Research We Fund: Extramural Discovery Science

ACS Research Priority Areas

The American Cancer Society (ACS) has established these 6 areas to prioritize the research we fund to help advance the mission. All research proposals (except Institutional Research Grants, Mission Boost Grants, and Professor grants) must fall into at least 1 of these 6 priority areas: 

  • Etiology (causes of cancer)
  • Obesity/Healty Eating and Active Living (HEAL)
  • Screening and Diagnosis
  • Treatment
  • Survivorship
  • Health Equity Across the Cancer Continuum

For examples of recent awards in these priority areas, see this press release.


Etiology (Causes of Cancer)

The ACS supports research into the causes of cancer and the incidence, initiation, and biology of early-onset cancers.

To accelerate progress in understanding the causes of cancer, this priority area supports research to identify early, inherited, somatic, molecular, behavioral, environmental, and societal causes and risk factors that impact cancer incidence, progression, and mortality. 

Research in this priority area could include studying: 

  • Fundamental cellular processes to better understand carcinogenesis, including DNA damage, hypoxia (too little oxygen), and extracellular matrix remodeling. 
  • New models of cancer initiation to understand the intersection of genetics and exposures to carcinogens.
  • Factors that contribute to tumor evolution, including the adaptive immune system and its interplay with innate responses.
  • Target genes involved in cancer to better identify and characterize them, using global-scale genomic and epigenomic approaches.

 

Obesity/Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) 

The American Cancer society supports research on diet, metabolism, physical activity, and nutrition-related factors to better understand these factors roles in cancer risk, progression, treatment, and survivorship. 

Studies can span the research continuum (i.e., from molecular to population). Research in this priority area could include:

  • Determining how nutritional and environmental factors (including tumor microenvironment) alter cellular metabolism and impact cancer development, disease progression, recurrence, and survivorship.
  • Studying how body size and body composition (adiposity, lean mass) impact cancer treatment, prognosis, and survivorship.
  • Testing evidence-based interventions that lead to the adaptation of a healthy diet and/or adequate levels of exercise/physical activity.

From the Glossary for Nonscientists

Health Disparities

Health disparities are differences in health and health care between population groups that are preventable and closely linked with economic, social, and/or environmental disadvantage.Health disparities may be characterized by age; race or ethnicity; religion; literacy; socioeconomic-status; mental health; disability; gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity; geographic location; or other characteristics that are historically linked to discrimination or exclusion. 


Screening and Diagnosis

The ACS supports research on cancer screening and early detection, diagnostics, and prognostics. We encourage studies focused on high-mortality cancers and major cancer types that lack screening tests.

Studies can span the research continuum (i.e., from molecular to population-based). Research in this priority area could include studying:

  • New screening opportunities, surveillance, and risk assessment to discover, develop, or advance technologies that could lead to reducing the burdens of cancer.  
  • Diagnostic tests to distinguish high-risk early lesions from lesions that do not require immediate curative therapy, with the goal of reducing unnecessary side effects and financial toxicity. 
  • The earliest stages of cancer and premalignant disease to improve the understanding of cellular and molecular structures of subtypes associated with health disparities. 
  • Barriers and social determinants of healthto better understand and identify what interferes with the adoption of recommended guidelines and/or the testing of innovative strategies to increase and sustain their uptake, equity, and effectiveness. 

From the Glossary for Nonscientists

Social Determinants of Health (SDOH)

Non-medical factors that influence health, the ability to function, risk for health problems, and quality of life. These include conditions in the environments where people are born, live, work, play, worship, and age as well as the social, economic, and political systems that shape those conditions of daily life.

Closely linked to health disparities.

Treatment 

The ACS supports research to develop new cancer treatments, targets, and systems to monitor and treat resistant diseases and to enhance opportunities in immunotherapy and precision medicine. 

To accelerate progress in cancer treatment, this priority area supports research to improve models and test interventions for prevention, tumor dormancy, recurrence,  resistance, and metastasis. 

This priority area will further generate predictive preclinical models to streamline clinical testing of combination or multi-modal therapies by funding research on tumor microenvironment, heterogeneity, microbiome, and immune escape. 

Research in this priority could aim to improve timely access to treatment, increase participation rates of diverse populations in clinical trials and advance our understanding of barriers to the receipt of timely and high-quality treatment. Research in this priority area could include studying:

  • The ACS supports research to develop new cancer treatments, targets, and systems to monitor and treat resistant diseases and to enhance opportunities in immunotherapy and precision medicine. 
  • New agents, combinations, and approaches that would be useful in cancer therapy.
  • The development and integration of interventions to reduce barriers and social determinants of health that interfere with cancer treatments.
  • The development of systems to predict, and monitor for, resistance to treatment.


Survivorship

Survivorship research focuses on improving the survivorship journey and quality of life for cancer survivors and their caregivers, including physical, emotional, financial, spiritual, and supportive services or care delivery, from the day of their diagnosis throughout their lives.

Research may address access barriers to high-quality, equitable cancer care, treatment-related outcomes, palliative care, and communication research. Research in this priority area could include:

  • Interventions focused on symptom management, treatment adherence, patient-reported outcomes, co-morbidities, quality of life and/or psychological, spiritual, and physical well-being
  • Research that addresses the mental, emotional, physical, and financial well-being of caregivers
  • Identification of prognostic factors for cancer and treatment-related outcomes
  • Research involving the delivery and practice of palliative care and the physical, mental, and emotional effects on patients receiving palliative care
  • Identification of underlying mechanisms and mitigation strategies for symptoms, adverse events, and co-morbidities that persist throughout survivorship


Health Equity Across the Cancer Control Continuum  

The ACS believes that everyone should have a fair and just opportunity to prevent, find, treat, and survive cancer. Societal issues —such as poverty, education, social injustices, and unequal distribution of resources and power —underpin profound inequities. 

These macro-environmental conditions where people are born, grow, live, work, and age, along with the available systems supporting health are known as the social determinants of health (SDOH). The SDOH are interrelated and extend across the life span to impact health. 

This area of research addresses the interplay between SDOH and access to high-quality care and services across the cancer continuum and solutions to achieve optimal outcomes for all.

 Projects may include:

  • Multilevel research and multilevel interventions addressing root causes of cancer health disparities related to SDOH including classism and structural racism leading to improved health outcomes.
  • Implementation research involving underserved communities to test novel strategies for getting research evidence into clinical and public health practice settings
  • Culturally tailored approaches to health promotion strategies  
  • Testing interventions addressing financial barriers, cost- benefit, cost effectiveness, and implications of health insurance and health policy on care across the cancer continuum.
  • Increase the diversity of clinical trial participants to improve access to cutting-edge treatments and generalizability of study findings

From the Glossary for Nonscientists

Health Equity

The state in which everyone is able to reach their full health potential, and no one is at a disadvantage for attaining this potential on the basis of race/ethnicity, gender, health insurance coverage, disability, place of residence, or other social circumstances, such as lack of access to good jobs with fair pay, quality education and housing, safe environments, and health care.

Achieving health equity requires removing obstacles to health such as poverty and discrimination, as well as their consequences, including powerlessness and lack of access to good jobs with fair pay, quality education and housing, safe environments, and health care.