NCI Funds New Initiative on Energetics and Cancer
The Behavioral Research Program of NCI's Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences recently announced the funding of the Transdisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer (TREC) initiative. A 5-year, $54 million effort, TREC aims to integrate the study of diet, weight, and physical activity and their effects on cancer. The four funded research centers and one coordinating center will encompass projects ranging from the biology and genetics of energy balance to the behavioral, sociocultural, and environmental influences on nutrition, physical activity, weight, and energy balance. The centers will also provide training for new and established scientists to conduct research in this area. For more information, go to http://www.cancercontrol.cancer.gov/TREC.

OLA Hosts Teleconference on Cancer Statistics
NCI's Office of Liaison Activities (OLA) will host the second in its "Understanding NCI" series of toll-free teleconferences on crosscutting issues in cancer research. Cancer advocates, organizations, survivors, family, and friends are encouraged to participate.

Dr. Brenda Edwards of NCI's Surveillance Research Program will present information on NCI's cancer statistics resources. Two cancer advocates will address "Why Statistics Matter for Advocates" on October 19 at 2:30 p.m., EDT. To participate, call 1-800-857-6584; the passcode for this call is 4683#. Playbacks of the teleconference will be available at 1-800-229-6227 until 10:30 p.m. EST on November 19. For more information, go to http://la.cancer.gov/teleconference.html.

Symposium To Highlight Transdisciplinary Tobacco Research
NCI, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism are sponsoring an afternoon symposium featuring research from the Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Centers (TTURCs). "Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research from the Laboratory to the Population" will be held from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on October 25 in the Natcher Conference Center on the NIH campus. For more information, contact Mark Parascandola at 301-451-4587 or paramark@mail.nih.gov. For information on TTURCs, go to http://dccps.nci.nih.gov/tcrb/tturc.

New Link to Find Cancer Center Trials
The Web sites of NCI-designated Cancer Centers are excellent resources for patients looking for clinical trials. NCI's Web site has added a link to make finding those sites easier. Patients can now go to http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/finding/NCI-cancer-centers. This link can also be found at http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/findtrials.

Science Writers' Seminar To Focus on Pain
The next NCI Science Writers' Seminar, "Pain and New Ways to Relieve It," will take place on November 2, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., in the Natcher Conference Center on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Md. Sponsored by NCI and the NIH Pain Consortium, the seminar will introduce journalists to some of the latest therapies for pain from cancer and other causes. Leaders in the field of pain management will present their research, and a cancer patient will discuss her experience living with severe chronic pain. The NIH Pain Consortium was established to enhance pain research and promote collaboration among researchers across the many NIH Institutes and Centers that have programs and activities addressing pain.

To register for the seminar, contact the NCI Media Relations Branch at 301-496-6641 or ncipressofficers@mail.nih.gov. The event is open to the public, but preference will be given to journalists. Attendees are strongly encouraged to use Metro. The NIH campus can be easily accessed at the Medical Center stop on Metrorail's Red Line. For NIH transportation, parking, and security information, go to http://www.nih.gov/about/visitorsecurity.htm.

SWOG to Study Lung Cancers Among Women and Nonsmokers
The Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) has launched a new study to determine why women seem to get a different type of lung cancer - and at an earlier age than men - especially if they have never smoked. The study (S0424) will determine why women are more likely than men to be diagnosed with certain types of lung cancer, as well as what other factors put women at a higher risk of getting lung cancer at an earlier age, often with limited exposure to smoking. The study will also seek to better understand the factors that cause lung cancer in both men and women who do not smoke.

Researchers are seeking 720 women and men (smokers and nonsmokers) across the United States who have been diagnosed with stage I, II, or III non-small-cell lung cancer. Researchers from other cooperative groups can participate in this trial through the NCI Cancer Trials Support Unit. For more information, contact SWOG at (210) 677-8808 or protocols@swog.org.