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The National Cancer Institute's intervention trials
1Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892-3100.
Cancer
|October 15, 1988
Summary
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is advancing cancer prevention through human intervention trials focusing on chemoprevention, diet, and smoking cessation. These studies aim to reduce cancer mortality by 50% by the year 2000.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Public Health
- Preventive Medicine
Background:
- The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has intensified its focus on cancer prevention strategies.
- Key areas of emphasis include chemoprevention, dietary interventions, and smoking/tobacco cessation.
- These initiatives are crucial for achieving ambitious public health goals in cancer reduction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of specific chemicals (natural and synthetic) in preventing, inhibiting, or reversing carcinogenesis through 24 ongoing chemoprevention trials.
- To investigate the impact of dietary factors, particularly dietary fat, on cancer development, with a focus on breast cancer.
- To implement and assess the effectiveness of smoking and tobacco use cessation strategies through a large-scale intervention research effort.
Main Methods:
- Conducting 24 clinical trials in chemoprevention to test various chemical agents.
- Executing several macronutrient trials within diet and nutrition research, including a significant study on dietary fat and breast cancer.
- Initiating a broad intervention research program on smoking and tobacco use, comprising 46 trials across 25 states and over 200 cities, including a community-based trial for heavy smokers.
Main Results:
- Ongoing trials are assessing the potential of specific chemicals to impact carcinogenesis.
- Research is actively exploring the link between dietary fat intake and breast cancer risk.
- A substantial body of research, including 46 trials and a community-based cessation study, has been established to address smoking and tobacco use.
Conclusions:
- The NCI's intervention trials in chemoprevention, diet, and smoking cessation are designed to yield strategies applicable to large populations.
- These research efforts are fundamental to the NCI's objective of reducing national cancer mortality by 50% by the year 2000.
- The comprehensive approach underscores a commitment to evidence-based preventive measures in oncology.
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