Funding for cancer research, but not in these areas… 

Congressionally Directed Topic Areas

• Bladder cancer
• Blood cancers
• Brain cancer
• Colorectal cancer
• Endometrial cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Germ cell cancers
• Head and neck cancer
• Liver cancer
• Lymphoma
• Mesothelioma
• Metastatic cancer (i.e., cancer that has spread from its original location to another place in the body, representing what is known as stage III and stage IV cancer diagnoses)
• Myeloma
• Neuroblastoma
• Pediatric, adolescent, and young adult cancers (PAYAC) (includes persons between 15–39 years of age)
• Pediatric brain tumors
• Sarcoma
• Stomach cancer
• Thyroid cancer
• Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome malignancies (excluding cancers of the kidney and pancreas)

Military Health Focus Areas

All 2022 applications must address at least one of the following Military Health Focus Areas:

• Environmental/exposure risk factors associated with cancer
• Gaps in cancer research that may affect mission readiness:
  • Gaps in cancer prevention, early detection/diagnosis, prognosis, and/or treatment that may affect the general population but have a particularly profound impact on the health and well-being of military Service Members, Veterans, and their beneficiaries.
  • Gaps in quality of life and/or survivorship that may affect the general population but have a particularly profound impact on the health and well-being of military Service Members, Veterans, and their beneficiaries.

Overarching Challenges

The PRCRP has developed a strategy to address multiple issues in cancer research over the spectrum of different cancer topics considered for funding. These Overarching Challenges are critical gaps in cancer research, care, and/or patient outcomes that, if addressed, will advance mission readiness of U.S. military members affected by cancer and will improve quality of life by decreasing the burden of cancer on Service Members, their families, Veterans, and the American public.

Prevention

• Develop innovative prevention strategies and early detection methods to decrease cancer burden in diverse different populations.
• Identify and elucidate the mechanisms behind cancer epigenetics/genetics and cancer development to improve prevention methods.

Diagnostics/Prognostics

• Identify strategies to predict treatment resistance, recurrence, and the development of advanced disease.
• Distinguish unique features driving cancer occurrence across the spectrum of ages.
• Develop and improve minimally invasive methods to detect cancer initiation, progression,
  and recurrence.

Therapeutics

• Transform cancer treatment through the identification of new targets, especially for advanced disease and metastasis.
• Advance immunotherapy across the different PRCRP Topic Areas
• Evaluation from longitudinal collection of deep multidimensional characterization of clinically annotated research biospecimens during disease progression and/or treatment.
• Identify and elucidate the mechanisms behind cancer epigenetics/genetics and cancer development to improve treatment methods.

Behavioral Science

• Develop strategies to address survivorship issues including quality of life, overall mental health, psychological impact of recurrence, and/or survivor permanent disability.
• Develop strategies to reduce short- and long-term treatment effects, including neurocognitive deficits.

Disparity

• Improve prevention strategies, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes for patients in underserved or under recognized populations.
• Develop strategies to improve accessibility to care and to address survivorship.

Resources

• Develop open access platform(s) or methods/tools to coordinate and integrate multiple databases, biorepositories, and data-sharing interfaces.