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DCEG investigators developed a broad-ranging, multi-faceted program of descriptive studies with major themes including the evaluation of tumor heterogeneity, current and future trends, and second cancers. Recent highlights include:

• One of the first demonstrations of breast cancer heterogeneity by hormone receptor expression, as well as novel projections of breast cancer trends by estrogen receptor status was evaluated using SEER data.

• A series of studies that showed a major emerging role for human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in the epidemiology of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas, especially among men. Novel projections that DCEG investigators developed for those studies have influenced key policy deliberations pertaining to HPV vaccination of boys in the U.S.

Future Goals

Investigators will continue to explore population heterogeneity, racial disparity, geographic variation, and international patterns through three key strategies:

1. Comprehensive comparative analyses of incidence, mortality, and survival patterns for subtypes of many common and less common malignancies;
2. Analyses of time trends, calendar-period and birth-cohort effects, risk factor patterns, molecular data, and incidence of new malignancies among cancer survivors;
3. Extensive extramural collaborative efforts with the American Cancer Society (ACS), International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR), Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Danish Breast Cancer Cooperative Group (DBCG), prioritizing studies of breast, ovary, and head and neck cancers.

For more information, contact:

William Anderson

Biostatistics Branch - Research Areas

Allan Hildesheim

Infections and Immunoepidemiology Branch