EGRP's Mission
The Epidemiology and Genetics Research Program (EGRP) manages a comprehensive program of grant-supported, population-based research to increase our understanding of cancer etiology and prevention. It is the largest funder of etiologic cancer epidemiology grants nationally and worldwide. Scientists from throughout the United States and internationally are supported.
EGRP's mission is to increase our understanding of the determinants of cancer and cancer-related outcomes in human populations. This mission includes using an epidemiologic approach to facilitate movement of discoveries in the basic sciences and improved technologies to studies in human populations, discoveries about the determinants of cancer and cancer-related health outcomes after cancer into clinical and public health practice, and the movement of scientific knowledge from clinical and public health to human studies and basic biology. Cancer occurrence is usually measured by development of an incident cancer. Health outcomes after cancer include recurrence, survival, second primary cancers, new health conditions, and mortality. Determinants of cancer occurrence and health outcomes include behavioral, environmental, infectious, medical, and social and cultural factors and life events and experiences that have a health impact as well as genetic factors and other personal susceptibility factors.
Most cancers are multi-factorial in etiology and require an understanding of how these factors modify and interact with each other in leading to cancer. EGRP achieves its mission through leadership of a comprehensive extramural program focused on cancer epidemiology using study designs such as cohort, case-control, case series, and family-based designs. Studies have also included the application of geographic information systems (GISs) to address questions about cancer risk.
Consortia Facilitation
EGRP also exerts its leadership role by facilitating the development and operation of consortia that can conduct the types of large-scale collaborative epidemiologic studies involving the sharing and pooling of data needed to address complex questions about the etiology of cancer. Support is provided in numerous ways such as through meeting support, grant support, assistance in identifying partners with similar research interests, advice on policies and processes that have proven successful with other consortia, participation on steering committees, and in evaluating established consortia.
The scientific discoveries from EGRP-supported research are critical to the goals of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) because they may inform basic biology, lead to improved prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer, improve quality of life, and reduce morbidity and mortality after a cancer diagnosis.
