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NOT-CA-23-016 - Request for Information: Priorities for Cancer Prevention and Symptom Management Science at NCI

Issued by

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Purpose

Through this Notice of Request for Information (RFI), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) is soliciting input on prioritization of cancer early detection, screening, and prevention science related to primary liver and/or primary pancreatic cancer.

Background

Both primary pancreatic cancer and primary liver cancer are deadly diseases with dismal 5-year survival rates of 10% and 18% respectively. Pancreatic cancer is predicted to be the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. by 2030. Liver cancer was the sixth most commonly diagnosed cancer and the third most common cause of cancer death in 2020. Although the incidence and mortality rates from liver cancer have dropped in some countries, the rates have increased in the U.S.with the average annual percentage change (AAPC) for liver (3.7%) and pancreas cancers (1.4%), the need for a concerted effort for translational research that will lead to improved precision early detection, screening, and prevention approaches for these cancers, is critical. (Note: Liver metastasis is outside of the focus of this RFI.)

As NCI develops the national agenda for early detection, screening, and prevention of primary pancreatic and liver cancer, input and insights from all stakeholders including researchers in academic institutions and industry as well as non-academic communities such as advocates, patients and caregivers to identify the most critical research areas is requested. NCI seeks input on the scientific and technological challenges that must be investigated to better understand all subtypes of primary pancreatic and liver cancers. Recommendations for modifications to current programs and directions are also welcome.

Information Requested

NCI seeks recommendations for precision translational research on liver and pancreatic cancer prevention research topics that address gaps in the current state of the science that underlie the increasing incidence and mortality of these deadly diseases. NCI recognizes that new resources, approaches, and programs and infrastructure may need to be identified and addressed and also seeks recommendations in these areas. An overarching goal is to support the identification and development of enduring and sustainable evidence-based precision approaches that will translate into advances in clinical cancer prevention, detection, and screening - rather than short-term self-contained projects.

Examples of topics related to precision cancer prevention of primary pancreas and liver cancers for which input is sought include the following areas:

Research gaps and opportunities for

• Translational research that leads to a better understanding of disease progression from normal tissue to precancers to invasive cancers
• Research that leads to the discovery, validation, and implementation of biomarkers of disease progression, prognosis and changes associated with preventive interventions
• Research strategies to understand the role of tumor and immune microenvironment in disease development and progression
• Research strategies to reverse underlying molecular mechanisms for disease development and progression, as well as precancerous conditions (e.g., mucinous cystic neoplasms, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) and pancreatitis, NAFLD, MAFLD, NASH, fibrosis and/or cirrhosis) before progression to cancer
• Research strategies for next generation of immunoprevention approaches including preventive and therapeutic vaccines for HBV and HCV
• Identification and validation of targets for precision cancer screening and prevention for pancreas and liver
• Development and characterization of preclinical model systems that include precancerous organoids, animal models, and other in vitro approaches:
• Research that addresses the problem of late detection of these cancers and why they tend to be more deadly than other cancers
• Novel strategies to improve risk stratification among patients with precancerous conditions including artificial intelligence and machine learning
• Research to gain insights into familial pancreatic cancer

Additional High Impact areas:

• Strategies to reduce health inequities through early detection, screening (e.g., HCV screening), and interventions
• New approaches to facilitate enrollment of diverse participants in screening and prevention studies and trials
• New approaches to define and evaluate the quality and value of early detection, screening, and prevention strategies
• Clinical infrastructure including patient registries and biospecimen repositories needed to facilitate the conduct of transformative precision translational cancer prevention research
• Novel strategies to coordinate diverse key stakeholders and disciplines (researchers and clinicians) to collaborate in precision translational cancer prevention research
• Opportunities for incorporating patient-advocates and policy-maker perspectives into the design of precision prevention research
• Opportunities and projects that involve multi-disciplinary collaborations
• Comments on any additional issues relevant to this RFI that are not specifically mentioned above are highly encouraged

How to Submit a Response

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to NCIDCP-PC2@mail.nih.gov.

Responses must be received by 11:59 p.m. on January 20, 2023.

Responses to this RFI are voluntary. Do not include any proprietary, classified, confidential, trade secret, or sensitive information in your response. The responses will be reviewed by NIH staff, and individual feedback will not be provided to any responder. The Government will use the information submitted in response to this RFI at its discretion. Any identifiers (e.g., names, institutions, e-mail addresses, etc.) will be removed when responses are compiled. The Government reserves the right to use only the processed, anonymized results on public NIH websites, in reports, in summaries of the state of the science, in any possible resultant solicitation(s), grant(s), or cooperative agreement(s), or in the development of future funding opportunity announcements.

This RFI is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation, grant, or cooperative agreement, or as an obligation on the part of the Federal Government, the NIH, or individual NIH Institutes and Centers to provide support for any ideas identified in response to it. The Government will not pay for the preparation of any information submitted or for the Government’s use of such information. No basis for claims against the U.S. Government shall arise as a result of a response to this RFI or from the Government’s use of such information.

The NIH looks forward to your input and we hope that you will share this RFI document with your colleagues.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Email: NCIDCP-PC2@mail.nih.gov