Overview

The Cancer Prevention and Control Program is one of two Population Science programs of Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. Program members believe that innovative approaches to cancer prevention and control are likely to produce advances that will improve the life of patients and community members, either by preventing cancer or treating the debilitating symptoms associated with cancer itself or agents used to treat cancer. Thus, the overarching goal of this Program is to perform innovative research in primary prevention of cancer and controlling cancer-related symptoms or cancer treatment-related symptoms.

Although additional research on etiology is important, sufficient knowledge about the causes of cancer has already accumulated to justify major efforts to prevent occurrence of the disease, especially through the reduction of tobacco use. Chemoprevention for primary cancer prevention is an emerging area in which research has substantial potential to make major advances in the next decade. However, we recognize that despite even the best primary prevention efforts, cancer will not be eliminated in the foreseeable future, and people will continue to die from malignant diseases. Therefore, cancer control efforts to treat symptoms related to cancer and/or cancer therapy and to improve the quality of life of cancer patients are also critical.

The aims of this Program are to develop and test approaches for:

• Primary cancer prevention through treatment for tobacco dependence
• Primary cancer prevention through chemoprevention
• Controlling untoward symptoms related to cancer and/or cancer treatment, to enhance the quality of survivorship

To accomplish these aims, the Program has expanded to include 44 members from 18 departments and divisions across the three Mayo Clinic campuses in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Ariz.; Jacksonville, Fla.; and Rochester, Minn.

Accomplishments of this Program include change in clinical practice related to treating tobacco dependence, management of hot flashes in cancer patients, and establishment of a mature infrastructure for chemopreventative trials.

The Program makes extensive use of shared facilities, especially Biostatistics, Survey Research, and the Clinical Research Office, and is working to expand collaborations across Mayo, as well as with the University of Arizona Cancer Center, the University of Minnesota and the Hormel Institute. Read more in Ongoing Research.