Ongoing Global Health Projects

New Canadian Version of ASA24 for Dietary Assessment in Research Studies

In April 2019, a new Canadian version of the Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour (ASA24) Dietary Assessment Tool was released. The Canadian adaptation of ASA24 utilizes the infrastructure created for the US version of ASA24 that NCI developed and maintains. 

ASA24-Canada includes modifications that reflect the Canadian food supply. The Canadian version of ASA24 makes it possible for researchers to collect dietary recall and food record data in a range of studies in Canada using a tool tailored to the Canadian context. For example, study participants can complete food records or dietary recalls through the web-based Respondent website in either English or French. The latest updates to ASA24-Canada include an optional Respondent Nutrition Report (RNR) that researchers can choose to make available to study participants. The RNR provides feedback to study participants regarding how their dietary intake on a given reporting day compares to Canadian dietary guidance and nutrient requirements.

The development of the Canadian versions of ASA24 has been supported by Health Canada’s Food Directorate, the Alberta Cancer Foundation, the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer through funds allocated to Alberta’s Tomorrow Project, and contributions from researchers at the University of Waterloo.

More information about ASA24, including ASA24-Canada, can be found at https://epi.grants.cancer.gov/asa24/.

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Global Health Research and Training Initiatives

CARPHA Virtual Training Sessions for Cancer Registries

In collaboration with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) Hub for cancer registries in the Caribbean, on April 17, 2019, Goncalo Forjaz de Lacerda presented a webinar on multiple primary cancers, which was one of four weekly virtual training sessions on cancer coding (topography, morphology) and staging. All webinars are recorded and will be archived on the CARPHA Hub and the NAACCR websites later this month.

CanTest International School for Cancer Detection Research in Primary Care

Cancer Prevention Fellow Elizabeth Sarma was recently invited to attend the 2nd CanTest International School for Cancer Detection Research in Primary Care at the University of Cambridge, UK, for one week in April. At the school, Dr. Sarma received training in methods relevant for early detection research. The overall CanTest vision is to transform the primary care physician’s office into a hub of diagnostic excellence for patients who may have undiagnosed cancer. The aims of the International School are threefold: to identify and evaluate the potential of existing and emerging diagnostic technologies and biomarkers; to consider the assessment of symptomatic populations and identification of populations at higher risk of cancer; and to enhance understanding of how to assess the performance, safety, patient and physician acceptability, and cost-effectiveness of cancer tests in primary care. Formal presentations and small-group workshops focused on data collection and research methods, analyses of large data sets, health economics, and mixed methods research. Additionally, school attendees gave presentations of their work and received feedback from the international panel of senior faculty. The one-week training provided a unique experience for Dr. Sarma to build methodological skills and collaborative relationships with international scientists in early detection research.

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Meeting Reports

Eastern Caribbean Oncology Network Meeting

On April 27, 2019, Brenda K. Edwards attended a meeting of the Eastern Caribbean Oncology Network to co-present and discuss CARPHA’s approach for a regional registry system appropriate for the OECS (Organization of Eastern Caribbean States) island countries. Development of the approach included discussions with the Pacific Regional Central Cancer Registry (a CDC-funded registry; PI: Lee Buenconsejo-Lum). Dr. Edwards is traveling with the cancer registry site assessment team to Georgetown, Guyana, for their May 2-3 meeting, and will conduct follow-up assessments on the Trinidad and Togabo Cancer Registry in Port of Spain.

European-US Workshop on Cancer Recurrence and Registry Data

Lynne Penberthy, Kathy Cronin, Serban Negoita, and Angela Mariotto attended the European-US Workshop on Cancer Recurrence and Registry Data, held March 11-12, 2019, in London. The workshop brought together surveillance researchers who are developing methodologies for capturing recurrence. Along with DCCPS, CDC, Utah Cancer Registry, and US academic centers, participants included researchers from England, Northern Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and Australia. Attendees agreed on the need for a standard, global definition of recurrence and new automated methods for collecting recurrence information from various data sources.

American Psychosomatic Society Annual Meeting

Paige Green and Jennifer Guida attended the 77th Annual Meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society , held March 6-9, 2019, in Vancouver, BC. Dr. Green co-chaired a symposium titled “A mechanism-focused approach to behavioral intervention research: promoting health by engaging key underlying processes,” which included speakers from Columbia University Medical Center, Brown University, and the University of Pittsburgh. She also provided opening remarks for the lecture by Patricia R. Barchas Award winner Steve Cole of UCLA, titled “Human social genomics.” In a paper session on depression, Dr. Guida spoke about frailty and the various health outcomes it can predict in a presentation titled “Baseline frailty predicts sleep fragmentation, self-rated health, and depressive symptoms: Results from a nationally representative prospective cohort of older adults.”

Men of African Descent and Carcinoma of the Prostate (MADCaP) Consortium Meeting

Damali Martin attended the MADCaP Consortium meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, from January 26-29, 2019. The purpose of the meeting was to review and discuss future plans to build capacity for prostate cancer research in Africa. Damali gave three presentations during the meeting on various topics, including on challenges and opportunities for international collaborations for cancer research; the use of formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) samples for next-generation sequencing from low-resource, international settings; and tips for submitting competing renewal grant applications.

International Papillomavirus Conference

Vaurice Starks attended the 32nd International Papillomavirus Conference and Clinical and Public Health Workshops, which took place in Sydney, Australia, October 2-6, 2018.  The purpose of the meeting was to bring together the top domestic and international experts in the field of human papillomavirus (HPV) research to discuss novel developments and cutting-edge science focusing on the epidemiology and molecular biology of the papillomavirus in human and animal models; the natural history of HPV disease; the impact of the microbiome on HPV; basic immunology and pathology; the benefits of cost-effective HPV prevention and screening, treatment, and control; the latest vaccine updates; and the impact of HPV on global health, with attention to HPV control in low- and middle-income countries and indigenous communities.

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Upcoming Events

International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity Annual Meeting

David Berrigan and Jill Reedy will participate in a pre-conference workshop at the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity annual meeting being held June 4-7, 2019, in Prague. The workshop, “Selecting behavioral and environmental measures for youth eating and physical activity,” offers an overview of key considerations in selecting measures of youth dietary and physical activity behaviors as well as food and activity environments that are generally relevant to broad populations. It concludes with breakout groups in which participants can engage in conversation with measurement experts about practical strategies for selecting optimal and well-accepted measures for their unique study interests. Tanya Agurs-Collins, April Oh, and other DCCPS staff will give presentations at the conference.

NAACCR/IACR 2019 Combined Conference

DCCPS staff (Damali Martin, Rachel Hanisch, and Brenda K. Edwards), working with cancer registry surveillance partners, will have an active role in the 2019 Combined Conference of the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR) and the International Association of Cancer Registries (IACR), which will take place in Vancouver, BC, on June 9-13, 2019.

• Three presentations from the IARC Caribbean Cancer Registry Hub hosted by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) are on the program: (1) Overcoming challenges related to cancer case identification in rural West Guyana; (2) Implementing a sub-regional virtual cancer registry to support cancer registration in 10 Caribbean Countries; and (3) A first look at cancer incidence rates and trends in Bermuda over the 10-year period 2007-2016.
• The NAACCR Global Cancer Registry Centered Surveillance task order will provide critical funding for six international fellowships to attend the combined conference. Over 40 applications were submitted for these peer-reviewed competitive awards to support emerging leaders with co-funding from their respective registries. Selection of successful applicants occurred the week of April 22-26, 2019. Mentors from NAACCR and IACR registry leader will provide guidance for the awardees during the conference.

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