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Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program

Comprehensive Oncologic Emergencies Research Network (CONCERN)

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More information about NCI’s interest in cancer and emergency medicine is available, including relevant funding opportunities.

Overview

The Comprehensive Oncologic Emergencies Research Network (CONCERN) was established in March 2015 with the goal to accelerate knowledge generation, synthesis, and translation of oncologic emergency medicine research through multi-center collaborations. CONCERN is an open scientific forum for researchers working across oncology and emergency medicine interested in collaborative approaches to improve outcomes during unscheduled cancer-related medical care. Research is needed to better inform appropriate utilization, prevention, management, and coordination of unscheduled cancer-related care, implement cancer prevention services, and develop evidence-based management strategies within urgent and emergency care settings.

Objectives

  1. To identify knowledge gaps impacting the prevention, management, and coordination of cancer-related urgent and emergent care issues.
  2. Accelerate knowledge generation and translation through multi-centre research collaborations across oncology and emergency medicine.
  3. Identify and test oncologic emergency prevention measures in oncology care settings.
  4. Identify and test care management strategies for oncologic emergencies presenting to urgent and emergency medicine settings.
  5. Translate research findings into national guidelines and implement in academic and community emergency care settings.
  6. Support collaborative educational efforts in the area of cancer and emergency medicine.
  7. Mentor new and established investigators working in the area of cancer and emergency medicine.

Organizational Structure

CONCERN's lead coordinators are:

  • David Adler, MD, MPH, University of Rochester Medical Center
  • Caroline A. Thompson, PhD, MPH, University of North Carolina

Membership

CONCERN membership includes more than 20 medical centers and is open to new members interested in collaborative research in cancer and emergency medicine. There are no membership requirements. For membership questions, please contact Jaycee Turney at jaycee_turney@urmc.rochester.edu.

Sign Up for CONCERN MembershipExternal Web Site Policy

Publications

Rico JF, Caterino JM, Stephens JA, et al. Variables associated with admission rates among cancer patients presenting to emergency departments: a CONCERN group studyExternal Web Site Policy. Emerg Cancer Care. 2023;2:7.

Yilmaz S, Grudzen CR, Durham DD, et al. Palliative care needs and clinical outcomes of patients with advanced cancer in the emergency department. J Palliat Med. 2022;25(7):1115-1121.

Bischof JJ, Elsaid MI, Bridges JFP, et al. Characterization of older adults with cancer seeking acute emergency department care: a prospective observational study. J Geriatr Oncol. 2022;13(7):943-951.

Shelburne N, Simonds NI, Jensen RE, Brown J. Cancer-related emergency and urgent care: expanding the research agenda. Emerg Cancer Care. 2022;1(1):4.

Klotz AD, Caterino JM, Durham D, et al. Observation unit use among patients with cancer following emergency department visits: results of a multicenter prospective cohort from CONCERN. Acad Emerg Med. 2022;29(2):174-183.

Hudson MF, Strassels SA, Durham DD, et al.Examining pain among non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White patients with cancer visiting emergency departments: CONCERN (Comprehensive Oncologic Emergencies Research Network). Acad Emerg Med. 2022;29(3):364-368.

Coyne CJ, Reyes-Gibby CC, Durham DD, et al. Cancer pain management in the emergency department: a multicenter prospective observational trial of the Comprehensive Oncologic Emergencies Research Network (CONCERN). Support Care Cancer. 2021;29(8):4543-4553.

Adler D, Abar B, Durham DD, et al. Validation of the Emergency Severity Index (Version 4) for the triage of adult emergency department patients with active cancer. J Emerg Med. 2019;57(3):354-361.

Caterino JM, Adler D, Durham DD, et al. Analysis of diagnoses, symptoms, medications, and admissions among patients with cancer presenting to emergency departments. JAMA Netw Open. 2019;2(3):e190979.

Brown J, Grudzen C, Kyriacou J, et al. The emergency care of patients with cancer: setting the research agenda. Ann Emerg Med. 2016;68(6):706-711.

Meetings

Contacts

NIH Contacts

Nonniekaye Shelburne, CRNP, MS, AOCN
Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Branch
Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences
National Cancer Institute
nonniekaye.shelburne@nih.gov

Jeremy Brown, MD
Office of Emergency Care Research
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Jeremy.brown@nih.gov

Network Executive Committee

David Adler, MD, MPH
CONCERN co-chair, emergency medicine
University of Rochester Medical Center
david_adler@urmc.rochester.edu

Caroline A. Thompson, PhD, MPH
CONCERN co-chair, oncology
University of North Carolina
caroline.thompson@unc.edu

Beau Abar, PhD
University of Rochester
beau_abar@urmc.rochester.edu

Jason Bischof, MD
The Ohio State University
jason.bischof@osumc.edu

Elizabeth Chiao, MD
MD Anderson Cancer Center
eychiao@mdanderson.org

Christopher Coyne, MD, MPH
University of California, San Diego
cjcoyne@health.ucsd.edu

Matthew Hudson, PhD, MPH
Prisma Health
Matt.Hudson@prismahealth.org

Arthur Hong, MD
UT Southwestern Medical Center
arthur.hong@utsouthwestern.edu

Cielito Reyes-Gibby, DrPH
MD Anderson Cancer Center
creyes@mdanderson.org