NIH Launches Cancer Screening Research Network for Early Detection

On Wednesday, February 21, 2024, the NIH launched a clinical trial network for evaluating new cancer detection technologies or methods called the Cancer Screening Research Network (CSRN), which will support the Biden–Harris administration’s Cancer Moonshot. The organization notes that its subset, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), has funded eight groups to kick off the network.

Aside from NCI contributions, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center will be responsible for coordination and communication throughout the network and will act as the statistics and data management center. Additionally, the network will have nine Accrual, Enrollment, and Screening Site (ACCESS) hubs, including the following:

• Henry Ford Health and Michigan State University Health Sciences
• Kaiser Permanente Northern California and Southern California, and Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine
• OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
• University of Colorado Cancer Center
• University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Virginia Commonwealth University, Inova, and Sentara Health
• Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
• Department of Defense Uniformed Services University
• Department of Veterans Affairs

Collectively, the network will be responsible for conducting studies on the positives and negatives of new cancer screening technologies. The hope is that assessing these screening tools through clinical trials will help the researchers determine how to incorporate these tools into standard screening protocols or guidelines.

The program’s pilot study, the Vanguard Study on Multi-Cancer Detection, will focus on assessing multi-cancer detection tests in randomized clinical trials by enrolling 24,000 participants.

“There are many cancers we still cannot reliably detect until it is so late that they become extremely difficult to treat,” said W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, director of NCI, in the press release. “Emerging technologies such as multi-cancer detection tests could transform cancer screening and help to extend the lives of many more people. We need to be sure that these technologies work and understand how to use them so they benefit everyone.”

Beyond ensuring that these cancer screening technologies are effective, the network hopes to ensure that populations from all groups, including historically underrepresented groups, are included in these studies.

“Our goal is to systematically evaluate cancer screening technologies to understand how best to use them to ultimately save lives. Data collected through these clinical trials can be used to develop evidence-based guidelines for cancer screening,” said Lori M. Minasian, MD, deputy director of the Division of Cancer Prevention at NCI.