Cancer Control and Survivorship

Cancer Control and Survivorship Component The Cancer Control and Survivorship (CCS) Program of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center (LCC) is a multidisciplinary program that seeks to reduce the burden of cancer and cancer-related disparities from diagnosis through survivorship. It focuses on three specific aims: (1) Measurement Science: Improve the measurement, application, analysis, and interpretation of patient-reported outcomes; (2) Survivorship Research: Identify and understand psychosocial and biomedical determinants of health-related quality of life, cancer toxicities, and other outcomes in cancer survivors; and (3) Intervention Development and Delivery: Develop and implement effective organizational, biomedical, psychosocial, and behavioral interventions to reduce the burden of cancer across the lifespan. The Program includes 44 members from 15 departments across two schools of Northwestern University. The CCS Program’s total funding is $14,106,454 (direct), including $6,346,530 from the NCI (a 68% increase compared to the last award period). Between the last CCSG review and 2023, 6,443 participants enrolled in CCS interventional studies and 6,947 enrolled in CCS observational or correlative studies. In the same period, CCS investigators published 1125 cancer-relevant publications, including 22% intra-programmatic, 30% inter-programmatic, and 79% external collaborative publications. Of these publications, 19% had an impact factor of ≥10 and 45% had an impact factor of ≥5. CCS program members’ high impact research included advances in scientific and clinical use of patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures; broadening our cancer disparities research to new populations; and applying innovative technologies to advance the reach of our symptom management and behavior change interventions to new populations, clinics, and communities. The LCC provides significant value to CCS by supporting recruitments and providing pilot funds and access to shared resources. In turn, the CCS program adds value to the LCC with strong program leadership, CCS program meetings and a speaker series, catchment area-relevant and translational research, training and mentorship, and work with the COE team to promote collaborative opportunities that impact the LCC catchment area. CCS leadership and members have actively participated in the development of the LCC strategic plan to further strengthen the program’s research by adding depth and breadth. Over the next 5 years, CCS will continue to be guided by the LCC strategic plan as we expand clinical use of EHR-integrated PRO measures and measurement of PROs in clinical trials; increase research in pediatric, adolescent, and young adult cancer populations; enhance the translational focus of our research on cancer toxicities, factors contributing to cancer disparities, and other determinants of optimal survivorship; expand use of innovative technologies; and leverage the program’s growing implementation science expertise to increase the spread of our interventions.