Population-Based Precision Cancer Screening: A Symposium on Evidence, Epidemiology, and Next Steps.

Marcus PM1, Pashayan N2, Church TR3, Doria-Rose VP4, Gould MK5, Hubbard RA6, Marrone M7, Miglioretti DL8, Pharoah PD9, Pinsky PF10, Rendle KA4, Robbins HA7, Roberts MC4, Rolland B11, Schiffman M12, Tiro JA13, Zauber AG14, Winn DM4, Khoury MJ15.

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Abstract

Precision medicine, an emerging approach for disease treatment that takes into account individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle, is under consideration for preventive interventions, including cancer screening. On September 29, 2015, the National Cancer Institute sponsored a symposium entitled "Precision Cancer Screening in the General Population: Evidence, Epidemiology, and Next Steps". The goal was two-fold: to share current information on the evidence, practices, and challenges surrounding precision screening for breast, cervical, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancers, and to allow for in-depth discussion among experts in relevant fields regarding how epidemiology and other population sciences can be used to generate evidence to inform precision screening strategies. Attendees concluded that the strength of evidence for efficacy and effectiveness of precision strategies varies by cancer site, that no one research strategy or methodology would be able or appropriate to address the many knowledge gaps in precision screening, and that issues surrounding implementation must be researched as well. Additional discussion needs to occur to identify the high priority research areas in precision cancer screening for pertinent organs and to gather the necessary evidence to determine whether further implementation of precision cancer screening strategies in the general population would be feasible and beneficial. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(11); 1-7. ©2016 AACR.