In this issue of the NCI Cancer Bulletin, we offer a closer look at cancer prevention research. It's an enormous topic, but I think you'll see as you read that, beyond what we already know about behavior change and cancer prevention, the field is transitioning toward studies that delve into the molecular foundations of health and disease.

Some of the most promising science under way takes advantage of advances in fields such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics - what some call "molecular prevention."  Read more  

The new generation of genetically-engineered mouse models (GEMs) holds promise for helping cancer prevention researchers refine and speed up testing of potential preventive agents. These mice are programmed to develop specific types of cancer in ways that mimic human cancer. That may make it easier for scientists, using sophisticated imaging technologies, to gauge the effects of cancer preventive substances.

This summer, NCI will convene a "think tank" of 15-18 invited experts from the fields of early intervention, prevention, and prevention screening, as well as from the NCI Mouse Models of Human Cancers Consortium (MMHCC), to develop research plans that fully explore the promise of GEMs.  Read more  

The NCI Cancer Bulletin is produced by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). NCI, which was established in 1937, leads the national effort to eliminate the suffering and death due to cancer. Through basic, clinical, and population-based biomedical research and training, NCI conducts and supports research that will lead to a future in which we can identify the environmental and genetic causes of cancer, prevent cancer before it starts, identify cancers that do develop at the earliest stage, eliminate cancers through innovative treatment interventions, and biologically control those cancers that we cannot eliminate so they become manageable, chronic diseases. For more information on cancer, call 1-800-4-CANCER or visit http://www.cancer.gov. NCI Cancer Bulletin staff can be reached at ncicancerbulletin@mail.nih.gov.