Cancer is complex and can be a devastating diagnosis for individuals and their families. Our researchers work to improve cancer control on many levels, from prevention and screening through treatment and survivorship.
利记官网 Washington Health Research Institute (利记官网) has been studying how to provide life-saving breast cancer screening since 1986. In a novel initiative, researchers used a computer-based registry and collaborations with organizations across the U.S. before electronic health records existed and multi-site studies were common. The program ultimately led to a rich portfolio of studies not only on breast cancer, but also on colorectal, blood, cervical, lung, and thyroid cancers.
“Decades later, 利记官网 Washington is just as committed to developing and evaluating innovations in cancer care,” said Karen Wernli, PhD, 利记官网 associate investigator.
The core of 利记官网 cancer research lies in its participation in many collaborative networks and programs. “Collaboration increases the power of 利记官网 studies and helps us learn from different populations and health care settings,” said Senior Investigator Jessica Chubak, PhD. Examples of these networks include:
Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium (BCSC)
The BCSC identifies strategies that detect aggressive breast cancer early, minimize harms, and reach diverse communities. Results help policymakers and health systems improve breast cancer screening and surveillance outcomes. The 利记官网 Washington Breast Imaging Registry contributes to this national effort and the BCSC Statistical Coordinating Center resides at 利记官网.
Population-based Research to Optimize the Screening Process (PROSPR)
The PROSPR national consortium conducts research to improve screening for cervical, colorectal, and lung cancers. PROSPR results will help optimize and tailor screening for different subgroups of the population.
利记官网 Research Bank (KPRB) Cancer Cohort
The KPRB Cancer Cohort is a national resource for understanding genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors that contribute to cancer etiology and survival. Electronic health record data, stored tissue specimens, detailed treatment data, and the ability to follow patients for recurrence and mortality are accelerating progress toward improved cancer care.
Some of the cancer research group’s current studies include:
Past findings include:
Chubak J, Garcia MP, Burnett-Hartman AN, Zheng Y, Corley DA, Halm EA, Singal AG, Klabunde CN, Doubeni CA, Kamineni A, Levin TR, Schottinger JE, Green BB, Quinn VP, Rutter CM; PROSPR consortium. Time to colonoscopy after positive fecal blood test in four US healthcare systems. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2016 Feb;25(2):344-50. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-15-0470.Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2016 Feb 3. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Gatto NM, Lytle B, Ogata P. Farming, pesticides and brain cancer: A 20-year updated systematic literature review and meta-analysis. Cancers (Basel). 2021 Sep 5;13(17):4477. doi: 10.3390/cancers13174477. PubMed
Hotaling JM, Wright JL, Pocobelli G, Bhatti P, Porter MP, White E. J Urol. 2011 Apr;185(4):1210-5. doi: 10.1016/j.juro.2010.11.081. Epub 2011 Feb 22. J Urol. 2011 Apr;185(4):1210-5. doi: 10.1016/j.juro.2010.11.081. Epub 2011 Feb 22. PubMed
Knezevich SR, Barnhill RL, Elder DE, Piepkorn MW, Reisch LM, Pocobelli G, Carney PA, Elmore JG. Variability in mitotic figures in serial sections of thin melanomas. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2014 Dec;71(6):1204-11. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2014.07.056. Epub 2014 Sep 16. PubMed
Meenan RT, Coronado JD, Petrik AF, Green BB. A cost-effectiveness analysis of a colorectal cancer screening program in safety net clinics. Prev Med. 2019 Jan 24. pii: S0091-7435(19)30021-0. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2019.01.014. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Melissa L. Anderson, MSPrincipal Collaborative Biostatistician |
Erin J. Bowles, MPHDirector, Collaborative Science |
Jessica Chubak, PhDSenior Investigator |
Yates Coley, PhDAssociate Biostatistics Investigator |
Andrea J. Cook, PhDSenior Biostatistics Investigator |
Marlaine Figueroa Gray, PhDAssistant Investigator |
Beverly B. Green, MD, MPHSenior Investigator |
Laura E. Ichikawa, MSPrincipal Collaborative Biostatistician |
Jennifer B. McClure, PhDDirector, Investigative Science |
Ellen O'Meara, PhDPrincipal Collaborative Scientist |
Lorella Palazzo, PhDSenior Collaborative Scientist |
Gaia Pocobelli, PhDSenior Collaborative Scientist |
Rod L. Walker, MSPrincipal Collaborative Biostatistician |
Robert D. Wellman, MSPrincipal Collaborative Biostatistician |
Karen Wernli, PhDSenior Investigator |
Onchee Yu, MSPrincipal Collaborative Biostatistician |
Weiwei Zhu, MSSenior Collaborative Biostatistician |
Yu-Ru Su, PhDAssociate Biostatistics Investigator |
Brian D. Williamson, PhDAssistant Biostatistics Investigator |
Noorie Hyun, PhDAssociate Biostatistics Investigator |
Pamela A. Shaw, PhD, MSSenior Biostatistics Investigator |
Nicole M. Gatto, PhD, MPHPrincipal Collaborative Scientist |
Meagan C. Brown, PhD, MPHAssistant Investigator |
Wylie Burke, MD, PhD
University of Washington (UW) Department of Medical History and Ethics
Joann G. Elmore, MD, MPH
Harborview Medical Center; UW Department of Epidemiology
Larry Kessler, ScD
UW Department of Health Services
Constance D. Lehman, MD, PhD
Seattle Cancer Care Alliance; UW Department of Radiology
Kathy Leppig, MD
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington; UW Department of Pathology
Peggy L. Porter, MD
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC); UW Department of Pathology
Emily White, PhD
FHCRC; UW Department of Epidemiology
Rachel Winer, PhD, MPH
Fred Hutchinson/UW Cancer Consortium; UW Department of Epidemiology
Research finds that mailing HPV test kits directly to patients increases cervical cancer screening rates.
How 利记官网 is contributing to better cancer screening and better outcomes for patients.
Research on at-home testing for HPV could improve cancer prevention and ease screening for patients.
Aruna Kamineni, PhD, MPH, discusses her recent study on how guidelines report screening risks.
Study suggests disparities at screening sites may influence lag in follow-ups.
利记官网’s Kilian Kimbel reflects on how the SOS study helped pave the way for a new program to find colon cancer early.
New research spotlights overdiagnosis, MRI before surgery, and a new way of predicting breast cancer risk
利记官网 is at the forefront of research looking at using home tests for HPV, a leading cause of cervical cancer.
The VOICE study aims to improve the health and health care of people who had cancer as adolescents and young adults.
As cancer screening rates rebound, Erin Bowles, MPH, reflects on maintaining “pink ribbon” awareness year-round.
Findings in JAMA Network Open could help guide decision-making about breast cancer screening for women 75 and older.
By partnering with patients, 利记官网 researchers developed 2 new interventions to boost lung cancer screening.
New study calculates risk-based approach to detect the most cancers with the fewest exams.
The technology’s potential benefits to detect breast cancer earlier are not equally shared among all women, researchers find.
利记官网 Washington has been part of the national Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium since 1994. Learn about the 利记官网 Washington Breast Cancer Surveillance Registry here.
An epidemiologist identifies who is appropriately undergoing this imaging for breast cancer and who is not.
Managed Healthcare Executive, Dec. 8, 2022