Re-examining survivorship research for people living with advanced and metastatic cancers: A portfolio analysis update of National Institutes of Health-funded grants.
Academic Article
Overview
abstract
PURPOSE: The National Cancer Institute (NCI) identified survivorship research for people living with advanced and metastatic cancers as a priority in 2020. The goal of this portfolio analysis was to review all National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants newly funded in Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 to FY 2024 focused on this area. METHODS: Grants were identified using a text mining algorithm of survivorship-relevant terms from the NIH Research, Condition, and Disease Categorization (RCDC) system and double coded for grant characteristics (e.g., study design, cancer type, primary focus, and primary outcomes). RESULTS: Included in this analysis were 63 grants, funded by 7 NIH institutes. The number of newly awarded grants funded rose from 9 in 2021 to 25 in 2024. The majority of grants were R01s (62.9%). Cancer types most often included were breast (22.2%), prostate (15.9%), and lung (15.9%). The primary focus of studies was most often acute toxicities (33.3%) or late- or long-term effects (33.3%). No grants focused on the financial impact of an advanced or metastatic cancer diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate a substantial growth in the number of grants funded from FY 2021 to FY 2024. Grants address some of the gap areas identified in previous NCI efforts, including longitudinal studies of symptoms. Scientific gap areas that persist include financial hardship and employment, models of care delivery, and prognostic uncertainty. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Despite the growth in the grant portfolio, more research on survivors living with advanced and metastatic cancers is needed. This emerging population has unmet and understudied needs that will only expand given the growth in new therapies and targeted treatments.
