NCI and China Cancer Institute Discuss Research Issues and Medical Journalism ► NCI Cancer Bulletin for May 29, 2012 - National Cancer Institute

NCI Cancer Bulletin for May 29, 2012 - National Cancer Institute

NCI and China Cancer Institute Discuss Research Issues and Medical Journalism

Scientists, clinicians, and government officials from the United States and China met earlier this month in Beijing for a workshop sponsored by NCI's Center for Global Health and the Cancer Institute and Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CICAMS). Participants discussed research on cancer prevention, screening, and biomarkers. At the meeting, held May 9–11, speakers reviewed the status of research in both countries and explored a broad range of opportunities for future collaboration.

Other topics included cancer biomarker research for early diagnosis and prevention, NCI-supported studies of esophageal cancer in China, and U.S.-China collaborations by tumor site. NCI and Chinese government officials highlighted funding opportunities and grant procedures for cancer researchers. In addition, participants explored a proposal to translate NCI's Physician Data Query (PDQ) online summaries of cancer-related information into Chinese.

"The quality of science presented by both CICAMS and U.S. investigators was invigorating. Just as important, plans for collaborations in several areas of high priority for both countries in the areas of cancer biomarker and screening research were a major topic of discussion," said Dr. Barry Kramer, director of NCI's Division of Cancer Prevention, who attended the workshop.

CICAMS Director of Cancer Epidemiology Dr. You-Lin Qiao noted, "The extensive discussion and recommendations for community-based screening of four priority cancers (lung, esophageal, breast, and cervical cancers) provides a great collaboration opportunity for scientists of both countries in the context of China's increased investment in health-related projects."

NCI and CICAMS also hosted a May 8 workshop on medical journalism and cancer research for Chinese editors and reporters to learn how to better evaluate, interpret, and summarize cancer research topics for a lay audience. The session helped participants determine which studies are newsworthy and how to present scientific results accurately to the public.