Global Cancer Research Programs
The National Cancer Act of 1971 authorized the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to support collaborative international research and training. In exercising this authority, NCI collaborates to advance cancer research, build expertise, and leverage resources across nations to address the global burden of cancer and reduce cancer deaths. Enabling the open exchange of scientific knowledge and ideas is critical in these efforts. NCI advances the delivery of cancer information and care to people around the world through its international cancer control and research programs. The programs and activities highlighted below are just a sample of the work being done by NCI scientists, our grantees, and our international partners.
Global Cancer Burden – Quick Facts:
- Cancer is the leading cause of death in developed countries and the second leading cause of death in developing countries.
- Deaths from cancer worldwide are projected to continue rising, with an estimated 12 million deaths in 2030.
- The most common cancers worldwide are lung, breast, large intestine (colon and rectum), stomach, and prostate.
- The cancer that causes the most deaths overall is lung cancer, followed by stomach and liver cancer.
- Some cancers are more common in developed countries: prostate, breast, and colon. Liver, stomach, and cervical cancer are more common in developing countries.
Basic and Clinical Research
- AIDS Malignancy Consortium (AMC)
AMC is an NCI-supported clinical trials group founded in 1995 to support innovative trials for HIV-associated malignancies. It is composed of eight Domestic Core Sites, four International Core Sites, and a number of affiliated sites that involve patients in AMC trials. This effort is supported by NCI’s Office of HIV and AIDS Malignancy. - Chernobyl Tissue Bank (CTB)
CTB collects samples of tumors and normal tissues from people who were exposed to radioactive iodine in childhood. This project, which started in October 1998, is jointly funded by the European Commission, NCI, and the Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation of Japan (SMHF). It is coordinated from Imperial College, London, and works with Institutes in Russia and the Ukraine to support local scientists and clinicians to manage and run a tissue bank containing specimens from patients who have developed thyroid tumors following exposure to radiation from the Chernobyl accident. NCI’s Division of Cancer Biology helps to fund and coordinate this program. - Cohort Consortium
The Cohort Consortium is an international collaboration of intramural and extramural investigators responsible for 41 independently funded cohorts containing over 4 million individuals across the globe. NCI formed this partnership to address the need for large-scale collaborations to pool the vast quantity of data and biospecimens needed to conduct a wide range of cancer studies. NCI’s Division of Cancer Epidemiology & Genetics is a partner in this initiative. - The Breast and Prostate Cancer Consortium (BPCC)
Initiated by the Cohort Consortium, BPCC investigators are searching for genetic determinants of breast and prostate cancer. Genetic variants in 50 genes related to steroid hormone and insulin-like growth factor activity are being assessed across an international series of cohorts to determine genetic predictors in these genes related to disease risk. - Epidemiology and Genetics Research Program (EGRP)
EGRP is supporting a growing number of national and international research consortia focusing on intradisciplinary and translational research on common and rare cancers. Cohort, case-control, and familial studies are included. This program is supported by NCI’s Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences.
Bioinformatics
- Biometric Research Branch (BRB) - ArrayTools
Software developed for microarray data analysis by the Biometric Research Branch, the statistical and biomathematical component of the Division of Cancer Treatment & Diagnosis, has over 9,000 registered users in over 70 countries worldwide. - Cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG®)
caBIG® connects the cancer community, including an expanding group of international collaborators. To date, 16 countries are using or evaluating caBIG® tools and technology to facilitate collaborative biomedical research in cancer and beyond. caBIG® was developed by NCI’s Center for Bioinformatics. - NCI-NCRI Informatics Initiative
Each year, individuals from NCI’s caBIG® and the U.K. National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Informatics Initiative convene to share open-source tools, infrastructure, and data. The goal of this ongoing collaboration is to connect cancer researchers in the United States and the U.K. through interoperable biomedical informatics technology.
Building Capacity and Infrastructure
- Centers for AIDS Research (CFAR) Program
The NCI, in cooperation with other parts of the National Institutes of Health, provides awards to establish and maintain several CFARs that conduct research on the prevention, detection, and treatment of HIV infection, AIDS, and AIDS-related malignancies. African CFAR collaborations include institutions in Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The CFAR Program is supported by NCI’s Office of HIV and AIDS Malignancy. - Center for Global Health
The Center for Global Health supports NCI’s goals of advancing global cancer research, building expertise, and leveraging resources across nations to address the burden of cancer and reduce cancer deaths worldwide. Enabling the open exchange of scientific knowledge and ideas is critical in these efforts. - Ireland-Northern Ireland-NCI Cancer Consortium (AICC)
AICC brings together the governments of the United States and both parts of Ireland to reduce the incidence and mortality of cancer among the Irish people, who have one of the highest rates of cancer in the Western world. AICC is administered by NCI’s Center for Global Health. - MECC Middle East Cancer Consortium (MECC)
MECC was established 14 years ago as a unique partnership between the United States and the Ministries of Health of Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Turkey, and the Palestinian Authority. MECC is administered by NCI’s Center for Global Health. - Cancer Research in China
The Center for Global Health promotes, supports, and informs the development of cooperative research projects between U.S. and Chinese scientists, research teams, and institutions to accelerate progress against cancer through programs focused on Cancer Research in China (International Cancer Research). Center for Global Health. - International Cancer Research
The Center for Global Health coordinates the NCI’s worldwide activities in a number of arenas focused on International Cancer Research, including establishing liaisons with foreign and international agencies; coordinating cancer research activities under formal agreements between the United States and other countries; planning and implementing international scientist exchange programs; sponsoring international workshops; and disseminating information to cancer communities worldwide. - Cancer Research in Latin America
Through an innovative partnership between NCI and the Fogarty International Center (FIC), the Center of Global Health manages programs focused on Cancer Research in Latin America to support and enhance cancer research and care in Latin America. - United States-Latin America Cancer Research Network
The network currently includes Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay and is responsible for developing a comprehensive understanding of the burden of cancer and the status of cancer research and cancer care infrastructures in Latin American countries, as well as building collaborative relationships to support high-quality research and clinical studies. This is a program of the Center for Global Health. - Strengthening Capacity for Research for HIV-Associated Malignancies in Africa
This initiative, supported by NCI’s Office of HIV and AIDS Malignancy and co-funded by the Fogarty International Center, provides funding for innovative training programs designed to train African research teams in preparation for collaboration on future research projects.
Cancer Control and Prevention
- American Russian Cancer Alliance (ARCA)
ARCA brings together scientists and clinicians in the Russian Federation and the United States, including NCI, to share perspectives and reach a greater understanding of the burden of cancer. The partnership focuses its attention on two major areas of cancer research, radioimmuno-imaging and therapy, and tobacco control. - Applied Research Program
The NCI Applied Research Program (ARP) is actively engaged in international collaborative activities across the research continuum. ARP supports research in health services, health economics, risk factor monitoring and methods, and outcomes, including patient-reported outcomes. ARP is a program within the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences . - Breast Health Global Initiative (BHGI)
To improve breast cancer outcomes in low- and middle-resource countries, BHGI created comprehensive, resource-sensitive, evidence-based clinical guidelines for breast health care and cancer control. NCI is a scientific partner. - Chemopreventive Agent Development Research Group
This group promotes and supports research on the development of chemoprevention agents, from preclinical studies to early phase I clinical trials. The research focuses on identifying and developing agents with the potential to block, reverse, or delay the early stages of cancer. This program is supported by NCI’s Division of Cancer Prevention. - Ghana Prostate Cancer Study
This study is assessing the burden of prostate cancer among West African men using a population-based prostate cancer screening survey and a clinical survey of diagnosed prostate tumors. Ghanaian men and African American men, who have one of the world’s highest risks of prostate cancer, share genetic ancestry but have different lifestyle factors. - International Tobacco Research Program
The NCI Tobacco Control Research Branch (TCRB) leads and collaborates on research, to disseminate evidence-based findings to prevent, treat, and control tobacco use worldwide. TCRB is a branch of the Behavioral Research Program of the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences.
Cancer Detection and Diagnosis
- AIDS and Cancer Specimen Resource (ACSR)
ACSR was established by NCI in 1994 to acquire, store, and equitably distribute tumor tissues, biological fluids, and associated clinical information from patients with HIV-associated malignancies to the scientific research community at large. NCI believes that prospective and longitudinal clinical samples collected across the timeline of the HIV/AIDS epidemic are pivotal to understanding the epidemic and its impact on cancer incidence. NCI’s Office of HIV and AIDS Malignancy supports this effort. - Early Detection Research Network (EDRN)
EDRN supports the creation of a national Network to discover and coordinate the evaluation of biomarkers and reagents for the early detection of cancer and the assessment of risk. This program is supported by NCI’s Division of Cancer Prevention. - International Leukemia/Lymphoma Molecular Profiling Project
This project is an international 10-institution collaboration to establish a molecular classification of human lymphoid malignancies and define molecular correlations of clinical parameters that are useful in prognosis and in the choice of optimal therapy. Both NCI’s Center for Cancer Research and Division of Cancer Treatment & Diagnosis participate in this effort.
Cancer Treatment
- International Network for Cancer Treatment and Research (INCTR)
INCTR is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization founded in 1998 by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and the Institut Pasteur in Brussels. INCTR aims to reduce mortality and morbidity of cancer in developing countries through a coordinated program of education, training, and the conduct of long-term collaborative projects related to early detection, diagnosis, treatment, and palliative care. NCI assists INCTR to achieve its goals by providing financial, technical, and intellectual support. - Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine (OCCAM)
OCCAM supports a variety of international partnerships and collaborations because many complementary and alternative medicine treatments originate as traditional medicines from other countries.
International Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Cancer Treatment, China
International Center for the Evaluation of East Asian Botanicals for Cancer, China
Intramural Research Collaboration with Guang An Men Hospital, Beijing, China
Research Collaboration with Kunming Institute of Botany, China
Collaboration with State Key Lab of Chemistry for Natural Products, China
Clinical Trials
- International Clinical Trials
The Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP), part of NCI’s Division of Cancer Treatment & Diagnosis, works with members of the NCI-sponsored Clinical Trials Cooperative Groups and international partners to identify barriers to international collaboration and how best to overcome them. CTEP also shares best practices, provides technical assistance, and has developed a long-range plan for integrating trial sites outside the United States and Canada into the Clinical Trials Cooperative Group Program. - International Collaborations in Clinical Trials
NCI website designed to facilitate designed to facilitate interactions between NCI-funded research teams and investigators outside the United States.
Quality of Care
- International Palliative Care Resource Center (IPCRC)
IPCRC makes palliative care resources accessible for health care professionals, builds palliative care capacity worldwide, and provides a dynamic and constantly expanding website. NCI’s Center for Global Health provided funding for this collaborative effort.
Training
- Ireland-Northern Ireland-NCI Cancer Consortium Fellowships and Training
The Consortium recognizes the importance of building a workforce with the skills and knowledge necessary to practice cancer control and thus sponsors a number of fellowships and training opportunities for scientists, physicians, and other public health professionals from Ireland, Northern Ireland, and the United States. Interested individuals are encouraged to apply for fellowships or short-term training programs. - NCI’s Summer Curriculum in Cancer Prevention
One- or four-week courses take place each summer in Maryland for U.S. and international health professionals. The one-week course focuses on molecular prevention, and the four-week course focuses on the principles and practice of cancer prevention and control, during which attendees from many countries present an international perspective on cancer prevention during International Day. This program is coordinated through NCI’s Center for Cancer Training. - NIH Visiting Program
Each year, approximately 1,000 visiting scientists from more than 74 countries contribute to intramural research projects at NCI's Center for Cancer Research through the NIH Visiting Program. - Short-term Scientist Exchange Program (STSEP)
NCI’s Center for Global Health Short-Term Scientist Exchange Program (STSEP) promotes collaborative research between established U.S. and foreign scientists from low, middle, and upper-middle income countries by supporting, in part, exchange visits of cancer researchers from foreign laboratories. - United States-Japan Cooperative Cancer Research Program (USJCCRP)
Formal researcher exchange programs exist through USJCCRP and are administered by NCI’s Center for Global Health. The program supports scientific workshops and meetings to help advance cancer research and clinical care, creates networks among researchers and institutions, and promotes active participation in cancer research by women and young researchers.
Africa
- NIH Partners with PEPFAR to Strengthen Medical Education in Africa
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced a new initiative to strengthen medical education in Sub-Saharan Africa, in collaboration with the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR. The program, called the Medical Education Partnership Initiative, is a joint effort of the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Defense, and 19 components of NIH. - Centers for AIDS Research (CFAR) Program
The NCI, in cooperation with other parts of the National Institutes of Health, provides awards to establish and maintain several CFARs that conduct research on the prevention, detection, and treatment of HIV infection, AIDS, and AIDS-related malignancies. African CFAR collaborations include institutions in Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The CFAR Program is supported by NCI’s Office of HIV and AIDS Malignancy. - Ghana Prostate Cancer Study
This study is assessing the burden of prostate cancer among West African men using a population-based prostate cancer screening survey and a clinical survey of diagnosed prostate tumors. Ghanaian men and African American men, who have one of the world’s highest risks of prostate cancer, share genetic ancestry but have different lifestyle factors. - Strengthening Capacity for Research for HIV-Associated Malignancies in Africa
This initiative, supported by NCI’s Office of HIV and AIDS Malignancy and co-funded by the Fogarty International Center, provides funding for innovative training programs designed to train African research teams in preparation for collaboration on future research projects.
Asia
- Aga Khan University, Clinical Research Unit, and caBIG® Joint Bioinformatics Management Initiative
Clinical researchers at the Aga Khan University have installed the complete NCI cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid® (caBIG®) Clinical Trials Suite and are preparing to collect data from multiple clinical trials. - Duke University Comprehensive Cancer Center (DCCC)/Beijing University Cancer Hospital Collaboration
DCCC and Beijing University Cancer Hospital are using NCI’s cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid® (caBIG®) clinical trials capabilities to conduct the first clinical trial in China in which all patients are registered electronically. - caBIG® Outreach in India
NCI’s Center for Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology (CBIIT) and India's Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) and have been collaborating to create a common information technology platform for Indian and U.S. researchers to work on mutually identified projects. - Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine (OCCAM)
OCCAM supports a variety of international partnerships and collaborations because many complementary and alternative medicine treatments originate as traditional medicines from other countries.
International Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Cancer Treatment, China
International Center for the Evaluation of East Asian Botanicals for Cancer, China
Intramural Research Collaboration with Guang An Men Hospital, Beijing, China
Research Collaboration with Kunming Institute of Botany, China
Collaboration with State Key Lab of Chemistry for Natural Products, China - Cancer Research in China
The Center for Global Health promotes, supports, and informs the development of cooperative research projects between U.S. and Chinese scientists, research teams, and institutions to accelerate progress against cancer through programs focused on Cancer Research in China (International Cancer Research). Center for Global Health. - Shanghai Women’s Health Study
This cohort study is assessing the role of occupational and environmental factors in the development of cancer among women. A number of analytic projects are ongoing, including the assessment of specific cancer risks in relation to anthropometric measurements, physical activity, and reproductive factors. - U.S.-India Activities on Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV/AIDS
A U.S.-India Agreement supports innovative and basic research on strategies to prevent HIV infection and transmission through the collaborative efforts of U.S. and Indian investigators and their institutions. This program seeks to advance a multifaceted approach to prevention that addresses the role of other co-infections, behavioral and social interactions, epidemiologic factors, and co-morbidities associated with HIV transmission. - United States-Japan Cooperative Cancer Research Program (USJCCRP)
Formal researcher exchange programs exist through USJCCRP and are administered by NCI’s Center for Global Health. The program supports scientific workshops and meetings to help advance cancer research and clinical care, creates networks among researchers and institutions, and promotes active participation in cancer research by women and young researchers.
Australia
- BioGrid Australia/caBIG® Collaboration
BioGrid Australia is actively collaborating with NCI’s cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid® (caBIG®) development team to expand their grid capabilities.
Canada
- Childhood Cancer Survivor Study
This cohort of more than 14,000 five-year survivors of childhood cancer diagnosed at 25 U.S. and Canadian hospitals between 1970 and 1986 is being followed to assess the long-term risks of radiation and chemotherapy for second cancers of the breast, brain, thyroid gland, bone and soft tissue, skin, and salivary glands.
Europe
- Ireland-Northern Ireland-NCI Cancer Consortium (AICC)
AICC brings together the governments of the United States and both parts of Ireland to reduce the incidence and mortality of cancer among the Irish people, who have one of the highest rates of cancer in the Western world. AICC is administered by NCI’s Center for Global Health.
The Netherlands
- The Center for Translational Molecular Medicine (CTMM)/caBIG® Collaboration
The Center for Translational Molecular Medicine—a consortium of five academic institutions and eight industry organizations across the Netherlands—is deploying several NCI cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid® (caBIG®) applications in support of translational research.
Latin America
- Cancer Research in Latin America
Through an innovative partnership between NCI and the Fogarty International Center (FIC), the Center of Global Health manages programs focused on Cancer Research in Latin America to support and enhance cancer research and care in Latin America. - United States-Latin America Cancer Research Network
The network currently includes Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay and is responsible for developing a comprehensive understanding of the burden of cancer and the status of cancer research and cancer care infrastructures in Latin American countries, as well as building collaborative relationships to support high-quality research and clinical studies. This is a program of the Center for Global Health.
Middle East
- MECC Middle East Cancer Consortium (MECC)
MECC was established 14 years ago as a unique partnership between the United States and the Ministries of Health of Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Turkey, and the Palestinian Authority. MECC is administered by NCI’s Center for Global Health.