From the National Comprehensive Cancer Network: New research in the June 2021 issue of JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network assesses the quality of cancer care delivered through extended sites coordinated by some of the country’s largest cancer centers. The study was developed to implement strategies for disseminating discoveries and expanding access to the highest quality cancer care as part of AACI’s Network Care Initiative, established by former AACI President Stan Gerson, MD, Director of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center.

“Our findings demonstrate the need to improve network site alignment, particularly in patient navigators, care paths, and clinical trial access,” said Dr. Gerson, the study’s lead researcher and interim dean of the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. “Most federal cancer center reviews do not assess the total population of cancer patients served by major cancer centers and their affiliated sites. These data suggest that a very sizable portion of new cancer cases are cared for by these centers and their networks. Greater cancer center/network coordination could ultimately lead to improved access to clinical trials for the underrepresented communities many of these network sites serve.”

Registration for the Artificial Intelligence in Oncology Symposium: Precision Medicine and Cancer Disparities is now open! Join the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center and Center for Computational Imaging and Personalized Diagnostics at Case Western Reserve University November 8-9, 2021 to hear from keynote speaker Rohit Bhargava, PhD and other top experts across industries.

During this two-day virtual symposium, speakers and panelists will dive into discussions on how AI and machine learning are being used as diagnostic and prognostic tools in pathology and radiology, their role in drug discovery, and the ethics and policy surrounding this ever-changing field. A call for abstracts for the symposium is forthcoming.

This report is a collaborative effort by the Centers for Disease Control, North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, and the American Cancer Society. Overall, they found that cancer death rates continue to decline in men and women for all racial and ethnic groups in the United States.

Thursday, July 22, we will host TED-style talks from prominent leaders from each of our partner institutions and hear an update from Cancer Center Director Stan Gerson, MD to kick off our Annual Scientific Retreat. All are welcome to attend these talks, though registration will be required to receive virtual access. Our TED-style talks will be presented by Diana Bilimoria, PhD, Daniel E. Spratt, MD and Serpil Erzurum, MD.

Dr. Erzurum is Chief Research & Academic Officer at Cleveland Clinic. In this episode of Cleveland Clinic’s Beyond Leadership podcast series, she discusses the power of relationships, the importance of computational research and why curiosity and leadership go hand-in-hand.

The Case Comprehensive Cancer Center extends congratulations to Shilpa Gupta, MD on her appointment to director of genitourinary medical oncology at Taussig Cancer Institute and co-leader of the genitourinary oncology program at Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. Gupta is a member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center's Developmental Therapeutics Program.

The Early Detection Research Network (EDRN) has published three new funding opportunity announcements (FOAs). The EDRN is a national infrastructure to discover, develop, and validate biomarkers and imaging methods for early cancer detection and risk assessment. NCI has scheduled two pre-application webinars to discuss these FOAs, the first of which will be held Monday, July 12.

The Early Detection Research Network: Clinical Validation Centers

(U01 Clinical Trial Optional)

The Early Detection Research Network: Data Management and Coordinating Center

(U24 Clinical Trial - Not Allowed)

The Early Detection Research Network: Biomarker Characterization Centers

(U2C - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Concern Foundation for Cancer Research is accepting new grant proposals from promising early-career scientists, providing critically needed “seed” money for innovative projects, Concern Foundation for Cancer Research supports the development of the next generation of cancer researchers and thus promotes progress in understanding cancer biology and improved approaches to cancer.

Proposals must be hypothesis-driven and centered on cancer genetics, cancer biology, or cancer immunology. Concern Foundation for Cancer Research will not fund clinical trials, cancer epidemiology, or behavioral studies.

The total grant amount for a Conquer Cancer Now Award is $60,000 per year for a maximum of two years.

With the generous support from VeloSano Bike to Cure 2020, the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center (Case CCC) is providing seed funding for innovative and impactful proposals that will generate key data for larger, nationally competitive multi-investigator/team grants (MPI R01, P01, U01, SPORE, etc.). The Case CCC has recently undertaken a reorientation of its scientific programs, and this award will provide funds for each of our six scientific programs. Program Leaders will select the award aligned to their program, and therefore will not serve as project PI. Projects must be focused on the establishment or support of a collaborative effort by a team of 2 or more independent investigators from the case Case CCC research program. The goal is to submit a federal team science grant application.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Equity and Inclusion Program seeks actionable recommendations to enhance diversity and inclusion in the cancer research workforce through the following two Requests for Information (RFIs).

Jennifer Cullen, PhD, MPH (jxc1650@case.edu) and Erika Trapl, PhD (erika.trapl@case.edu) are coordinating a response on behalf of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, and welcome your feedback and comments.

Request for Information (RFI): Seeking Stakeholder Input on Enhancing Diversity and Inclusion in the Cancer Research Workforce (NOT-CA-21-067) seeks input on any of the following topics by July 15, 2021.