Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center is leading a new clinical trial consortium, the Cancer Screening Research Networkor CSRN, created by the National Cancer Institutepart of National Institutes of Healthto advance President Joe Biden's Cancer Moonshot by improving early detection of cancers.
Biden announced the formation of the Lunar Cancer, intended to drive progress in cancer research, treatment and cure, in 2016, when he was vice president. Six years later, as president, he recommitted to the initiative. The CSRN will play a lead role in bringing the Moonshot closer to its goals, which include reducing the age-adjusted cancer death rate by at least half. The primary goal will be to diagnose cancer earlier and reduce health inequalities (and prevent cancer in the first place) by evaluating new and complex technologies that detect cancer.
Cancer screening is a key part of prevention because when more cancers are detected before people develop symptoms, it is hoped that treatment (perhaps less aggressive treatment) can lead to better outcomes. Fred Hutch will lead the CSRN Coordination and Communication Center (CCC) and Statistics and Data Management Center (SDMC) that will oversee cancer screening clinical trials enrolling diverse participants. Initial studies will examine Multiple Cancer Screening (MCD) TrialsThey look for byproducts of cancer cells in the blood or other body fluids that could indicate early-stage cancer.
Although these tests are marketed as effective cancer screening tools, they are so new that there is no research to show that they actually work to reduce cancer deaths. The US Food and Drug Administration has not authorized any tests for DCM. But, if research shows that these new blood tests are successful in detecting cancer early and preventing cancer-related deaths, it could help reshape the cancer landscape. Any positive results would have to be confirmed by additional testing.
"There is a real urgency to do this research," he said Garnet Anderson, PhDsenior vice president and director of the Public Health Sciences Division at Fred Hutch, who leads the CCC along with Ruth Etzioni, PhDand Scott Ramsey, MD, Ph.D.. โThere are around 50 companies developing new types of tests and we strongly believe they should be rigorously evaluated before being promoted to the community. โWe need to know if they are accurate enough and how doctors can best use them.โ
Anderson holds the Fred Hutch 40th Anniversary Endowed Chair, and Etzioni holds the Rosalie and Harold Rea Brown Endowed Chair.
Etzioni said the new network is critical to keeping patients well informed.
"The fact that NCI is taking this on reflects its awareness of the potentially transformative nature of these technologies," he said. "We are very proud to partner with them to ensure people have the information they need to optimally manage their health."
