Recent Communications

Registration for the NCI Biospecimen Best Practices Forums is Open
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is holding a series of public forums about the NCI Best Practices for Biospecimen Resources, which outlines technical, operational, ethical, legal and policy principles for biospecimen resources. The purpose of these forums is to educate and obtain feedback about the NCI Best Practices from a broad range of perspectives, including those of investigators, physicians, industry representatives, hospital administrators, cancer survivors, patient advocates, and the general public. These forums will be held on November 5, 2007, in Boston, Massachusetts, December 3, 2007, in Chicago, Illinois, and January 28, 2008, in Seattle, Washington, and will feature expert presentations and interactive discussions. Attendance is free and open to the public. For more information, visit http://www.nci-bestpractices-forum.com/. —posted 10/26/2007

PLCO EEMS Winter Review Cycle Reminder
Proposals will be accepted for the PLCO EEMS winter review cycle between December 1 and December 28, 2007. Applications will be accepted until December 28, 2007 at 5 PM ET. For more information go to the previous PLCO communication. —posted 10/5/2007

Availability of the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Data Portal
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) would like to advise you of the availability of the initial version of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Data Portal. The Data Portal serves as a storage and data management tool for TCGA data. All genomic characterization, sequencing and clinical data from TCGA are available within the Portal.

This is the first release of the Data Portal. To help create a fully–integrated version of the portal in the coming months, we welcome your input and feedback on this initial version. The Data Portal can be accessed at http://cancergenome.nih.gov/dataportal.

The Data Portal makes accessible the first of many sets of data from TCGA, and will be continually updated as data are generated. Please check back frequently for updates, additional data submissions, and improvements to the functionality of the database.

The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) is a comprehensive and coordinated effort to accelerate our understanding of the molecular basis of cancer through the application of genome analysis technologies, including large–scale genome sequencing. This 3–year pilot project was announced in December of 2005, and after careful planning, the first funding awards were made in the Fall of 2006.

For more information about TCGA, please visit http://cancergenome.nih.gov.

For further assistance or to submit feedback on this version of the portal, please contact: http://ncicb.nci.nih.gov/support. —posted 10/5/2007

Overcoming Cancer Health Disparities
National Minority Cancer Awareness Week (April 16–21) provides an opportunity for us to reflect upon the overall burden of cancer health disparities. During the week organizations across the country have been educating Americans about cancer, raising awareness about treatments, and renewing our collective commitment to reducing cancer health disparities.

• Cancer.gov en español www.cancer.gov/espanol.
  
NCI’s new Spanish Web site features themes of prevention, detection, treatment, and survivorship.

Highlights of the Web site include:


• Information organized by types of cancer
• Myths and beliefs
• Support and resources in your community
• Dictionary of cancer terms

• Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities revised website: http://crchd.cancer.gov.
  New features include:


• “For Researchers” section that provides links to funding, training opportunities, and information about the grant application process
• Current and timely information about special CRCHD cancer health disparities initiatives, upcoming meetings and events, research resources and tools, and CRCHD staff contacts
• “Education” section, for practitioners and the public, with minority–focused information about cancer, including statistics, links to NCI publications for patients and their families, access to seminal reports and milestones in health disparities, health disparities timeline and definition, and additional resources on cancer and health disparities

• Cancer Health Disparities Web portal: http://www.cancer.gov/health-disparities.
  The portal includes links to NCI’s cancer health disparities resources, as well as information about training opportunities, statistics, and research resources and results.

NCI Risk Assessment Web Site
Here for your distribution and use is an e–card to promote awareness of the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Risk Assessment Web Site (http://understandingrisk.cancer.gov). This interactive web site has been designed to help people assess and understand their risk of developing cancer, along with information on how to lower risk for six cancers. The site also contains a section on analyzing news stories about cancer to help people determine the accuracy and applicability of findings reported in the media and on the Web. Links to numerous sources of information, as well as online quizzes to test readers’ understanding of cancer risk, also appear on the site. Click on the link indicated in the card to visit the site.

PLCO Etiology and Early Marker Studies (EEMS)
To: Potential EEMS Investigator
From: EEMS Coordinating Center
Regarding: PLCO Etiology and Early Marker Studies (EEMS) 2007 Review Cycle
Date: April 16, 2007

This memo is an official announcement that the PLCO EEMS review process will be accepting proposals for use of the PLCO biorepository materials twice for calendar year 2007. Applications for the first round for 2007 will be June 1, 2007 through June 29, 2007 at 5 PM EDST. The second round will be from December 1, 2007 through December 29, 2007 at 5 PM EST. Another announcement will be sent eight weeks prior to the open season for receipt of applications in December. We trust that this advance notice will allow you to plan more appropriately for your research activities this calendar year. We plan to continue twice yearly rounds for application acceptance during the months of June and December if budgetary constraints allow.

Please distribute this notice to those individuals with whom you work that may be interested in submitting an EEMS application.

The Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial is a large population based randomized trial evaluating screening programs for these cancers. The PLCO Biorepository contains approximately 2.7 million biologic specimens, including blood specimens collected from intervention participants during their six trial screening years and buccal cell specimens collected from control participants. The Etiology and Early Marker Studies (EEMS) is a component of the PLCO Trial designed to facilitate research in early detection and molecular epidemiology of cancers using Trial collection specimens.

The EEMS application materials ( the EEMS application forms, instructions, applicant’s checklist, NIH biosketch, confidentiality disclosure agreement (CDA), and the EEMS policy document), as well as general information regarding the EEMS review process can be found under the PLCO EEMS tab on the Program Administrative Resource (PAR) PLCO website (www.parplco.org). Individuals who do not already have access to PAR should contact the PAR PLCO Helpdesk (parplcohelpdesk@westat.com) and request permission to access the EEMS tab on the website. Individuals who currently have access to PAR should already be able to access to the EEMS tab; please contact the PAR PLCO Helpdesk (parplcohelpdesk@westat.com) with any problems.

Once your proposal is received, the EEMS Coordinating Center will verify that all components are completed and forward the completed proposal packet to the EEMS Principal Investigator, the PLCO Project Officer and Chief Statistician for an initial suitability review. This initial review will be completed around the end of August 2007. Potential investigators will be notified of the results of the suitability review. After the suitability review, the EEMS Review Panel will review and comment on all suitable proposals. It is anticipated that this review will be completed by mid–October, contingent upon the quantity of proposals received. The EEMS PI and the PLCO PO will then make the final decision regarding all acceptable proposals based on input from the EEMS Review Panel.

Please submit completed proposal application and associated materials to the EEMS Coordinating Center at the following address: plco-eems@westat.com

New Cancer Centers Branch Program Director
Join us in welcoming Dr. Hasnaa Shafik as a new Program Director in the Cancer Cancers Branch. Dr. Shafik joined the NCI Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine’s program staff in 2003. In early 2005 she assumed a new role as a Scientific Review Administrator in the NCI Division of Extramural Activities. She was in charge of the Prevention, Control and Population Sciences Special Emphasis Panel which reviews Program Projects and multi–site clinical trials.

Dr. Shafik earned her Medical Degree, and Masters in Public Health from Ain Shams University, Cairo Egypt. Through the Fulbright program she was awarded a fellowship at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston (UTMB) to study the mechanisms of induction of cancer with emphasis on chemical carcinogenesis. She then joined the Graduate School at UTMB and earned a PhD in Preventive Medicine and Community Health with a major in genetic/environmental toxicology. Dr. Shafik’s research mainly focused on mechanisms of leukemogenesis in patients with Down syndrome. She identified non–random chromosomal breakpoints in 16 bands throughout the genome that could be used as a surrogate for early detection of predisposition to leukemia. She was awarded the March of Dimes’ Birth Defect Foundation Merit Award and Katherina Seibert Award for her research on Down syndrome and cancer.

Dr Shafik was a faculty member in the medical school in Egypt, and later chaired the Department of Pathology and Microbiology at Texas Chiropractic College. She had committee responsibilities nationwide; serving on the Microbiology and Public Health testing committee in the National Board of Chiropractic examiners and as site team member on the Council on Chiropractic Education to evaluate basic science programs in chiropractic colleges for accreditation.

NCI Staff Attends AACR Conference in Los Angeles
Drs. Bhorjee, Ellis, Shafik, and Vembu (CCB Program Directors) and Ms. Patricia Winkler (CCB IT Specialist/Program Analyst) will be attending the AACR Conference in Los Angeles in April. If you would like to arrange a meeting with one of our program directors, or with Ms. Winkler in relation to data summary issues, please contact Ms. Joyce Linder, our program assistant, at (301) 496–8531. —posted 3/2/2007

New Scientific Review Administrator for Subcommittee A
Dr. Gail Bryant has been appointed as the Scientific Review Administrator for NCI Initial Review Group Subcommittee A for cancer center reviews. Dr. Bryant’s medical education and training, extensive translational research experience, and many years of outstanding service in NCI extramural review activity provide a superb background for this position. In addition, she has organized and managed site visit reviews for Cancer Center Support Grant applications for 12 years, receiving accolades from both reviewers and applicants for her work. Further, she has been closely involved in the management of the Subcommittee and has served as a full partner in developing and implementing Subcommittee and CCSG review practices and procedures.

Cancer Center Directors Working Group Report
At the November 7, 2006 Center Directors Retreat, a small working group chaired by Dr. John Mendelsohn was asked to produce a report providing a blueprint for achievement of a series of goals that included reducing the burden of cancer through strategies in prevention, detection, treatment, and survivorship and identifying ways in which NCI–designated Cancer Centers could enhance collaborative activities and provide leadership in dissemination of best practices. The final report was presented to the National Cancer Advisory Board this morning by Drs. Mendelsohn and Abeloff. Also available is a complementary document outlining survivorship activities at Cancer Centers. You will receive hard copies of these reports by mail in October.