancer Behavior in the Elderly: Cognitive-Affective Analysis
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• Lung Cancer and Cystic Fibrosis: Diagnosis and Care
• Trinity Community Hospital’s Cancer Service Line
• Blood Test and Cancer Spread in Children
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• Cancer and Tumor Suppressor Genes
• Skin Cancer: Diagnosis and Treatment
• Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia and Prostate Cancer
• Thyroid Cancer Chemotherapy
• Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Immunoglobulin M
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• Breast Cancer Screening in Young American Women
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• Prostate Cancer Among African American Men in New York
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• Children With Cancer and Their Social Activities
• Cancer Treatment Effects on Sexual Function
• Protein Diet, Telomere Length, and Cancer
• Community-Based Participatory Research on Cancer
• Nursing for Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer Patient
• Children With Cancer and Schooling Challenges
• Epigenetics and Its Role in Cancer Detection and Prevention
• Screening for Breast Cancer
• The Role of Epigenetics in Cancer: Contributors to the Formation of Cancer Tumors
• Cancer and Women’s and Men’s Health
• Prostate Cancer: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment
• Prostate Cancer and Age-Related Risk Factors
• Gua Sha in Cancer Therapy Against Myalgia
• Gastric Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
• Cervical Cancer and Risk Factors
• Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign
• Cervical Cancer: Medical Imaging and Radiotherapy
• Testicular Cancer: Diagnosis and Treatment
• Organic Foods Consumption and Cancer Prevention
• Prostate Cancer, Its Genetics and Prevention Methods
• Cancer Epidemiology Among Chinese Americans
• Colorectal Cancer, Diagnosis and Treatment Plan
• Cervical Cancer, Its Nature and Symptoms
• Prostate Cancer Symptoms and Laboratory Tests
• Skin Cancer in Australia and Health Campaign
• Breast Cancer Patients’ Life Quality and Wellbeing
• Obesity as a Risk Factor for Uterine Cancer
• Palliative Care for Cancer Patients: Search Strategies
• Palliative Care for Adult Cancer Patients
• Palliative Care for Adult Patients With Cancer
• Breast Cancer Patients’ Functions and Suitable Jobs
• Peptic Ulcer Disease and Stomach Cancer Diagnostics
• Jordanian Breast Cancer Survival Rates in 1997-2002
• Cancer Patients’ Financial Status and Life Quality
• Breast Cancer Awareness Among African Americans
• Cancer Disease and Its Impact
• Breast Cancer Screening Among Non-Adherent Women
• Healthcare Research: Bladder Cancer Independent Variables
• Cancer Patient’s Autonomy and Medical Ethics
• The Internet Use at MD Anderson Cancer Hospital
• American Cancer Society’ Social Media Networks Usage
• Breast Cancer: Treatment and Rehabilitation Options
• The Effectiveness of Music for Cancer Patients
• Women Healthcare: Breast Cancer
• Skin Cancer: Types and Cells of Origin
• Prevention of Cancer: Good Nutrition and Positive Behavior
• Lung Cancer Disease and Prevention Methods
• Breast Cancer Public Relations Campaign
• Technologies: Improving the MD Anderson Cancer Center Website
• Explanation of Cancer Disease
• Gallbladder Cancer, Its Causes and Rates
• Health Information Seeking and Breast Cancer Diagnosis
• Stem Cell Therapy in Colorectal Cancer
• Employing Cancer Vulnerability Reduction in Ukraine
• Current Standing of Breast Cancer and Its Effects on the Society
• Descriptive Epidemiology of Cancer in the UK
• International Expansion Strategy of Australia Cancer Care Hospital.
• Medical Marijuana use for Terminal Colon Cancer
• Asbestos and Rising of Cancer
• The Problem of Skin Cancer in Australia
• Health Outcome of Tobacco Use: Lung Cancer
• Prostate Cancer Treatment
• Breast Cancer: Disease Prevention
• Breast Cancer Definition and Treatment
• Radiation Therapy for Testicular Cancer
• Breast Cancer Incidence and Ethnicity
• Treatment Options for Breast Cancer
• Cancer Treatment by Nanotechnology
• Health Risks and Prevention: Cardiovascular Disease and Cancers
• Healthcare Demographics of Prostate Cancer in the US
• Malevolence of Cancer: Pathogenesis and Treatment Options
• Risk Factors, Staging, and Treatment of Breast Cancer
• Case Management for Breast Cancer Patients
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List of 50+ Unique Cancer Dissertation Topics by Experts

Table of Contents

How to Choose Cancer Dissertation Topics?

How to ensure the reliability of your cancer research a checklist, cancer dissertation topics for undergraduates, cancer dissertation topics for postgraduates, still searching for a perfect cancer dissertation topic ask us.

Cancer is said to be one of the deadliest diseases and causes of death in the world. For a few years, it has received a lot of attention. Researchers and students are doing their studies and research to know more about the disease. Therefore, students often struggle with and look for one of the best cancer dissertation topics for writing their dissertation. 

It is essential to choose a topic that not only benefits your research but also helps the reader or the public in general. So, if you are thinking of writing a dissertation on cancer, then it is best to know how to research to get the best cancer dissertation ideas. 

We know how difficult it is to choose a topic for a dissertation on cancer. Sometimes, more time is consumed while researching and choosing a topic than writing a dissertation. Therefore, nursing students often look for help from experts in such cases. However, those who choose to work on cancer research topics for their dissertation have to go through several things to find the right topic. 

Luckily, we have just the right information to provide  dissertation help  and make it easy for you to select a perfect topic. All you have to do is go through the below-mentioned pointers. 

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Find Available Data

The first and foremost thing to do while choosing a topic is to look for easily available data. It is essential to look for reliable information when writing a dissertation on a disease. So choose a topic for which you can easily find all the information, or the data can be available conveniently.

Look for a Theoretical Base for Your Topic

One of the most important things to take care of while choosing a research topic for your dissertation on cancer is to check if your idea has a solid theoretical base. Because if your topic doesn't include a relevant theoretical basis, it will look vague and unauthentic to your reader. 

Consult Your Mentor

If you are sceptical about your decisions or topic selection. The best thing would be to seek  nursing dissertation help  from your professor or from experts. Your mentor can help you with planning to make it easy for you to choose a topic. They can also suggest the right resources or sources from where you can get enough information for your dissertation writing. So, never hesitate to seek help for unique cancer dissertation topics for your academic task.

Participate in Medical Research Surveys

Often, researchers take surveys to analyse data and get to a decision. Therefore, you can also do the same while choosing the right topic among various cancer dissertation ideas. When you participate in a medical research survey, you can get data analysis on various diseases of the same origin, like lung cancer, ovary cancer, breast cancer dissertation topics, and many more. 

Take Advantage of the Available Resources

Cancer is a vast topic. So, to narrow it down among several cancer dissertation topics, you have to look for available resources and sources. If you do not have relevant and efficient resources to start your dissertation, there is no sense in choosing that topic. It is rather better if you seek help from  dissertation writing services .

Ask Questions That Can be Answered

Your mentor can help you with planning to make it easy for you to choose cancer dissertation topics. They can also suggest the right resources or sources from where you can get enough information for your dissertation writing. Because if your topic doesn't include a relevant theoretical basis, it will look vague and unauthentic to your reader.

Read Everything on the Subject

Well, reading all the details on the subject is essential before writing a dissertation on it. The reason is that if you don't, your knowledge will be incomplete, and it will get difficult for you to come up with an outcome or conclusion for your research. For example, you are selecting from breast cancer dissertation topics, but if you don't read everything about it. You will not be able to justify your arguments.

So, these ways can help you select the best cancer research topic for your dissertation. So, if you follow these tips, you can choose one of the best cancer dissertation topics for your academic task. But how will you ensure the authenticity and credibility of your research? Let's find out!

Explore Our FREE SAMPLES of Dissertations

It is crucial to ensure that the things you have included in your dissertation or the research you have done on your cancer dissertation topics are reliable and relevant. Using correct and accurate data and information is vital when choosing a dissertation theme in the medical field or  nursing dissertation topics . So, to help you with that, we have developed a short checklist that you have to tick off for complete authenticity. 

Check if the Study was Reviewed

Yes, it is essential to ensure that whatever sources or study you are taking reference from was peer-reviewed by the journal that has published them.

Check the Results of Your Surveys

If you have used Surveys as your research method for choosing cancer dissertation topics. Go through your survey results and check how many people participated in the survey and how long it lasted. 

Phases of New Research

If you are studying and choosing any new treatments, analysis, therapies, or symptoms as a part of your cancer dissertation ideas. Ensure you go through all the study phases or take regular updates about the new research.

Ask Questions To Your Health Care Team

This is one of the most important steps to confirm the credibility of your cancer dissertation topics. Always ask your healthcare team or committee to clarify your doubts on the chosen topic. It will help you get the correct answers for your research.

So, this was the quick checklist you need to tick off while working on a dissertation on cancer or any other nursing and medical field. We know it is a very time-consuming process, so we are here to help you. Below is the list of cancer dissertation topics for undergraduates and postgraduates to help narrow your field and topic selection. 

1. Lung Cancer Pathophysiology

2. Breast Cancer: Literature Review

3. Cancer Insurance Evaluation

4. Case Brief on Colon Cancer and Colostomy

5. Environmentally and Lifestyle Linked Cancer

6. Skin Cancer Types, Cells of Origin

7. Wellness Programs for Colorectal Cancer

8. Addressing Risk Factors for Lung Cancer

9. Esophageal Cancer and Its Treatment

10. Breast Cancer: Research Review Paper

11. Genetic Alterations and Cancer

12. Breast Cancer: Threat to the Patients

13. Epidemiology of Breast Cancer in the UK

14. Does Marijuana Use and Misuse Cause Cancer?

15. Cancer Patients: The Effectiveness of Pain Diary

16. Health & Medicine: Breast Cancer in XIX Century

17. The Relationship Between Breast Cancer and Genes

18. Approach to Cancer Care: Diagnosing and Treatment

19. Passive Smoking and Pancreatic Cancer in Women

20. How to Lower your Cancer Risk. Nutrition Action Health Letter

21. Cancer Biology: Oncogenes and Tumor Suppressor Genes

22. Breast Cancer: Preventive Measures and Support Methods

23. Discuss the Latest Technologies Used for Cancer Treatments

24. Prostate Cancer Among Blacks in Maryland: Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

25. Post-operative Breast Cancer Patients With Depression: Annotated Bibliography

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26. Deathography of Cancer

27. DNA Methylation in Cancer Therapy

28. Precision Therapy in Colorectal Cancer

29. Possible Trends in the Cause of Cancer

30. Skin Cancer: Examination and Prevention

31. Socioeconomic Factors of Oral Cancer

32. Omics Analysis in Cancer and Development

33. Cancer and Humor in Children: Approach to Research

34. The Role of Immunotherapy in Urothelial Cancer

35. Precision Medicine in Cancer Treatment

36. Methods For Screening For Cervical Cancer

37. Cancer Burden And Prevention Methods

38. Advances in Immunotherapy in Pediatric Solid Tumors

39. The Benefits Of Music Therapy For Breast Cancer Patients

40. Polymeric Chloroquine in Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer Therapy

41. Cancer Care Approaches: Diagnosis, Side Effects, and Treatment

42. Approaches to Illustrate Tumor Immune Microenvironment

43. Physical and Mental Care for Cancer Patients

44. Cancer Diagnostics, Staging and Complications

45. Pain Management Issues in Cancer Patients

46. Depression in Female Cancer Patients and Survivors

47. Cancer Pain Management and Education Programs

48. Cancer Metabolism: Diagnosis, Research, Effects

49. Type C Personality as a Risk Factor for Cancer

50. Nutritional "Cures" for Clients With Cancer 

51. American Cancer Society: The Aspects of Melanoma

52. Virtual Colonoscopy to Screen for Colon Cancer

53. Immune Cell Metabolic Reprogramming in Cancer Development and Therapy

54. Interplay Between Tumor Immunology and Tumor Micro-environment

55. Application of Multi-omics Analysis in Thoracic Cancer Immunotherapy

So, these were some of the best cancer dissertation ideas for undergraduate and postgraduate nursing students. It will save you time spent on topic selection. Moreover, you can also find samples of dissertation  on our Global Assignment Help website. It will help you understand how do you have to write a dissertation once the topic is decided. However, if you still feel the need of assistance, you can always turn to our experts for guidance.

Are you still indecisive about your cancer research topic? Do you need help with it? Well, then what are we here for? Do not feel alone as we will guide you anywhere you get stuck. Our experts will not only help you with topic selection but with any part of your dissertation separately or completely. We can even suggest you more topics based on your personalised requirements.

You can even buy dissertation service  from us, and we will ensure that you get full satisfaction. Moreover, if by any chance, you find any mistake in the document submitted by our experts. You should know that we offer 100% free revisions. All you have to do is contact our customer support staff and raise your query. They will help you get several suggestion for your cancer dissertation topics to completing it for you. Whatever you need, try seeking our help, today!

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• Open access
• Published: 26 November 2018

The 150 most important questions in cancer research and clinical oncology series: questions 94–101

Edited by Cancer Communications

Cancer Communications

Cancer Communications volume  38 , Article number:  69 ( 2018 ) Cite this article

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Since the beginning of 2017, Cancer Communications (former title: Chinese Journal of Cancer ) has published a series of important questions regarding cancer research and clinical oncology, to provide an enhanced stimulus for cancer research, and to accelerate collaborations between institutions and investigators. In this edition, the following 8 valuable questions are presented. Question 94. The origin of tumors: time for a new paradigm? Question 95. How can we accelerate the identification of biomarkers for the early detection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma? Question 96. Can we improve the treatment outcomes of metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma through precision medicine guided by a combination of the genetic and proteomic information of the tumor? Question 97. What are the parameters that determine a competent immune system that gives a complete response to cancers after immune induction? Question 98. Is high local concentration of metformin essential for its anti-cancer activity? Question 99. How can we monitor the emergence of cancer cells anywhere in the body through plasma testing? Question 100. Can phytochemicals be more specific and efficient at targeting P-glycoproteins to overcome multi-drug resistance in cancer cells? Question 101. Is cell migration a selectable trait in the natural evolution of carcinoma?

Until now, the battle against cancer is still ongoing, but there are also ongoing discoveries being made. Milestones in cancer research and treatments are being achieved every year; at a quicker pace, as compared to decades ago. Likewise, some cancers that were considered incurable are now partly curable, lives that could not be saved are now being saved, and for those with yet little options, they are now having best-supporting care. With an objective to promote worldwide cancer research and even accelerate inter-countries collaborations, since the beginning of 2017, Cancer Communications (former title: Chinese Journal of Cancer ) has launched a program of publishing 150 most important questions in cancer research and clinical oncology [ 1 ]. We are providing a platform for researchers to freely voice-out their novel ideas, and propositions to enhance the communications on how and where our focus should be placed [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]. In this edition, 8 valuable and inspiring questions, Question 94–101, from highly distinguished professionals from different parts of the world are presented. If you have any novel proposition(s) and Question(s), please feel free to contact Ms. Ji Ruan via email: [email protected].

Question 94: The origin of tumors: time for a new paradigm?

Background and implications.

“There is no worse blind man than the one who doesn’t want to see. There is no worse deaf man than the one who doesn’t want to hear. And there is no worse madman than the one who doesn’t want to understand.” —Ancient Proverb

In the past half-century, cancer biologists have focused on a dogma in which cancer was viewed as a proliferative disease due to mechanisms that activate genes (oncogenes) to promote cell proliferation or inactivate genes (tumor suppressor genes) to suppress tumor growth. In retrospect, these concepts were established based on functional selections, by using tissue culture (largely mouse NIH 3T3 cells) for the selection of transformed foci at the time when we knew virtually nothing about the human genome [ 14 ]. However, it is very difficult to use these genes individually or in combinations to transform primary human cells. Further, the simplified view of uncontrolled proliferation cannot explain the tumor as being a malignant organ or a teratoma, as observed by pathologists over centuries. Recently, the cancer genomic atlas project has revealed a wide variety of genetic alterations ranging from no mutation to multiple chromosomal deletions or fragmentations, which make the identification of cancer driver mutations very challenging in a background of such a massive genomic rearrangement. Paradoxically, this increase the evidences demonstrating that the oncogenic mutations are commonly found in many normal tissues, further challenging the dogma that genetic alteration is the primary driver of this disease.

Logically, the birth of a tumor should undergo an embryonic-like development at the beginning, similar to that of a human. However, the nature of such somatic-derived early embryo has been elusive. Recently, we provided evidence to show that polyploid giant cancer cells (PGCCs), which have been previously considered non-dividing, are actually capable of self-renewal, generating viable daughter cells via amitotic budding, splitting and burst, and capable of acquisition of embryonic-like stemness [ 15 , 16 , 17 ]. The mode of PGCC division is remarkably similar to that of blastomere, a first step in human embryogenesis following fertilization. The blastomere nucleus continuously divides 4–5 times without cytoplasmic division to generate 16–32 cells and then to form compaction/morulae before developing into a blastocyst [ 18 ]. Based on these data and similarity to the earliest stage of human embryogenesis, I propose a new theory that tumor initiation can be achieved via a dualistic origin, similar to the first step of human embryogenesis via the formation of blastomere-like cells, i.e. the activation of blastomere or blastomere-like cells which leads to the dedifferentiation of germ cells or somatic cells, respectively, which is then followed by the differentiation to generate their respective stem cells, and the differentiation arrest at a specific developmental hierarchy leading to tumor initiation [ 19 ]. The somatic-derived blastomere-like cancer stem cell follows its own mode of cell growth and division and is named as the giant cell cycle. This cycle includes four distinct but overlapping phases: the initiation, self-renewal, termination, and stability phases. The giant cell cycle can be tracked in vitro and in vivo due to their salient giant cell morphology (Fig.  1 ).

One mononucleated polyploid giant cancer cell (PGCC) in the background of regular size diploid cancer cells. The PGCC can be seen to be at least 100 times larger than that of regular cancer cells

This new theory challenges the traditional paradigm that cancer is a proliferative disease, and proposes that the initiation of cancer requires blastomere-like division that is similar to that of humans before achieving stable proliferation at specific developmental hierarchy in at least half of all human cancers. This question calls for all investigators in the cancer research community to investigate the role of PGCCs in the initiation, progression, resistance, and metastasis of cancer and to look for novel agents to block the different stages of the giant cell cycle.

The histopathology (phenotype) of cancers has been there all the time. It is just the theory of cancer origin proposed by scientists that changes from time to time. After all, trillions of dollars have been invested in fighting this disease by basing on its genetic origin in the past half-century, yet, little insight has been gained [ 14 ]. Here are two quotes from Einstein: “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results”, and “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when created them”.

In short, it is time to change our mindset and to start pursuing PGCCs, which we can observe under the microscope. But with very little understanding about these cells, it is time for a shift in paradigm.

Jinsong Liu.

Affiliation

Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030-4095, USA.

Email address

[email protected]

Question 95: How can we accelerate the identification of biomarkers for the early detection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma?

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal cancers in the world with a dismal 5-year overall survival rate of less than 5%; which has not been significantly improved since the past decades. Although surgical resection is the only option for curative treatment of PDAC, only 15%–20% of patients with PDAC have the chance to undergo curative resection, leaving the rest with only palliative options in hope for increasing their quality of life; since they were already at unresectable and non-curative stages at their first diagnosis.

The lack of specific symptoms in the early-stage of PDAC is responsible for rendering an early diagnosis difficult. Therefore, more sensitive and specific screening methodologies for its early detection is urgently needed to improve its diagnosis, starting early treatments, and ameliorating prognoses. The diagnosis so far relies on imaging modalities such as abdominal ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), and positron emission tomography (PET). One may propose to screen for pancreatic cancer in high-risk populations, which is highly recommended, however screening intervention for all the people is not a wise choice; when considering the relatively low prevalence of PDAC, and the difficulty for diagnosing it in its early stage [ 20 ].

Therefore, alternative diagnostic tools for early detection of PDAC are highly expected. Among the biomarkers currently used in clinical practice, carbohydrate antigen 19–9 (CA19–9) is among the most useful one for supporting the diagnosis of PDAC, but it is neither sufficiently sensitive nor specific for its early detection. Yachida et al. reported in 2010 that the initiating mutation in the pancreas occurs approximately two decades before the PDAC to start growing in distant organs [ 21 ], which indicates a broad time of the window of opportunity for the early detection of PDAC. With the advancement in next-generation sequencing technology, the number of reported studies regarding novel potential molecular biomarkers in bodily fluids including the blood, feces, urine, saliva, and pancreatic juice for early detection of PDAC has been increasing. Such biomarkers may be susceptible to detect mutations at the genetic or epigenetic level, identifying important non-coding RNA (especially microRNA and long non-coding RNA), providing insights regarding the metabolic profiles, estimating the tumor level in liquid biopsies (circulating free DNA, circulating tumor cells and exosomes), and so on.

Another approach to identifying biomarkers for the early detection of pancreatic cancer is using animal models. In spontaneous animal models of pancreatic cancer, such as Kras-mutated mouse models, it is expected that by high throughput analyses of the genetic/epigenetic/proteomic alterations, some novel biomarkers might be able to be identified. For instance, Sharma et al. reported in 2017 that the detection of phosphatidylserine-positive exosomes enabled the diagnosis of early-stage malignancies in LSL-Kras G12D , Cdkn2a lox/lox : p48 Cre and LSL-Kras G12d/+ , LSL-Trp R172H/+ , and P48 Cre mice [ 22 ].

These analyses in clinical samples or animal models hold the clues for the early detection of PDAC, however, further studies are required to validate their diagnostic performance. What’s most important, will be the lining-up of these identified prospective biomarkers, to validate their sensitivities and specificities. This will determine their potential for widespread clinical applicability, and hopefully, accelerate the early diagnosis of PDAC.

Mikiya Takao 1,2 , Hirotaka Matsuo 2 , Junji Yamamoto 1 , and Nariyoshi Shinomiya 2 .

1 Department of Surgery, National Defense Medical College, 3-2 Namiki, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359-8513, Japan; 2 Department of Integrative Physiology and Bio-Nano Medicine, National Defense Medical College, 3-2 Namiki, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359-8513, Japan.

E-mail address

[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]

Question 96: Can we improve the treatment outcomes of metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma through precision medicine guided by a combination of the genetic and proteomic information of the tumor?

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most malignant cancers, and nearly half of the patients had metastatic PDAC when they are initially diagnosed. When they are accompanied by metastatic tumors, unlike most solid cancer, PDAC cannot be cured with primary surgical resection alone [ 23 , 24 ]. Also, since PDAC has poor responses to conventional therapies, improvements in adjunctive treatment approach including chemo- and immuno-therapy are earnestly required. From this standpoint, recent results regarding the differences in the molecular evolution of pancreatic cancer subtypes provide a new insight into its therapeutic development [ 25 ], which may lead to the improvement of the prognosis of not only metastatic PDAC but also of locally advanced or recurrent PDAC.

In fact, new chemotherapeutic regimens such as the combination of gemcitabine with nab-paclitaxel and FOLFIRINOX have been reported to show improved prognosis despite a lack of examples of past successes in the treatment of patients with metastatic PDAC who had undergone R0 resection [ 26 ]. While many mutations including KRAS , CDKN2A , TP53, and SMAD4 are associated with pancreatic carcinogenesis, no effective molecular targeted drug has been introduced in the clinical setting so far. A recent report of a phase I/II study on refametinib, a MEK inhibitor, indicated that KRAS mutation status might affect the overall response rate, disease control rate, progression-free survival, and overall survival of PDAC in combination with gemcitabine [ 27 ].

While immunotherapy is expected to bring a great improvement in cancer treatment, until now, immune checkpoint inhibitors have achieved limited clinical benefit for patients with PDAC. This might be because PDAC creates a uniquely immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, where tumor-associated immunosuppressive cells and accompanying desmoplastic stroma prevent the tumor cells from T cell infiltration. Recently reported studies have indicated that immunotherapy might be effective when combined with focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibitor [ 28 ] or IL-6 inhibitor [ 29 ], but more studies are required to validate their use in clinical practice.

As such, we believe that if the dynamic monitoring of drug sensitivity/resistance in the individual patients is coupled with precision treatment based on individualized genetics/epigenetics/proteomics alterations in the patients’ tumor, this could improve the treatment outcomes of PDAC.

Mikiya Takao 1,2 , Hirotaka Matsuo 2 , Junji Yamamoto 1 , and Nariyoshi Shinomiya 2.

Question 97: What are the parameters that determine a competent immune system that gives a complete response to cancers after immune induction?

Recently, cancer immunotherapy has shown great clinical benefit in multiple types of cancers [ 30 , 31 , 32 ]. It has provided new approaches for cancer treatment. However, it has been observed that only a fraction of patients respond to immunotherapy.

Much effort has been made to identify markers for immunotherapeutic response. Tumor mutation burden (TMB), mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency, PD-L1 expression, and tumor infiltration lymphocyte (TIL) have been found to be associated with an increased response rate in checkpoint blockade therapies. Unfortunately, a precise prediction is still challenging in this field. Moreover, when to stop the treatment of immunotherapy is an urgent question that remains to be elucidated.

In other words, there is no available approach to determine if a patient has generated a good immune response against the cancer after immunotherapy treatments. All of these indicate the complexity and challenges that reside for implementing novel man-induced cancer-effective immune response therapeutics. A variety of immune cells play collaborative roles at different stages to recognize antigens and eventually to generate an effective anti-cancer immune response. Given the high complexity of the immune system, a rational evaluation approach is needed to cover the whole process. Moreover, we need to perfect vaccine immunization and/or in vitro activation of T cells to augment the function of the immune system; particularly the formation of immune memory.

Edison Liu 1 , Penghui Zhou 2 , Jiang Li 2 .

1 The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA; 2 Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510060, P. R. China.

[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]

Question 98: Is high local concentration of metformin essential for its anti-cancer activity?

Metformin was approved as a first line of anti-diabetic drug since decades. Interestingly, the fact that clinical epidemiological studies have shown that metformin can reduce the risk of a variety of cancers stimulates considerable recognition to explore its anticancer activity.

Although the in vitro and in vivo experimental results have demonstrated that metformin can have some potential anti-tumor effects, more than 100 clinical trials did not achieve such desirable results [ 33 ]. We and others believe that the main problem resides in the prescribing doses used. For cancer treatment, a much higher dose may be needed for observing any anti-tumor activities, as compared to the doses prescribed for diabetics [ 34 , 35 , 36 ].

Further, if the traditional local/oral administration approach is favored, the prescribed metformin may not be at the required dose-concentration once it reaches the blood to have the effective anti-cancer activities. We, therefore, propose that intravesical instillation of metformin into the bladder lumen could be a promising way to treat for bladder cancer, at least. We have already obtained encouraging results both in vitro and in vivo experiments, including in an orthotopical bladder cancer model [ 36 , 37 ]. Now, we are waiting to observe its prospective clinical outcome.

Mei Peng 1 , Xiaoping Yang 2 .

1 Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University. Changsha, Hunan 410083, P. R. China; 2 Key Laboratory of Study and Discovery of Small Targeted Molecules of Hunan Province, Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, P. R. China.

[email protected]; [email protected]

Question 99: How can we monitor the emergence of cancer cells anywhere in the body through plasma testing?

The early detection of cancer is still a relentless worldwide challenge. The sensitivity and specificity of traditional blood tumor markers and imaging technologies are still to be greatly improved. Hence, novel approaches for the early detection of cancer are urgently needed.

The emergence of liquid biopsy technologies opens a new driveway for solving such issues. According to the definition of the National Cancer Institute of the United States, a liquid biopsy is a test done on a sample of blood to look for tumorigenic cancer cells or pieces of tumor cells’ DNA that are circulating in the blood [ 38 ]. This definition implies two main types of the current liquid biopsy: one that detects circulating tumor cells and the other that detects non-cellular material in the blood, including tumor DNA, RNA, and exosomes.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are referred to as tumor cells that have been shed from the primary tumor location and have found their way to the peripheral blood. CTCs were first described in 1869 by an Australian pathologist, Thomas Ashworth, in a patient with metastatic cancer [ 39 ]. The importance of CTCs in modern cancer research began in the mid-1990s with the demonstration that CTCs exist early in the course of the disease.

It is estimated that there are about 1–10 CTCs per mL in whole blood of patients with metastatic cancer, even fewer in patients with early-stage cancer [ 40 ]. For comparison, 1 mL of blood contains a few million white blood cells and a billion erythrocytes. The identification of CTCs, being in such low frequency, requires some special tumoral markers (e.g., EpCAM and cytokeratins) to capture and isolate them. Unfortunately, the common markers for recognizing the majority of CTCs are not effective enough for clinical application [ 41 ]. Although accumulated evidences have shown that the presence of CTCs is a strong negative prognostic factor in the patients with metastatic breast, lung and colorectal cancers, detecting CTCs might not be an ideal branch to hold on for the hope of early cancer detection [ 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ].

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is tumor-derived fragmented DNA in the circulatory system, which is mainly derived from the tumor cell death through necrosis and/or apoptosis [ 46 ]. Given its origin, ctDNA inherently carries cancer-specific genetic and epigenetic aberrations, which can be used as a surrogate source of tumor DNA for cancer diagnosis and prognostic prediction. Ideally, as a noninvasive tumor early screening tool, a liquid biopsy test should be able to detect many types of cancers and provide the information of tumor origin for further specific clinical management. In fact, the somatic mutations of ctDNA in different types of tumor are highly variable, even in the different individuals with the same type of tumor [ 47 ]. Additionally, most tumors do not possess driver mutations, with some notable exceptions, which make the somatic mutations of ctDNA not suitable for early detection of the tumor.

Increased methylation of the promoter regions of tumor suppressor genes is an early event in many types of tumor, suggesting that altered ctDNA methylation patterns could be one of the first detectable neoplastic changes associated with tumorigenesis [ 48 ]. ctDNA methylation profiling provides several advantages over somatic mutation analysis for cancer detection including higher clinical sensitivity and dynamic range, multiple detectable methylation target regions, and multiple altered CpG sites within each targeted genomic region. Further, each methylation marker is present in both cancer tissue and ctDNA, whereas only a fraction of mutations present in cancer tissue could be detected in ctDNA.

In 2017, there were two inspiring studies that revealed the values of using ctDNA methylation analysis for cancer early diagnosis [ 49 , 50 ]. After partitioning the human genome into blocks of tightly coupled CpG methylation sites, namely methylation haplotype blocks (MHBs), Guo and colleagues performed tissue-specific methylation analyses at the MHBs level to accurately determine the tissue origin of the cancer using ctDNA from their enrolled patients [ 49 ]. In another study, Xu and colleagues identified a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) enriched methylation marker panel by comparing the HCC tissue and blood leukocytes from normal individuals and showed that methylation profiles of HCC tumor DNA and matched plasma ctDNA were highly correlated. In this study, after quantitative measurement of the methylation level of candidate markers in ctDNA from a large cohort of 1098 HCC patients and 835 normal controls, ten methylation markers were selected to construct a diagnostic prediction model. The proposed model demonstrated a high diagnostic specificity and sensitivity, and was highly correlated with tumor burden, treatment response, and tumor stage [ 50 ].

With the rapid development of highly sensitive detection methods, especially the technologies of massively parallel sequencing or next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based assays and digital PCR (dPCR), we strongly believe that the identification of a broader “pan-cancer” methylation panel applied for ctDNA analyses, probably in combination with detections of somatic mutation and tumor-derived exosomes, would allow more effective screening for common cancers in the near future.

Edison Liu 1 , Hui-Yan Luo 2 .

[email protected]; [email protected]

Question 100: Can phytochemicals be more specific and efficient at targeting P-glycoproteins to overcome multi-drug resistance in cancer cells?

Though several anticancer agents are approved to treat different types of cancers, their full potentials have been limited due to the occurrence of drug resistance. Resistance to anticancer drugs develops by a variety of mechanisms, one of which is increased drug efflux by transporters. The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) family drug efflux transporter P-glycoprotein (P-gp or multi-drug resistance protein 1 [MDRP1]) has been extensively studied and is known to play a major role in the development of multi-drug resistance (MDR) to chemotherapy [ 51 ]. In brief, overexpressed P-gp efflux out a wide variety of anticancer agents (e.g.: vinca alkaloids, doxorubicin, paclitaxel, etc.), leading to a lower concentration of these drugs inside cancer cells, thereby resulting in MDR. Over the past three decades, researchers have developed several synthetic P-gp inhibitors to block the efflux of anticancer drugs and have tested them in clinical trials, in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs. But none were found to be suitable enough in overcoming MDR and to be released for marketing, mainly due to the side effects associated with cross-reactivity towards other ABC transporters (BCRP and MRP-1) and the inhibition of CYP450 drug metabolizing enzymes [ 52 , 53 ].

On the other hand, a number of phytochemicals have been reported to have P-gp inhibitory activity. Moreover, detailed structure–activity studies on these phytochemicals have delineated the functional groups essential for P-gp inhibition [ 53 , 54 ]. Currently, one of the phytochemicals, tetrandrine (CBT-1 ® ; NSC-77037), is being used in a Phase I clinical trial ( http://www.ClinicalTrials.gov ; NCT03002805) in combination with doxorubicin for the treatment of metastatic sarcoma. Before developing phytochemicals or their derivatives as P-gp inhibitors, they need to be investigated thoroughly for their cross-reactivity towards other ABC transporters and CYP450 inhibition, in order to avoid toxicities similar to the older generation P-gp inhibitors that have failed in clinical trials.

Therefore, the selectivity for P-gp over other drug transporters and drug metabolizing enzymes should be considered as important criterias for the development of phytochemicals and their derivatives for overcoming MDR.

Mohane Selvaraj Coumar and Safiulla Basha Syed.

Centre for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Kalapet, Puducherry 605014, India.

[email protected]; [email protected]

Question 101: Is cell migration a selectable trait in the natural evolution of carcinoma?

The propensity of solid tumor malignancy to metastasize remains the main cause of cancer-related death, an extraordinary unmet clinical need, and an unanswered question in basic cancer research. While dissemination has been traditionally viewed as a late process in the progression of malignant tumors, amount of evidence indicates that it can occur early in the natural history of cancer, frequently when the primary lesion is still barely detectable.

A prerequisite for cancer dissemination is the acquisition of migratory/invasive properties. However, whether, and if so, how the migratory phenotype is selected for during the natural evolution of cancer and what advantage, if any, it may provide to the growing malignant cells remains an open issue. The answers to these questions are relevant not only for our understating of cancer biology but also for the strategies we adopt in an attempt of curbing this disease. Frequently, indeed, particularly in pharmaceutical settings, targeting migration has been considered much like trying “to shut the stable door after the horse has bolted” and no serious efforts in pursuing this aim has been done.

We argue, instead, that migration might be an intrinsic cancer trait that much like proliferation or increased survival confers to the growing tumor masses with striking selective advantages. The most compelling evidence in support for this contention stems from studies using mathematical modeling of cancer evolution. Surprisingly, these works highlighted the notion that cell migration is an intrinsic, selectable property of malignant cells, so intimately intertwined with more obvious evolutionarily-driven cancer traits to directly impact not only on the potential of malignant cells to disseminate but also on their growth dynamics, and ultimately provide a selective evolutionary advantage. Whether in real life this holds true remains to be assessed, nevertheless, work of this kind defines a framework where the acquisition of migration can be understood in a term of not just as a way to spread, but also to trigger the emergence of malignant clones with favorable genetic or epigenetic traits.

Alternatively, migratory phenotypes might emerge as a response to unfavorable conditions, including the mechanically challenging environment which tumors, and particularly epithelial-derived carcinoma, invariably experience. Becoming motile, however, may not per se being fixed as phenotypic advantageous traits unless it is accompanied or is causing the emergence of specific traits, including drug resistance, self-renewal, and survival. This might be the case, for example, during the process of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is emerging as an overarching mechanism for dissemination. EMT, indeed, may transiently equip individual cancer cells not only with migratory/invasive capacity but also with increased resistance to drug treatment, stemness potential at the expanse of fast proliferation.

Thus, within this framework targeting pro-migratory genes, proteins and processes may become a therapeutically valid alternative or a complementary strategy not only to control carcinoma dissemination but also its progression and development.

Giorgio Scita.

IFOM, The FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Via Adamello 16, 20139 Milan, Italy; Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology (DIPO), School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Festa del Perdono 7, 20122, Italy.

[email protected]

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• Tumor origin
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Deciding which research topics to focus on in medicine and health depends on many factors. These factors can include the currency of a topic, feedback from people providing or receiving care, and the priorities of funders.

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Current opportunities to catalyze research in nutrition and cancer prevention – an interdisciplinary perspective

The cancer research uk - ludwig cancer research nutrition and cancer prevention collaborative group.

BMC Medicine volume  17 , Article number:  148 ( 2019 ) Cite this article

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Cancer Research UK and Ludwig Cancer Research convened an inaugural international Cancer Prevention and Nutrition Conference in London on December 3–4, 2018. Much of the discussion focused on the need for systematic, interdisciplinary approaches to better understand the relationships of nutrition, exercise, obesity and metabolic dysfunction with cancer development. Scientists at the meeting underscored the importance of studying the temporal natural history of exposures that may cumulatively impact cancer risk later in life.

A robust dialogue identified obesity as a major risk for cancer, and the food environment, especially high energy and low nutrient processed foods, as strong and prevalent risk factors for obesity. Further engagement highlighted challenges in the post-diagnostic setting, where similar opportunities to understand the complex interplay of nutrition, physical activity, and weight will inform better health outcomes.

Going forward, holistic research approaches, encompassing insights from multiple disciplines and perspectives, will catalyze progress urgently needed to prevent cancer and improve public health.

Introduction

Robert l. strausberg (fig.  1 ) and fiona reddington (fig.  2 ).

Over the past half century, much progress has been made in improving treatments for patients with cancer. Yet, the mortality rate from cancer remains unacceptably high. Alleviating the mortality, morbidity, and impact on quality of life attributable to cancer is a global health priority of increasing relevance to countries across the economic spectrum.

Robert Strausberg, PhD, is Deputy Scientific Director for the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. His scientific focus is on interdisciplinary approaches to improve the health of people worldwide through disease prevention and early intervention. Previously, he was Deputy Director of the J. Craig Venter Institute and served in leadership positions at the National Human Genome Research Institute, the National Cancer Institute, and the Institute for Genomic Research

Fiona Reddington is Head of Population, Prevention and Behavioural Research Funding at Cancer Research UK and oversees the research portfolio in the areas of population research, prevention and early diagnosis. Following her BSc in Pharmacology and PhD in Neurophysiology, she went on to join the NHS as a project manager and subsequently moved into management roles at a national cancer network and the NCRI Informatics Initiative

Recent data suggest that approximately four in ten cancers are preventable through behavior changes alone [ 1 , 2 ]. Public health measures have made progress in this area; these include prevention of lung cancer, which is largely addressed through smoking cessation, malignant melanoma, by limiting exposure to UV light, and cervical cancer by immunization against human papillomavirus. However, in the important area of diet, nutrition, and cancer prevention there is still much to learn about how to catalyze effective prevention efforts globally (see the EPIC study http://epic.iarc.fr/).

Having a shared goal of taking a radically new approach to cancer prevention, Ludwig Cancer Research and Cancer Research UK have sought to highlight the challenges and opportunities to enhance progress in this important area of public health research. A goal is to make this field a ‘go to’ area for the best and brightest scientists to perform research that will make for healthier people throughout the world.

In this spirit, Cancer Research UK and Ludwig Cancer Research convened an inaugural international Cancer Prevention and Nutrition Conference at the Francis Crick Institute in London on December 3–4, 2018. Discussions at the conference considered the field holistically, weaving together insights from multiple disciplines and perspectives. The sessions were organized into six distinct areas, which are important individually, but even more powerful when integrated. In this Forum article, the session chairs of the meeting have served as co-authors and prepared their sections in conjunction with the other speakers.

The meeting included much discussion about the challenges in defining effective prevention strategies based on nutritional and dietary change. Interdisciplinary research, incorporating disciplines such as business and marketing, political science, environmental sciences, geography, data and systems sciences, as well as simulation modeling, offers great promise.

Participants at the conference were encouraged to consider multiple risk factors within the context of cancer prevention. As the world continues to open – with improved mechanisms to share data, enhanced collaboration across continents, and cross-pollination increasing among traditional siloes – the links between nutrition and cancer prevention research are potentially more understandable and actionable. This provides an outstanding opportunity to invigorate conversations and stimulate the broadest spectrum of research talent to work in concert.

We hope that this Forum article will stimulate new approaches to cancer prevention research that are scientifically, methodologically, technologically, and internationally integrated and conducted with a clear sense of urgency to improve public health.

Understanding dietary risks and cancer

Walter c. willett (fig.  3 ) and elio riboli (fig.  4 ), methodological issues.

Interest in diet in the cause and prevention of human cancers was fueled in the 1970s and ‘80s by findings from ecological studies documenting large international differences in cancer rates that were correlated with per capita intakes of meat, fat, and other dietary factors [ 3 ]. In migrant studies, populations moving from low- to high-incidence regions developed cancer rates like those of long-term residents, indicating that these major differences were not due to population genetic factors. The effects of various dietary factors on tumorigenesis in animal models heightened attention to diet, but more detailed human studies were needed because the ecological correlations were potentially confounded by many nondietary variables. Since 1980, much attention has been devoted to methodological issues in the study of diet and human cancer, including study design, assessment of diet, and analysis of epidemiologic data on diet [ 4 ]. Most of the early studies of diet and cancer used case-control designs in which diet was assessed retrospectively after the diagnosis of cancer. Concerns about biases due to selection of participants and recall of diet have been proven to be justified because later results of prospective studies often did not support the earlier findings. Thus, prospective cohort studies, in which diet is assessed before the outcomes are known, have become the primary design.

Walter Willett is Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. He served as Chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health for 25 years. He has published over 2000 articles, primarily on lifestyle risk factors for heart disease and cancer, and has written the textbook Nutritional Epidemiology

Elio Riboli holds an MD degree and an MPH from the University of Milan and a MSc in Epidemiology from Harvard University. In 1990, he initiated the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, a large population-based cohort designed to investigate the role of diet, nutrition and metabolic factors in the etiology of cancer and other chronic diseases. In 2006, he moved to Imperial College, where he became the first Director of the Imperial School of Public Health (2008–2017) and continues his research in the field of nutritional epidemiology of cancer

Early analyses of day-to-day variation in dietary factors indicated that in order to measure the intake of an individual of most nutrients and foods, recall of consumption over a 24-h period would be required. [ 5 ]. Thus, various forms of food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) have become the most widely used method of dietary assessment in epidemiological studies. Whether FFQs have enough validity to detect important associations has been addressed in many studies using both biomarkers and detailed recording of diets as comparators [ 6 ]. These studies have documented adequate validity, particularly for energy-adjusted intakes, which are of primary interest because changes in nutrient and food intake must be made within narrowly constrained energy intakes. Validity is supported by robust and replicated findings for many dietary factors measured by FFQs as predictors of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Biomarkers of diet can complement assessments of intake, but these also have limitations as they are not available since many aspects of diet are rarely measured repeatedly to capture long-term exposures and are usually influenced by multiple nondietary factors.

Overview of the role of diet in cancer causation

Beginning in the early 1980s, the possibility that diet could be a key link between what was generically called the ‘environment’ and cancer led to a new generation of very large cohorts of healthy volunteers who provided data on diet and other behavioral characteristics at baseline and were followed for cancer incidence and mortality. The World Cancer Research Fund started, in the mid-1990s, the first worldwide effort to systematically review and summarize the epidemiological evidence on diet and cancer, which materialized in the 1997 First World Cancer Research Fund Report, followed by subsequent reports in 2007 and 2018. Based on the aggregate of several thousand publications in more than 50 large population cohorts and several million study participants, diet during mid-life appears to have a rather weak association with subsequent cancer risk [ 7 ]. Even when there is substantial consistency between studies in different populations, as is the case for red meat and fiber-rich foods and colorectal cancer, the variation in risks between high and low consumption levels are relatively modest (e.g., risk ratio in the order of 1.2–1.5). However, the prospective nature of the cohorts and the baseline anthropometric measurements taken in many cohorts, as well as some assessment of physical activity, has provided convincing, and initially unexpected, evidence that overweight/obesity is associated with increased risk of many cancers while moderate or high levels of physical activity are associated with reduced risk. Therefore, from a simple view that particular foods consumed could be a major factor modulating cancer risk between individuals and across the world, two decades of research based on very large scale epidemiological cohort studies have led to the current understanding that it is in most instances the combination of the type of food, the level of regular physical activity, and the accumulation of body fat (or its distribution and/or the ratio between fat/lean tissue mass) that constituted the basic triad of important metabolic factors that influence cancer development.

The complexity of the metabolic factors modulated by diet/anthropometry and physical activity may be a contributing factor for the lack of support for several prominent food and cancer hypotheses in large prospective studies, rather than just inadequate dietary assessment. In addition, it could be related to the natural history of cancer, in which exposures may act early in life and decades before diagnosis. Until now, few studies have been able to examine these temporal relationships; filling these gaps should be a priority for future research. While awaiting the development of cohorts to address these gaps, much could be learned from the systematic analysis of unexamined data on diet and cancer that already exists; support for such collaborative efforts would be highly cost-effective.

Interfacing laboratory, epidemiological, and other clinical studies – moving from links to cause

Richard m. martin (fig.  5 ) and edward l. giovannucci (fig.  6 ).

Large geographic and temporal variations in cancer incidence and survival point to important environmental determinants, and epidemiological and laboratory studies indicate a key role for dietary factors in cancer development and progression [ 8 ]. These considerations suggest substantial potential for the development of cancer prevention strategies. However, the continuing debate around dietary interventions and policies illustrates the challenges of generating robust causal evidence for action. The current nutrition and cancer evidence-base is largely observational and prone to confounding, reverse causality, and inaccurate exposure assessment, precluding confident causal inference. Further, the biological pathways underlying diet and cancer relationships are poorly understood, pre-clinical data only weakly reproducible [ 9 ] and, while randomized controlled trials are the gold standard, they are expensive, time consuming, often not feasible, and can only address a limited number of interventions in selected populations.

Richard Martin is a Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Bristol and Honorary Consultant in Public Health. His research interests include cancer epidemiology, the application of causal analysis methods to strengthen the evidence for developing primary and tertiary prevention interventions, and the identification of -omic biomarkers for secondary prevention

Edward Giovannucci graduated from Harvard University in 1980, received an MD from University of Pittsburgh in 1984, and then completed a doctoral degree in epidemiology from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in 1992, where he is currently a Professor in the Departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology. His research focuses on how nutritional, environmental, and lifestyle factors relate to various cancers

How do we move from observational associations to causal links?

Recent advances in high-throughput assays to measure the genome, methylome [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ], metabolome [ 15 , 16 ], transcriptome [ 17 ], microbiome [ 18 ], and proteome [ 19 ], together with the creation of large research consortia and population biobanks, have vastly expanded the availability of high-dimensional molecular datasets from human samples, many of which are accessible through a range of bioinformatic platforms [ 20 , 21 , 22 ]. These studies have enriched our understanding of gene regulation and function [ 23 ] and provide an unparalleled resource for furthering our understanding of the causal underpinnings of cancer.

For example, with the surge in genome-wide association studies, Mendelian randomization has become firmly established as a major analytical tool in the causal understanding of cancer risk and mechanisms – robust germline genetic instruments from genome-wide association studies can now proxy thousands of cancer-related modifiable exposures and metabolic traits, and genome-wide data on tens- to hundreds-of-thousands of individual site-specific cancers are readily available [ 21 , 22 , 24 ]. In the field of epigenetics, we are now able to exploit recent advances in understanding the genetic architecture of DNA methylation variation across the human life course [ 14 ] to develop methods for investigating molecular mediation. DNA methylation-based biomarkers that reflect risk factors (rather than disease processes themselves) may provide a useful strategy to refine risk estimates and provide novel opportunities for risk-tailored screening and cancer prevention [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]. Indeed, the use of systemic molecular biomarkers, such as DNA methylation variation, may capture integrated biological effects of inter-related exposures (such as diet, physical activity and adiposity, and their downstream physiological consequences), and be more strongly associated with and predictive of cancer than focusing on single nutrient factors [ 29 ].

Promising advances in molecular epidemiological studies, the willingness of groups to collaborate to create large-scale consortia and the development of novel causal analytical methods, combined with our ability to readily integrate epigenomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and proteomics with data on hundreds of diseases, mean that we can readily map the influence of these molecular traits on complex human diseases, including cancer. In this way, we will more efficiently and robustly be able to rapidly prioritize potential interventions for independent replication or follow-up in experimental studies, based on robust causal analysis [ 30 , 31 , 32 ], deprioritize other targets, minimize deploying resources on non-causal targets [ 33 , 34 ], predict unexpected effects (adverse and beneficial) of an intervention [ 35 ], validate exploratory analyses from clinical trials [ 36 ], and identify potential biological mechanisms underpinning exposure-cancer associations [ 30 , 31 , 32 ].

Evidence will continue to evolve with the complexity of changing exposures and population characteristics. Thus, a dynamic approach to measuring the entirety of the evidence from different sources, assessing outcomes of policies or natural experiments, and continuing surveillance are still needed. Nevertheless, the improved characterization of exposures, mechanisms, and biological understanding at the population level can contribute to strengthening confidence in preventive interventions.

Metabolic health – dietary, genetic, and epigenetic factors

Marc j. gunter (fig.  7 ) and hal drakesmith (fig.  8 ).

The reprogramming of energy metabolism, one of the hallmarks of cancer and metabolic transformation, is a key event in tumorigenesis. The importance of metabolic dysfunction in driving cancer is supported by both observational and experimental evidence. For example, epidemiological studies have shown that obesity increases the risk of developing at least 12 different types of cancer [ 37 ], while data from both human studies and animal models have demonstrated that mutations in cellular pathways linking nutritional status and growth are frequently mutated in cancer (e.g., mTOR, PI3K). Currently, we do not fully understand the biology that connects metabolic dysfunction with cancer development at either a cellular or systemic level. However, accumulating evidence from multiple arenas of research are beginning to suggest some key links for how the overall metabolic state of the individual may drive molecular mechanistic alterations that underlie or accelerate carcinogenesis. Established mechanisms include obesity-associated alterations in systemic hormones and growth factors (particularly insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1, leptin, and sex steroid hormones), which induce pro-cancer signals in preneoplastic or neoplastic cells through their respective receptors [ 38 , 39 , 40 ]; cytokines and other inflammatory molecules are also altered and signal through their receptors and downstream signaling pathways.

Marc Gunter is Head of the Section of Nutrition and Metabolism at the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the specialized cancer research agency of the World Health Organization. Dr. Gunter’s research focuses on the role of nutrition, diabetes, and obesity in the natural history of cancer, with an emphasis on metabolic dysfunction and in particular the insulin/IGF/mTOR pathway. He is principal investigator of a number of studies applying high dimensional metabolic profiling within the framework of large prospective and clinical cohorts, as well as intervention studies to identify novel biochemical pathways involved in cancer development and prognosis

Hal Drakesmith was trained at the University of Cambridge, University of Kyoto, and University College London before moving to the University of Oxford. His laboratory in the MRC Human Immunology Unit at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine works on the interaction of iron homeostasis with immunity, metabolism, anemia, and inflammation

Mitochondria govern cellular energy metabolism, and analyses of gene expression profiles of cancer patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas revealed that mitochondrial genes are suppressed in cancers with poor clinical outcomes [ 41 ]. Further, mutations in key metabolic enzymes in the mitochondria, such as fumarate hydratase, succinate dehydrogenase, and isocitrate dehydrogenase, can cause cancer. For example, cells lacking functional fumarate hydratase accumulate fumarate, which in turn activates a plethora of biological processes linked with tumorigenesis [ 42 ].

Some cancer cells have increased uptake of certain nonessential amino acids, such as serine and glycine, which support maximal cancer cell proliferation [ 43 ]. Serine and glycine contribute to the synthesis of nucleotides (both DNA and RNA), proteins, and the antioxidant glutathione [ 44 ]. While nonessential amino acids can be synthesized de novo, diet is also an important source of these amino acids.

Together, these findings suggest that dysregulated metabolism can work in parallel to canonical oncogenic cascades to drive cancer, and that dietary input is a contributing factor to supplying the needs of altered cancer cell metabolism. In several models for cancer, dietary restriction of serine and glycine can slow tumor growth, increase survival, and potentiate the activity of anticancer drugs [ 45 ]. Therefore, targeted dietary interventions may be a viable way to enhance cancer therapy and improve survival in some cancer patients.

An interesting link for how diet might influence cancer development is through the interface of gut microbes, the metabolites they produce, and the immune system. Within the gut, the microbiota and the immune system regulate intestinal function and interact with dietary components to maintain tissue function. In particular, a population of immune cells called regulatory T cells, arises in the intestine and their differentiation is driven in part by specific members of the commensal microbial community and their metabolic products [ 46 ]. These cells in turn regulate the composition and metabolic status of commensal microbiota and maintain a fine balance between immunity and tolerance in the gut, whilst also restraining precancerous lesions in the gastrointestinal tract.

Overall, these studies demonstrate new links between altered cellular metabolism, often driven by mitochondrial dysfunction, interacting with specific dietary components to produce an imbalance of metabolites within a cell that can promote tumor growth. Systemic adiposity contributes to the development of some cancers, potentially through gut-oriented processes that affect intestinal microbiota and immune activity, which in turn influence inflammation and energy balance. In terms of preventative measures, a low body fat state is protective against certain cancers. However, understanding how particular dietary factors, biochemical processes, and metabolites interact with microbial, immune, and other environmental factors to generate cancer risk remains a considerable challenge. Nevertheless, the rationale that dietary and metabolic interventions have a role to play in preventing cancer is increasingly supported from a firm mechanistic basis.

Developmental origins of cancer

Karin b. michels (fig.  9 ) and robert a. waterland (fig.  10 ).

Environmental influences during critical developmental periods can have a long-lasting impact on the risk of many diseases, including cancer. The study of such long-term effects of early exposures is broadly referred to as the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD). Animal and human population-based studies indicate that, during prenatal and early postnatal life, exposures such as through nutrition, radiation, infection, pharmacologic exposures, and environmental contaminants can set the stage for increased cancer susceptibility later in life.

Karin B. Michels, ScD, PhD, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Epidemiology at the UCLA School of Public Health in Los Angeles, California. Her research interests include cancer, nutritional, and epigenetic epidemiology. She has made seminal contributions to elucidating the early life origins of cancer, specifically breast cancer

Robert A. Waterland, PhD, is a Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. His research focuses on understanding epigenetic mechanisms in the developmental origins of health and disease

Available evidence for the developmental origins of cancer is strongest for some types of cancer. The best studied cancers with respect to early life influences are breast cancer, leukemia, and uterine cancer. For breast cancer, high birthweight, high birth length [ 47 , 48 ], early age at peak growth [ 49 ] and early menarche [ 50 ] (all potential indicators of early overnutrition and exposure to growth factors), as well as early exposure to radiation [ 51 ] and low body fatness in childhood [ 52 ] are all associated with an increased risk of later breast cancer. Maternal pre-eclampsia [ 48 ] and caloric restriction during adolescence and early adulthood [ 53 ] are associated with reduced risk of later breast cancer. High birthweight has also been associated with elevated risk of several childhood and other adult cancers [ 54 , 55 , 56 ]. Other types of cancer have been linked to more specific early exposures, such as paternal pre-conceptional smoking to childhood leukemia [ 57 ], childhood infections to Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s disease [ 58 ], infections during pregnancy to leukemia [ 59 ], and factors affecting immune development at birth to pediatric leukemias [ 60 ]. Intrauterine exposure to diethylstilbestrol has been linked to increased risk of developing adenocarcinoma of the vagina [ 61 ].

Clearly, if a considerable proportion of lifetime cancer risk is determined by environmental factors during early life, understanding cancer from a DOHaD perspective may provide new opportunities for cancer prevention. Identifying the windows of susceptibility during early life, narrowing down the most important modifiable risk factors that shape cancer predisposition, unravelling relevant mechanisms, and understanding why some cancers are particularly sensitive to early influences are essential steps to move this agenda forward. Parsing the attributable fraction of cancer type-specific risk factors, including diet, physical activity, obesity, infection, radiation, and environmental chemicals, at various points across the life course will enhance our understanding of cancer etiology and inform prevention strategies. Optimizing life choices, such as diet, may need to take into consideration balancing the risk of other conditions such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes.

Two major barriers to progress are (1) the long period of time between the early exposure and the resulting cancer – up to several decades – and (2) our limited understanding of the fundamental biological mechanisms mediating these long-lasting effects [ 62 ]. Regarding the first, in our view, initial efforts focused on understanding the developmental origins of childhood cancer should be a top priority; this would allow the design of studies spanning several years rather than decades [ 63 ]. Further, the pooling of existing cohort data with relevant exposure data and available follow-up data for cancer should be a key effort. To the extent that the developmental origins of childhood and adult cancer share mechanistic features, knowledge gained from studies of childhood cancer will help refine DOHaD studies of adult cancers.

Regarding the second barrier, there are emerging opportunities to advance our understanding of the role of epigenetic and other mechanisms in the developmental origins of cancer. The diseases most commonly studied with respect to DOHaD are hypertension, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes; relatively few studies have focused on DOHaD and cancer. This is surprising, given that epigenetic mechanisms are currently the most studied mechanisms postulated to explain the long-term persistence of developmental programming [ 64 ] and cancer is, by far, the most studied (and best understood) chronic disease with respect to epigenetic etiology. The stage is set for rapid advances in epigenetic mechanisms mediating the developmental origins of cancer if more research can be stimulated in this area. A major hurdle facing such studies is the cell type-specificity of epigenetic markers [ 64 ]; yet, recent studies have made progress identifying human metastable epialleles, which exhibit systemic interindividual variation in DNA methylation [ 65 ], and initial studies are showing promise using these as markers of cancer risk [ 66 ].

Longitudinal data collection with real-time exposure assessment, biospecimen collection, and endpoint ascertainment remain challenging but are urgently needed. Alternatively, retrospective studies exploiting documented or manifested exposures such as clinical records and/or previously collected specimens (e.g., newborn blood spots or Guthrie cards) can be useful. A novel recent investigation using Guthrie cards suggested that pregnancy levels of androgens were associated with testicular tumors that developed in adolescents but not among infants [ 67 ]. Guthrie cards are additionally useful for measuring immune development [ 68 ], nutrition [ 69 ], and DNA methylation [ 70 ]. Rather than waiting for cancer to manifest, it may be feasible to identify intermediate endpoints that can be utilized as markers of future cancer risk. Identification of such intermediate markers will benefit from consideration of molecular and cellular aspects of carcinogenesis. There are many opportunities to apply mechanistic insights from animal model studies to refine population-based analyses.

Prevention efforts may start prior to conception by targeting gametes and preventing epigenetic errors, exploring what represents an optimal pregnancy diet, and evaluating neonatal screening for acquired genetic mutations and congenital cytomegalovirus infection. Whether vaginal birthing may affect cancer susceptibility via modulation of the microbiome and the innate immune function remains to be explored in both animal and population-based studies. It remains unresolved whether cancer screening and active prevention is possible for cancers like leukemia. Risk stratification based on genetic predisposition represents another sensible yet underexplored avenue for early intervention to reduce future cancer risk.

Stored biological samples and existing clinical data suggest outstanding opportunities for multidisciplinary teams to test associations, understand underlying mechanisms, and design interventions. However, funding opportunities are sparse, and resources are reluctantly applied to prevention, let alone early life factors that are decades removed from cancer occurrence. We hope our pressing call to action will be heard.

Diet after a diagnosis of cancer

Rebecca j. beeken (fig.  11 ) and edward l. giovannucci (fig.  6 ).

There is increasing evidence that, in addition to playing a role in cancer development, diet may influence outcomes after cancer diagnosis [ 71 ]. However, the current recommendations for survivors are based largely on extrapolation from cancer prevention recommendations. Dietary survivorship studies encompass a variety of settings, including general nutritional support for advanced stage cancer patients, specific dietary factors or nutrients that may improve treatment responses and survival for specific cancers, and the influence of nutrition for overall mortality with cancers that have a good prognosis for long-term survival and for which the main causes of death will not be related to the cancer itself; the issues for each of these vary. There is an urgent need for carefully designed and adequately powered cohort studies and randomized interventions with appropriate outcomes for each phase of survival across cancer types. While large scale interventions may ultimately provide the strongest evidence, rigorous assessment of observational data is essential to justify them.

Rebecca J Beeken, PhD, is a tenure-track Yorkshire Cancer Research University Academic Fellow at the University of Leeds. Her academic background is in behavioral science and health psychology, and her primary research interest is in behavior change for cancer prevention and control. Rebecca currently co-leads a Cancer Research UK-funded program of work exploring the efficacy of a brief, habit-based intervention for improving dietary and physical activity behaviors in people living with a diagnosis of cancer

Beyond the typical challenges of observational studies of diet and nutrition and cancer incidence, survivorship studies have additional challenges. First, any effects could differ by cancer stage, cancer subtypes, and by treatment, which could all influence survival. Thus, the recommendations for survivorship may need to be more nuanced than those for primary prevention. Careful consideration needs to be given to how best to communicate these complex, and potentially changing, messages to healthcare professionals, patients, and the public. Secondly, because the study population already has cancer, the potential for reverse causation for observed associations is substantial. For example, higher levels of physical activity post-diagnosis appear to be associated with better survival for some cancers, but a possibility may be that patients who become progressively sicker, and hence have a poorer prognosis, may be less able to exercise. Finally, behaviors in the post-diagnostic period may correlate with those in the pre-diagnostic period, so if an association is observed in the post-diagnostic period, the causal effect could be occurring in the pre-diagnostic period. Thus, an intervention based on such observations, if begun in the post-diagnostic phase, may not confer the benefit suggested in the observational study. Studies combining primary prevention with post-diagnostic work may offer unique opportunities to explore the impact of interventions across the cancer continuum.

There are also practical challenges for studies that are specific to the post-diagnosis setting. In particular, the support of healthcare professionals is crucial for recruitment of patients and implementation of any successful intervention. Healthcare professionals can act as gatekeepers, limiting patient access to interventions and biasing recruited samples. The challenge of engaging clinicians who face a number of competing time demands and have concerns around the effectiveness of an intervention, as well as patient blaming, their perceived lack of interest, and them being too ill to participate, needs to be addressed [ 72 , 73 ]. Strategies are needed that address the range of barriers to participation in, and adherence to, interventions among people with a diagnosis of cancer, especially hard-to-reach patients [ 74 , 75 , 76 ], to ensure existing inequalities in outcomes are not increased.

Additionally, there is a need to better understand mechanisms of action of interventions and to untangle the complex interplay of nutrition, physical activity, and weight on any observed effects; it is inadequate to study nutritional factors in isolation. Furthermore, developing interventions that not only change behavior but also support individuals to maintain those changes over the longer term represents a significant challenge [ 77 ]. Theories that specifically address maintenance, such as habit-formation theory [ 78 ], may offer useful starting points, but have not been widely tested [ 79 ]. Research to identify the optimal triangulation of dose, modality and timing of interventions, and the extent to which interventions can and should be personalized is also needed. Digital technologies and the use of artificial intelligence may offer new, more efficient means of tailoring interventions.

To date, dietary intervention studies have predominantly focused on survivors of common cancers (breast, colorectal, and prostate) who have completed treatment. However, there is increasing interest in developing interventions for delivery during the post-diagnosis but pre-treatment stage (i.e., prehab) [ 80 ], and for patients facing recurrence or with incurable disease [ 81 ]. The feasibility of integrating such interventions into standard care needs to be examined and identifying appropriate outcome measures is crucial. Studies assessing the effect of interventions on patient-reported outcomes, quality of life, and symptom management, as pre-planned, primary endpoints are lacking [ 82 ]. Recent studies have begun to explore potential interactions between nutrition and treatment [ 45 ] and the role of the microbiome and immune system via biomarker trials [ 83 , 84 ]. Results from ongoing trials exploring the impact of behavioral interventions on cancer-relevant outcomes are also eagerly awaited, but these require substantial efforts. There is also a call to make better use of existing data and to promote the collection of nutrition data from patients as part of standard care to support this endeavor going forward.

The food environment and cancer prevention

Linda bauld (fig.  12 ) and hilary j. powers (fig.  13 ).

Considerable progress has been made in understanding the causal links between diet, nutrition, physical activity, weight, and cancer incidence. Research findings have informed guidance on cancer prevention from national and international organizations [ 7 , 85 ]. These guidelines commonly provide information on healthier diets, maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding sedentary behavior, engaging in physical activity, and avoiding alcohol. There is good evidence that adhering to cancer prevention recommendations is associated with lower risk of some cancers [ 86 , 87 ]. However, there are well-acknowledged obstacles that individuals and communities face in adhering to cancer prevention recommendations and attention needs to be focused on addressing the wider social and commercial determinants that affect individual capability, opportunity, and motivation to engage in healthy behaviors [ 88 , 89 ]. In particular, inadequate attention has been paid to food environments, notably the pricing, promotion, and availability of different types of food and the content, formulation, packaging, and labelling of products [ 90 ]. Also described as the ‘foodscape’ [ 91 ], food environments include the physical environment, which is particularly relevant when considering overweight and obesity as a risk factor for cancer.

Linda Bauld is the Bruce and John Usher Professor of Public Health at the University of Edinburgh, Deputy Director of the UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies, and holds the CRUK/BUPA Chair in Cancer Prevention at Cancer Research UK. She is a behavioral scientist with a particular interest in the primary prevention of cancer and has conducted a range of studies to inform or evaluate policies and programs to address tobacco, alcohol, and overweight and obesity. She is a former scientific adviser on tobacco control to the UK government and is a member of a number of policy and research funding committees in the UK, Canada, and Europe

Hilary Powers is Professor Emerita at the University of Sheffield, UK. Her research has focused on micronutrients and cancer risk, at the epidemiology and molecular level. She has worked extensively with World Cancer Research Fund International on their reports into food, nutrition, physical activity, and cancer prevention

The consumption of high energy and low nutrient processed foods is a strong and prevalent risk factor for overweight and obesity and reducing the intake of these products is relevant for cancer prevention [ 92 ]. There is growing evidence that marketing and promotion affects dietary choices, including among children; exposure to high energy and low nutrient processed food advertisements on television and increasingly online has been shown to increase energy intake [ 93 , 94 ]. The availability of these types of foods also has a role to play. For example, studies have identified a positive association between the density of unhealthy food outlets in a neighborhood and the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children [ 95 , 96 ]. Location of high energy food items by tills in retail outlets can also influence choice [ 97 , 98 ]. The relationship between deprivation and poor diet also calls for a greater focus on the food environment. Studies in a number of high-income countries, including the UK, have found that there is a clustering of fast food outlets in areas of deprivation along with more limited access to retail outlets that provide a wider range of healthier food options [ 99 , 100 ].

Changing the food environment is possible and doing so could make an important contribution to the prevention of cancers linked to dietary risk factors and overweight and obesity. Action by retailers and manufacturers can contribute, as recently demonstrated by some success in voluntary reformulation to reduce salt in a range of products, and in the removal of confectionary from supermarket checkout aisles [ 98 ]. Arguably, however, population level policies introduced by governments have the greatest role to play. There is promising evidence that fiscal policies, including taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages, can reduce consumption of these products [ 101 , 102 ]. Restrictions on marketing, including the timing, content, and extent of advertising, could affect consumption, particularly by children, and help shift social norms away from prevalent dietary choices that favor high energy and low nutrient processed foods. Greater attention should also be given to the local policy context and the importance of spatial planning for health. Local planning tools should be used to limit the growth and proliferation of unhealthy food outlets [ 103 ]. Planning decisions should also give greater consideration to the provision of opportunities for increased physical activity. There is evidence from different countries that planning decisions that provide useable green spaces in urban settings, a better cycling and walking infrastructure, and accessible public transport options can be effective in increasing physical activity [ 104 ].

Research to inform the development of policies and interventions to improve the food environment and prioritize cancer and other noncommunicable disease prevention efforts requires interdisciplinary collaborations between researchers with skills in nutrition, behavioral science, economics, geography, epidemiology, and other disciplines. Researchers need skills, not only in identifying appropriate context-specific methods and analysis, but also in knowledge translation and in engaging policymakers and the public. Support to identify appropriate frameworks and circumstances for collaboration with industry are also required, along with skills to understand and address conflicts of interest, both in the conduct of research and the availability and interpretation of often conflicting sources of evidence [ 105 , 106 ]. Food systems and the food environment are complex and adaptive and research to better understand and improve them should to be similarly responsive [ 107 ].

Conclusions

Jessica brand (fig.  14 ) and rachel a. reinhardt (fig.  15 ).

Ludwig Cancer Research and Cancer Research UK are privileged to have brought together world leaders in the field for a holistic discussion of the current challenges and opportunities in nutrition and cancer prevention. As discussed in this Forum article, strong themes emerged from the conference, consistently highlighting that obesity prevention, nutrition, and physical activity play a major role in worldwide cancer prevention. Many factors impact on progress with respect to these themes, which will be best served through integrated and systematic research. These include, for example, different experiences in childhood and the physical, social, economic, and digital environments that we inhabit.

Jessica Brand is a Research Funding Manager in the Population, Prevention and Behavioural Research team at Cancer Research UK (CRUK) with a specific focus on the prevention elements of the portfolio. Having completed a BSc in Chemistry, she worked in academic journal publishing at the Royal Society of Chemistry, before moving onto project managing small researcher support grant schemes. Other roles in grant management followed, and she has been with CRUK since August 2017

Rachel Reinhardt is the Vice President for Communications at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. Prior to that, she held communications leadership positions at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, and France Telecom North America. Rachel is a graduate of Yale University with a dual degree in French and International Studies

We thank all the contributors to this Forum article for their thoughtful and significant input, and for helping to drive a meaningful discussion.

We look forward to catalyzing additional interdisciplinary discussions in cancer prevention. Such dialogue will hopefully help identify opportunities to further invigorate research activities towards understanding the interrelationships of obesity, nutrition, and physical activity in cancer prevention, and how this knowledge might best be utilized to advance public health.

Availability of data and materials

Not applicable.

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Acknowledgements

*The following members of The Cancer Research UK-Ludwig Cancer Research Nutrition and Cancer Prevention Collaborative Group are co-authors of this forum article (in alphabetical order):

Linda Bauld ( https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7411-4260 ) 1 , Rebecca J. Beeken ( https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8287-9351 ) 2 , Jessica Brand ( https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3123-9917 ) 3 , Wendy Demark-Wahnefried 4 , Hal Drakesmith ( https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8503-6103 ) 5,6 , Terence Dwyer 7 , Christian Frezza 8 , Edward L. Giovannucci ( https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6123-0219 ) 9,10 , Marc J. Gunter ( https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5472-6761 ) 11 , Stephen D. Hursting 12 , Kay T. Khaw 13 , Amelia A. Lake 14,15 , Oliver D.K. Maddocks 16 , Richard M. Martin ( https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7992-7719 ) 17,18,19 , Karin B. Michels ( https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5137-5505 ) 20,21 , Modi Mwatsama 22 , Hilary J. Powers ( https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0496-5446 ) 23 , Fiona Reddington ( https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1494-6492 ) 3 , Rachel A. Reinhardt ( https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4427-9539 ) 24 , Caroline L. Relton 17,18 , Elio Riboli ( https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6795-6080 ) 25 , Alexander Y. Rudensky 26 , Mingyang Song 9,10,27,28 , Robert L. Strausberg ( https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8908-4316 ) 24 , Nicholas J. Timpson 17,18 , Robert A. Waterland ( https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7401-3408 ) 29,30 , Martin White 31 , Joseph L. Wiemels 32 , Walter C. Willett ( https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1458-7597 ) 9,10

Author details

1 Usher Institute, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, UK

2 Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds, UK

3 Cancer Research UK, Angel Building, 407 St John Street, London EC1V 4 AD, UK

4 O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA

5 MRC Human Immunology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DS, UK

6 Haematology Theme, Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK

7 The George Institute for Global Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

8 MRC Cancer Unit, University of Cambridge, Hutchison/MRC Research Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK

9 Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

10 Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

11 Section of Nutrition and Metabolism, International Agency for Research on Cancer – World Health Organization, Lyon, France

12 Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

13 Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

14 School of Science, Engineering & Design, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, Tees Valley, UK, and

15 Fuse – UKCRC Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, UK

16 University of Glasgow, Institute of Cancer Sciences, Switchback Road, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK

17 Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK

18 MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU), Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Oakfield House, Oakfield Grove, Bristol, UK

19 National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Bristol Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals NHS Trust and University of Bristol, Bristol, UK

20 Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

21 Institute for Prevention and Cancer Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany

22 London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK

23 Department of Oncology & Metabolism, The Medical School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2RX, UK

24 Ludwig Cancer Research, 666 Third Avenue, New York, NY, USA

25 School of Public Health, Imperial College, London, UK

26 Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ludwig Cancer Research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA

27 Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

28 Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

29 USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

30 Department of Molecular & Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

31 Center for Diet & Activity Research (CEDAR) and MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

32 Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Preventative Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

We are thankful to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Ludwig Cancer Research, and Cancer Research UK for their support of this conference. We are also grateful to the staff of the Francis Crick Institute for their generosity in hosting this event.

An Organizing Committee composed of two members each from Cancer Research UK (FR and JB) and Ludwig Cancer Research (RLS and RAR) developed ideas for potential meeting sessions and invited a Steering Committee to further develop the meeting agenda, including the specific sessions and potential speakers. The opinions expressed in the manuscript are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Cancer Research UK or Ludwig Cancer Research.

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The Cancer Research UK - Ludwig Cancer Research Nutrition and Cancer Prevention Collaborative Group. Current opportunities to catalyze research in nutrition and cancer prevention – an interdisciplinary perspective. BMC Med 17 , 148 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-019-1383-9

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A Study on Knowledge and Screening for Cervical Cancer among Women in Mangalore City

Hn harsha kumar.

Department of Community Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal University, Mangalore, Karnataka, India

Shubham Tanya

Background:.

Most of the cervical cancer cases are diagnosed late leading to poor outcomes. Very few studies have explored the role of doctor and source of information for awareness of women about cervical cancer in India.

Hence, this study was conducted with the objective of knowing the knowledge of women about cervical cancer, its screening, role of doctor, source of information, and reasons for not undergoing screening if the women had not undergone testing for cervical cancer.

Subjects and Methods:

This was a questionnaire based cross-sectional study conducted among the women attending the outpatient departments of teaching hospitals attached to Kasturba Medical College. A sample size of 83 was calculated. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed. After obtaining permission from Institutional Ethics Committee, the questionnaire was administered to the women in the language of their preference. Women were educated after the data collection and a hand-out was provided. Data was analyzed using SPSS Version 10. Student's independent ‘t’ test was used to compare mean knowledge scores across sociodemographic groups.

Majority of the women have poor knowledge about cervical cancer (81.9% [68/83]) and it's screening (85.5% [71/83]). Only 6 out of 83 women had undergone screening. Though women had come into contact with doctors earlier, they were neither educated about cervical cancer nor were they told about the screening. Whatever little knowledge the women had was obtained from mass media.

Conclusions:

Majority of women had poor knowledge. Mass media could be used to educate the women. There is a need to conduct community based study to know the practices of doctors and assess if they are educating and offering suggestions for screening.

Introduction

Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide. In India, it is one the leading causes of mortality among women accounting for 23.3% of all cancer deaths.[ 1 ] India accounts for about 20% of cervical cancer cases reported from the world.[ 2 ] More than three-fourth of these patients are diagnosed in advanced stages leading to poor prospects of long term survival and cure.[ 2 ] Early detection of cervical cancer is possible with Pap smear tests. The proportion of women who undergo Pap smear testing ranges from 68% to 84% in developed countries as compared to India where the rates range from 2.6% to 6.9% among women in communities.[ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ] It has been found that in many developed countries the annual incidence and prevalence of cervical cancer has decreased by 50%-70% after introduction of population based screening.[ 2 ] So if women in India undergo screening for cervical cancer, it is possible to detect the cancer in early stages thereby reducing mortality and morbidity. Screening would be broadly influenced by:

• Knowledge about cervical cancer, its screening among women
• Role of health care providers who come in contact with women in hospitals and the sources of information
• Facilities available and the awareness of facilities.

Recently, studies have been reported from India on awareness of cervical cancer and its screening among women.[ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ] Studies exploring the knowledge of the women about cervical cancer have focused on either on “nursing staff” working in hospitals or on women in the rural community.[ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ] Three of these studies, which focused on “nursing staff” have reported good awareness cervical cancer and its screening though the proportion of who have ever undergone Pap smear ranges from 7% to 8%, respectively.[ 7 , 8 , 9 ] Two studies which were done on women in rural communities have also reported awareness of about 72% though only 2%-6.9% ever had a Pap smear test.[ 6 , 10 ] One study among women who attended the outpatient departments (OPDs) has reported low awareness (16%) though 10% had ever received Pap test.[ 11 ] Another study from India did not provide any information on knowledge or the proportion of women who have undergone Pap smear test.[ 12 ] A study carried out on college girls, which explored only the knowledge has reported low levels of awareness (20%).[ 13 ] None of the studies have explored the role of the health care providers who come in contact with women, sources on information in the context of early diagnosis.

Hence, this study was undertaken with the following objectives:

• To know the knowledge about cervical cancer among women attending OPDs of hospitals attached to Kasturba Medical College (KMC) Mangalore
• To know about the awareness of cervical cancer screening among these women and the facilities available for it
• To explore the sources of information and the role of health care providers who come in contact with women in hospitals.

It was planned that after the data collection, the women would be educated about cervical cancer, its screening methods and the facilities available for screening in the hospitals. A hand-out was also provided to these women in the local language of their preference.

Subjects and Methods

Government Wenlock Hospital is attached to KMC, Mangalore. It is a tertiary care center which receives patients from not only Mangalore city, but also from other parts of Karnataka state and neighboring state of Kerala in South India.

Study design

This is a questionnaire based cross-sectional study.

Study setting

Outpatient departments of hospitals associated with KMC Mangalore. (This would include Government Wenlock Hospital, Attavar Private Hospital, Lady Goschen Hospital [Government Maternity Hospital] and outreach clinics of Department of Community Medicine, KMC, Mangalore).

The study was conducted in the months of May and June of 2012.

Study subjects

Women attending OPDs of hospitals associated with KMC, Mangalore. The inclusion criteria were:

• Women who are between 30 and 59 years of age (according to the guidelines)[ 2 ]
• Women who have given consent for participation in the study.

The exclusion criteria were:

• Women who were below 30 or above 59 years of age
• Women who did not give consent for participation in the study.

Sample size

One study which was conducted in hospitals among women who had come to seek to health care reported that 84% were not aware of cervical cancer.[ 11 ] This was used for sample size calculation as the study setting and population profiles matched with ours. Using the formula for infinite population N = Z 2 pq/d 2 , for 95% confidence interval and a precision of 10% we got a sample size of 74. Accounting for 10% nonresponse the total sample size was 83.

Nonrandom sampling. Sequential inclusion of the women who met the study criteria.

Study instrument

A questionnaire was devised collecting following components of information from the subjects:

• Basic sociodemographic profile like age, occupation income, etc.,
• Questions to assess knowledge about cervical cancer
• Question to assess the knowledge about cervical cancer screening
• Sources of knowledge and the role of doctor (like whether doctor educated about cervical cancer, its screening, suggested test for cervical cancer screening during a visit any time in the last 1 and 5 years)
• Problems in undergoing screening.

Scoring of questions

Knowledge about cervical cancer was assessed if the answer to first screen question (Have you heard of/do you know about cervical cancer?) was “yes.” Two components of knowledge were assessed:

• Symptoms/manifestations of cervical cancer (multiple response question): Irregular menstrual bleeding, bleeding after sexual activity, weight loss, difficulty in passing urine, blood stained discharge from vagina
• Risk factors for cervical cancer (multiple response questions): Early start of sexual activity, multiple sexual partners, multiparity and infection with virus. Each response was given 1 mark. So, the maximum was nine and minimum was zero. The knowledge was graded as: <4 being poor knowledge; 5-6 being satisfactory knowledge and ≥7 being good knowledge.

About screening for cervical cancer: Knowledge about screening for cervical cancer was assessed if the answer to first screen question (Have you heard of/do you know that it is possible to detect cervical cancer early?) was “yes.” Four questions were asked:

• Who should get tested (married, unmarried, any female)
• At what age is it advisable to get tested (old women >60 years, young women 20-50, adolescent girls 12-19 years)
• Where do you think the testing is done (multiple responses permitted [government hospitals, maternity hospitals, private hospital, nursing homes, private hospitals with attached maternity hospital, women's hospital])
• A positive result means presence of cervical cancer (yes, no, don’t know). Correct response for question 1, 2, 4, and each response for 3 carried 1 mark. So, the maximum was 9 and minimum was 0. The knowledge was graded as: <4 being poor knowledge; 5-6 being satisfactory knowledge and ≥7 being good knowledge.

Instrument development

The questionnaire was first scrutinized by a group of experts from Department of Community Medicine and Obstetrics. The questions were scored to help in grading the knowledge. This questionnaire was examined for a second time and modified by a group of experts.

The instrument was translated to local language [Kannada, Tulu] by Medical Social Workers and Linguistic Experts. This was back translated to English by some other linguistic expert who was not familiar with the original version. The back translated version were compared with original version to test for conceptual equivalence.

The study instrument was tried on some women who were attending OPD to check for feasibility and reliability. Changes were made to suit our circumstances.

Informed consent and ethical clearance

Study protocol was approved by Institutional Ethical Committee. The women were approached in OPD and invited to participate in the study. The nature and purpose of the study was explained and their consent sought. It was made clear that participation in study is voluntary. Questionnaire was handed over to the participants in the language of their preference. About 30 minutes time was allotted for the collection of data. The questionnaire was collected back and analyzed.

Service component

After the collection of data the women were informed about cervical cancer, the importance of its screening and facilities available for it. A hand-out which had illustrative pictures with explanations was provided in the language of their preference. Implications of positive and negative results were also explained.

Statistical analysis

The data was analyzed using SPSS version 15 (SPSS Inc., Chicago III, USA) and analyzed. Basic subject characteristics were expressed as proportions in appropriate tables. Student's independent ‘t’ test was used to know if the differences in the mean knowledge scores across demographic categories like education, employment, age at marriage is statistically significant. P ’< 0.05 was considered to be significant.

Of the 83 women, majority (41% [34/83]) belonged to age group of 36-40 years. The demographic information of the participants is presented in Table 1 . About 39.7% [33/83] had got married before the age of 18.

Sociodemographic characteristics of the participants ( n =83)

Majority of the women had poor knowledge about cervical cancer and its screening. The results are presented in Table 2 . Majority (81.9% [68/83]) of the women were not aware of facilities for screening. Lack of knowledge is reflected in poor understanding of symptoms [ Table 3 ]. The source of information was mainly mass media [ Table 3 ]. Majority of the women who had approached the doctors in the last 1 year (89.3% [66/74]) and in the last 5 years (80.7% [67/83]) were not told/educated about cervical cancer. For the same time, frames education about screening was provided to only about 6% [5/83] and 9.6% [8/83] women only.

Grading of knowledge about cervical cancer and its screening ( n =83)

Knowledge and source of information about cervical cancer and its screening ( n =83)*

Few 7.2% [6/83] women had undergone screening for cervical cancer. The reasons for not getting screened were as follows [n (%)]: Absence of disease symptoms [15 (18.1)], not suggested by health professional [14 (16.9)], lack of time [4 (4.8)], fear of having a bad result [3 (3.6)], fear of pain [1 (1.2)], financial reason [1 (1.2)], and embarrassment [1 (1.2)].

Employed women and women with college education had better knowledge about cervical cancer and its screening as compared to housewives and those with some schooling [(Tables ​ [(Tables4 4 and ​ and5 5 ]).

Knowledge on cervical cancer-cross-tabulation with demographic characteristics ( n =68)

Knowledge on screening of cervical cancer-cross-tabulation with demographic characteristics ( n =71)

Knowledge of cervical cancer

Majority of the women had poor knowledge about cervical cancer (81.9%) and it's screening (85.5%). Poor knowledge (84%) about cervical cancer and its screening has been reported from a study conducted on women who attended the hospitals.[ 11 ] However, good knowledge has been reported from three studies conducted on nurses.[ 7 , 8 , 9 ] Obviously, nurses being health care providers would have better knowledge.

Majority of the study population belong to upper income class (44.6%). Employed women had higher education. Educated women had higher knowledge than house wives [ Table 4 ]. Community based studies from India have found that educated women had better knowledge.[ 6 , 10 , 12 ]

Pap smear test

Only 7.2% of the women had ever undergone Pap smear testing. Community based studies have reported that 2%-6.9% of women got tested.[ 6 , 10 ] Surprisingly, there was not much difference in proportions (7%-8%) among “nurses” working in tertiary care centers.[ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ] There is gap between awareness and practice. The reason for not getting screened was absence of disease symptoms (18.1%) i.e., women were asymptomatic and hence perceived themselves as healthy. This reason is common for most of the other studies from India.[ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]

Role of health care provider and source of information

Though women has approached the doctors in the last 1- and 5-year time frames, very few women were educated about cervical cancer [10.7%, 18.6%] and its screening [6%, 9.3%)]. Doctors were the source of information (15.7%, 8.4%) [ Table 3 ]. Second common reason (16.9%) for not being screened was “not suggested by a health professional.” None of the previous studies have reported/explored this. Those few women who had knowledge got it from mass media [ Table 3 ]. Mass media seems to be important source of information even in rural areas as reported by studies conducted in rural parts of India.[ 6 , 10 ] This also implies that perhaps doctors were not the common source of information when compared to mass media, which has been reported to be the source from studies conducted in different settings like “Rural communities” and “hospitals”[ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ] A particularly worrying finding that “only 12.5% and 10% of nurses would actually recommend the test to others” have been reported from Surat city of Gujarat and rural Rajasthan states, respectively.[ 7 , 9 ] Similar findings have been reported from Uganda.[ 14 ]

As majority of the women in our study had parity two or three they would have come in contact with health services. So the contact would have provided opportunity for health care providers to educate their patients. This indicates that health care providers who did not educate their patients deprived them of the benefit of contact in terms of early diagnosis of cervical cancer. The results have two important implications: (1) The importance of using mass media for educating the public. (2) The need to study the practices of the doctors.

Limitations

As it is a questionnaire based study there could be response bias. Due to feasibility reasons this study could not be conducted in the community and was restricted to few women attending the OPDs. It is possible that some women were educated and advised about cervical cancer and its screening, but there might have been recall bias. As these women came from different parts of our state and Kerala state, we could not assess the knowledge of the doctors whom these women consulted.

Most of the women had poor knowledge and had not undergone screening for cervical cancer. As mass media was the common source of information, they could be used to raise the awareness of the women to promote early detection. There is a need for community-based study to know the practices of doctors and assess: (1) If they are educating the women about cervical cancer and its screening. (2) Whether they actually offered screening services to the eligible women who consulted them for any other health problem.

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the financial help for a part of this study under the Indian Council of Medical Research-Short Term Studentship scheme for the year 2012. We are thankful to the participants, without whose cooperation this study would be impossible. We are also thankful to those hospital staff/doctors/nurses who facilitated the interview of women in the OPD.

Source of Support: We acknowledge financial support for a part of this study under the scheme ICMR-STS (Sanction number: 2012-00374).

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

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Crafoord, Anja, and Pamela Francis. "Kvinnors kroppsuppfattning efter mastektomi till följd av bröstcancer : en litteraturöversikt." Thesis, Sophiahemmet Högskola, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:shh:diva-3689.

Olsson, Elin, and Almström Frida Rönnberg. "Bröstcancerdrabbade kvinnors erfarenheter av mastektomi, med fokus på kroppsuppfattning : En litteraturstudie." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Institutionen för omvårdnad, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-178713.

Mohamud, Ali Khadijo, and Panit Åkerman. "Kvinnors upplevelser av kroppen efter mastektomi vid bröstcancer : En litteraturöversikt." Thesis, Ersta Sköndal Bräcke högskola, Institutionen för vårdvetenskap, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:esh:diva-7572.

Granli, Johanna, and Elin Hedén. "Kvinnors upplevelser av mastektomi vid bröstcancer : En analys av bloggar." Thesis, Högskolan i Skövde, Institutionen för hälsovetenskaper, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:his:diva-19587.

Saldén, Mirja, and Daniel Pejer. "Kvinnnors kroppsuppfattning efter mastektomi på grund av bröstcancer : En litteraturöversikt." Thesis, Ersta Sköndal Bräcke högskola, Institutionen för vårdvetenskap, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:esh:diva-8418.

Oliveira, Mariza Silva de. "Self care of the woman in the whitewashing of the mastectomy: study of appearance validation and content of the educative technology." Universidade Federal do CearÃ, 2006. http://www.teses.ufc.br/tde_busca/arquivo.php?codArquivo=362.

Rockström, Monica, and Isaura Rodriguez. "Sjuksköterskans stödjande roll i omvårdnaden av patienter med bröstcancer : En litteraturstudie." Thesis, Röda Korsets Högskola, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:rkh:diva-1859.

Carter, Sue A. "A Description of BMI and the Incidence of Breast Cancer in the Premenopausal Woman." Walsh University / OhioLINK, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=walsh1429279507.

Ödling, Gunvor. "Professional caregivers' experiences of caring for women with breast cancer on a surgical ward /." Umeå : Univ, 2004. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-371.

Törnquist, Julia, and Tove Wessman. "Kroppsuppfattning och livskvalitet i relation till sexualitet hos kvinnor efter mastektomi." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för folkhälso- och vårdvetenskap, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-432429.

Ingelsson, Veronicka, and Evastina Noltorp. "Kvinnan, bröstet och kroppen : En litteraturstudie om kvinnors upplevelser kring sin kropp efter en mastektomi." Thesis, Kristianstad University, School of Health and Society, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hkr:diva-6907.

Syftet: Syftet med studien var att belysa kvinors upplevelser av kroppen efter en cancerrelaterad mastektmoi. Bakgrund: Allt fler kvinnor drabbas av bröstcancer i dagsläget. Detta har gjort att behandlingen har utvecklats och fler kvinnor överlever sin bröstcancer. Den kirurgiska metoden mastektomi är ett alternativ till att avlägsna bröstcancern vilket kan påverka kvinnans upplevelse av kroppen både fysiskt och psykiskt.Sjuksköterskan har en betydande roll kring kvinnorna. Metod: Detta är en litteraturstudie som bygger på artiklar med kvantitativa samt kvalitativa metoder. Resultat: Resultatet visar att flertalet kvinnor som har genomgått en mastektomi får en förändrad uppfattning om kroppen. Även upplevelser som påverkar den psykiska hälsan är identifierade såsom upplevelsen av förlust och känslan av att vara oattraktiv. Slutsats: Det som framkom var att hänsyn bör tas till att försöka förbättra kvinnornas acceptans av den kroppsliga förändringen. Då flertalet kvinnor har uttryckt en negativ påverkan på den. Ytterligare aspekt att ta hänsyn till är kvinnans relation med eventuell partner. Sjuksköterskan bör integrera honom i omvårdnaden och även ge honom den stöttning han är i behov av. Det är inte bara en förändring för kvinnan utan också för mannen.

Silva, Anna Paula Sousa da. "Basic actions for early detection and risk factors for breast cancer in women at a primary care center in Fortaleza-CearÃ." Universidade Federal do CearÃ, 2008. http://www.teses.ufc.br/tde_busca/arquivo.php?codArquivo=2512.

Nordqvist, Annelie, and Sjöman Kristoffer Turesson. "Vad händer efter avslutandet av primär behandling för bröstcancer? : En litteraturöversikt om kvinnors upplevelser av uppföljningsvården." Thesis, Ersta Sköndal Bräcke högskola, Institutionen för vårdvetenskap, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:esh:diva-7248.

Frison, Fernanda Sucasas 1986. "Dança circular e qualidade de vida em mulheres mastectomizadas = um estudo piloto." [s.n.], 2011. http://repositorio.unicamp.br/jspui/handle/REPOSIP/308264.

Fransson, Ariana, Malin Bergman, and Olivia Tollesson. "Kvinnors upplevelser av sexuell hälsa relaterat till mastektomi vid bröstcancer." Thesis, Jönköping University, Hälsohögskolan, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-52688.

Dingley, Catherine E. "Inner strength as a predictor of quality of life and self-management in women with cancer /." Connect to full text via ProQuest. Limited to UCD Anschutz Medical Campus, 2008.

Arving, Cecilia. "Individual psychosocial support for breast cancer patients : Quality of life, psychological effects, patient satisfaction, health care utilization and costs." Doctoral thesis, Uppsala : Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis : Univ.-bibl. [distributör], 2007. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-7929.

Hellström, Tina, and Kallnäs Karolina Holmén. "Fysisk aktivitet som omvårdnadsåtgärd till personer med bröstcancer: en litteraturöversikt." Thesis, Högskolan Dalarna, Omvårdnad, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:du-33804.

Egnell, Tilda, and Johanna Ragnarsson. "Kvinnors kroppsuppfattning efter bröstcancerbehandling – En litteraturöversikt." Thesis, Högskolan Dalarna, Omvårdnad, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:du-27783.

Nicolau, Sandra Regina Terra Campos. "Cuidados sensíveis de enfermagem a mulheres submetidas a mastectomia: subsídios para uma ação educativa com enfoque na dimensão ética e estética." Universidade Federal Fluminense, 2015. https://app.uff.br/riuff/handle/1/3059.

Kelley, Marjorie M. "Engaging with mHealth to Improve Self-regulation: A Grounded Theory for Breast Cancer Survivors." The Ohio State University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu157365193302496.

Hansson, Sara, and Pia Malmgren. "Bröstcancer. En litteraturstudie om hur bröstcancerdrabbade kvinnor och män upplever och hanterar sin sjukdom." Thesis, Malmö högskola, Fakulteten för hälsa och samhälle (HS), 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-26537.

Brorsson, Lisa, and Sofia Hasselquist. "Kvinnors upplevelser efter genomgången mastektomi : En litteraturöversikt." Thesis, Hälsohögskolan, Högskolan i Jönköping, HHJ, Avd. för omvårdnad, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-39796.

Lindström, Graff Louise, and Martina Giernalczyk. "Kvinnors upplevelser efter mastektomi : En allmän litteraturstudie." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för folkhälso- och vårdvetenskap, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-397820.

Bexhorn, Hanna, and Lovisa Furegård. "Vilka former av stöd främjar den psykiska hälsan hos kvinnor med bröstcancer : En litteraturstudie." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för folkhälso- och vårdvetenskap, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-347448.

Birk, Noeli Maria. "A espiritualidade de mulheres com câncer de mama: um estudo na ótica da teoria do cuidado transpessoal." Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, 2016. http://repositorio.ufsm.br/handle/1/7485.

Fjelner, Maria, and Elinor Lundahl. "Bröstcancerdiagnostiserade kvinnors upplevelse av emotionellt stöd från vårdpersonal." Thesis, Ersta Sköndal högskola, Institutionen för vårdvetenskap, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:esh:diva-1566.

Freitas, Sandra Carvalho de. "Proposta de uma tecnologia de cuidado de enfermagem solidário no controle do câncer do colo do útero e mama." Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (UFJF), 2013. https://repositorio.ufjf.br/jspui/handle/ufjf/4561.

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Clinical trials: A significant part of cancer care

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By Mayo Clinic staff

A cancer diagnosis is an emotional experience. Learning that you have cancer can create feelings of hopelessness, fear and sadness. This is especially true if your cancer is advanced or available treatments are unable to stop or slow its growth.

"Often, when patients are diagnosed with cancer , they feel hopeless and scared. Clinical trials are one way patients can be proactive. They can make a choice in how their care is going to be," says Matthew Block, M.D., Ph.D. , a Mayo Clinic medical oncologist.

Cancer clinical trials help physician-scientists test new and better ways to control and treat cancer. During a clinical trial, participants receive specific interventions, and researchers determine if those interventions are safe and effective. Interventions studied in clinical trials might be new cancer drugs or new combinations of drugs, new medical procedures, new surgical techniques or devices, new ways to use existing treatments, and lifestyle or behavior changes.

Clinical trials provide access to potential treatments under investigation, giving options to people who otherwise may face limited choices. "Clinical trials open the door to a new hope that maybe we can fight their cancer back and give them a better quality of life," says Geoffrey Johnson, M.D., Ph.D. , a Mayo Clinic radiologist, nuclear medicine specialist and co-chair of the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Experimental and Novel Therapeutics Disease Group.

You will receive cancer treatment if you participate in a clinical trial. "I think one common misperception about clinical trials is that if you enter a clinical trial, you may not get treatment (receive a placebo). And that's actually very much not true. Most clinical trials are looking at one treatment compared to another treatment," says Judy C. Boughey, M.D. , a Mayo Clinic surgical oncologist, chair of Breast and Melanoma Surgical Oncology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and chair of the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Breast Cancer Disease Group.

"I think one common misperception about clinical trials is that if you enter a clinical trial, you may not get treatment (receive a placebo). And that's actually very much not true. Most clinical trials are looking at one treatment compared to another treatment." Judy C. Boughey, M.D.

Watch this video to hear the experiences of people who have participated in cancer clinical trials and to hear Drs. Block, Johnson and Boughey discuss the importance of clinical trials in cancer care:

Clinical trials are a significant part of cancer care at Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. Cancer care teams work together across specialties to make sure the right clinical trials are available to serve the needs of people with cancer who come to Mayo Clinic.

"We are very particular in how we select the clinical trials that we have available for patients," says Dr. Boughey. "We want to have the best trials available for our patients. Some of the clinical trials are evaluating drugs — we are so excited about those drugs, but we can't prescribe those drugs for patients without having that trial. And so we will actually fight to try to get that trial open here to have it available as an opportunity for our patients."

If you choose to participate in a clinical trial, you will continue to receive cancer care. "For most patients that we evaluate, there's always the standard of care treatment option for those patients. And then, in many situations, there's also a clinical trial that the patient can participate in," says Dr. Boughey.

People who participate in clinical trials help make new and better cancer care available for future patients. The treatments available for cancer patients today exist because of the clinical trial participants of yesterday. "We couldn't advance medicine if it wasn't for people volunteering for trials. And the promise from our side is to say we're not going to put patients on trials or offer trials for them to consider unless we think there's a good chance that they'll get a benefit or that society at large will get a benefit," says Dr. Johnson.

"We couldn't advance medicine if it wasn't for people volunteering for trials. And the promise from our side is to say we're not going to put patients on trials or offer trials for them to consider unless we think there's a good chance that they'll get a benefit or that society at large will get a benefit." Geoffrey Johnson, M.D., Ph.D.

Participating in a clinical trial may give you access to cutting-edge treatment, improve your quality of life and extend your time with loved ones.

"It's definitely worth reaching out to your healthcare provider and asking, 'What clinical trials could I be a potential candidate for?'" says Dr. Boughey. "And remember, you can ask this of your surgical oncologist, your medical oncologist, your radiation oncologist, or any of the physicians you're seeing because there are trials in all disciplines. There are also ongoing trials that require the collection of tissue or the donation of blood. They can also be important in trying to help future generations as we continue to work to end cancer."

Participating in a clinical trial is an important decision with potential risks and benefits. Explore these FAQ about cancer clinical trials, and ask your care team if a clinical trial might be right for you.

Learn more about cancer clinical trials and find a clinical trial at Mayo Clinic.

Join the Cancer Support Group on Mayo Clinic Connect , an online community moderated by Mayo Clinic for patients and caregivers.

Read these articles about people who have participated in clinical trials at Mayo Clinic:

• A silent tumor, precancerous polyps and the power of genetic screening
• Mayo Clinic’s DNA study reveals BRCA1 mutations in 3 sisters, prompts life-changing decisions

Read more articles about Mayo Clinic cancer research made possible by people participating in clinical trials.

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We provide information and resources about cancer treatment, side effects, and clinical trials.

If you recently learned that you have cancer, you probably have a lot of questions. You want to learn more about the type of cancer you have and how it's treated. The big challenge ahead is, "How do I live my best life now that I have cancer?" We'll offer you basic information about these topics and links to reliable sources for more details.

Cancer has physical, mental, emotional, social, and financial consequences that start with diagnosis and continue through treatment and beyond. It also includes issues related to follow-up treatment, side effects of treatment, the risk of getting cancer again, and your quality of life. Family members, friends, and caregivers are a critical part of your experience with cancer.

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