Cancer Survivorship Research Unit (CSRU)
As the population of cancer survivors continues to expand rapidly, there is increasing need to bring rigorous epidemiological approaches to survivorship research. DCEG responded by creating the Cancer Survivorship Research Unit (CSRU), with the goal of improving the clinical care and quality of life of cancer survivors by increasing understanding of the adverse effects of treatment through trans-disciplinary epidemiological and genetics studies.
Division-Wide Expertise
The CSRU includes investigators from across the division with an aim of increasing trans-divisional survivorship research studies, but is housed in the Radiation Epidemiology Branch, building on the branch’s long-standing expertise in studying subsequent malignancy risks and late effects of cancer treatment.
CSRU activities are complemented by monthly seminars coordinated by the DCEG Cancer Survivorship Working Group, co-chaired by Drs. Shahinaz Gadalla, Lindsay Morton, Sara Schonfeld, and Jacqueline Vo.
Research Studies
Current studies led by CSRU members include a broad range of cancer survivor populations (e.g., pediatric cancer, breast cancer, hematologic malignancies), consider special populations (e.g., individuals with inherited cancer predisposition syndromes, hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients), and assess a range of outcomes.
Survivor Populations by Cancer Type
Breast Cancer
- Confluence Project
- Kaiser Permanente Breast Cancer Survivors Cohort
- Ultrasound Study of the Effects of Tamoxifen on Breast Tissue
Pediatric Cancers
Special Populations
- HIV/AIDS Cancer Match Study
- Inherited Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes (IBMFS)
- Li-Fraumeni Syndrome Study
- Neurofibromatosis Type 1 and Cancer Susceptibility
- Pleuropulmonary Blastoma DICER1 Syndrome Study
- Retinoblastoma Survivors Follow-up Study
- Second Primary Gastrointestinal Cancers
- Transplant Cancer Match Study
Methods and Outcomes
- Psychosocial Effects of Cancer Predisposition Syndromes
- Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation and Risks of Second Cancers
- Predictors of Outcomes after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (HCT)
- Radiation Dose Reconstruction
- Temporal Trends in Second Cancer Risks Based on SEER Data
For more information, contact Lindsay Morton, Ph.D.