New Online: Cancer Progress Report - 2003 Update
Cancer Progress Report - 2003 Update is the second in a series of reports describing the nation's progress against cancer. Structured in an easy-to-use format and written in plain language, the report can be used by the public to better understand the nature and results of strategies to fight cancer. Researchers, clinicians, and public health providers can focus on the opportunities and gaps identified, paving the way toward future progress; and policymakers can use the report to evaluate progress relative to our investment in cancer research discovery, program development, and service delivery.

Included are key measures of progress along the cancer continuum in the areas of prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, life after cancer, and end of life. Where possible, the report shows changes in data over time, and most of the measures are identical to cancer-related targets in Healthy People 2010, a national health promotion and disease prevention initiative of the Department of Health and Human Services and its partners. Interactive features include three formats of dynamically generated graphs and links to their data files. The graphs can be saved for use in reports and presentations. The report is based on the most recent data from NCI, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, other federal agencies, the American Cancer Society, professional groups, and cancer researchers. The report is available online at http://progressreport.cancer.gov.

Funding Opportunities in Symptom Management and Palliative Care
NCI Program Directors Dr. Ann O'Mara and Dr. Mike Stefanek will present information on funding opportunities for symptom management and palliative care research at the upcoming conference, Mechanisms and Treatment of Cancer-Related Symptoms, at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Feb. 20-22.

Symptom management and palliative care research encompass the primary and tertiary prevention of both prevention- and treatment-associated morbidities. This includes research on the management of acute symptoms related to cancer and its active treatment from diagnosis through the end of life and is critical for NCI's challenge goal of eliminating the suffering and death due to cancer.

In addition, Dr. O'Mara will give a presentation on similar funding opportunities for the pediatric population at the Children's Oncology Group's Pediatric Oncology Nursing State of the Science II meeting in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 27. Dr. O'Mara can be reached at omaraa@mail.nih.gov for more information.

Taxol® Study Samples Available for Microarray Analysis
The NCI Cancer Diagnosis Program (CDP), through a partnership with a national clinical cooperative group, is offering a new tissue microarray resource to scientists interested in evaluating candidate predictive markers of Taxol® response and resistance in patients with breast cancer.

The tissue microarray set contains specimens from all 2,000 cases enrolled in a clinical trial that assessed the benefit of including Taxol® with the standard doxorubicin-cyclophosphamide regimen in the treatment of axillary lymph node-positive breast cancer. The randomized trial, called B-28, was conducted by the National Adjuvant Surgical Breast and Bowel Project (NASBP). The NASBP is one of nine clinical cooperative groups funded by NCI to organize and direct large clinical cancer treatment studies. Tissue microarrays consist of material obtained from biopsies or surgical procedures embedded in paraffin and give investigators a more accurate way to determine responses to the Taxol® drug regimen.

There is enough tissue in the microarrays to provide up to 50 researchers with the complete specimen set from the trial along with clinical and outcome data. Investigators with specific, sensitive, and reproducible assays for candidate biomarkers should submit a request for the tissue microarrays to CDP by June 1, 2004. NCI also has tissue microarray specimens available for evaluation of diagnostic markers for prostate cancer, along with those for breast cancer. Additional sets will be available soon for research on bladder, ovarian, and colorectal cancers.