Ongoing Global Health Projects

SEER Launches CONCORD*Explorer, an Interactive Tool forInternational Childhood Cancer Survival  Data

The newest interactive tool from NCI, CONCORD*Explorer, features pediatric cancer survival statistics from 63 countries. Users can view survival rates for lymphomas, acute lymphoid leukemias, and brain cancers among children ages 0 to 14 years who were diagnosed between 2000 and 2014. With CONCORD*Explorer, users can create custom graphs and tables, download data and images, and share links to results. This tool is a product of a partnership between the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program and the CONCORD Programme, a global research collaboration led by the Cancer Survival Group at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. CONCORD is designed to inform national and global policy on cancer control, with a focus on presenting worldwide cancer survival trends. Congratulations to the DCCPS Surveillance Research Program Explorer Team, led by Angela Mariotto.

Global Health Research and Training Initiatives

Center for Global Health Initiatives Meeting

On February 4, 2026, Carolyn Reyes-Guzman will co-present at the Center for Global Health (CGH) Initiatives Meeting on CGH’s Communities of Practice for Research Training, a global learning community of cancer research peers and mentors that facilitates career advancement and education for LMIC researchers. This community meets virtually and there are scheduled activities and programs on topics related to cancer research and research career development. Dr. Reyes-Guzman will be co-presenting on a proposal for a tobacco control community of practice (CoP) in the Latin America and Caribbean region. The meeting will take place from 12:30-2:00 p.m. and will be facilitated by Mark Parascandola and Mishka Cira of CGH (see agenda below). It will be an opportunity for the leads of current and proposed CoPs to share details and achievements and to brainstorm as a center about CoP-related priorities and opportunities. All CGH staff are invited, and it is also open to DCCPS staff. Please contact Ms. Mishka Kohli Cira with any questions and for a link to the virtual meeting if you are interested in attending.

CGH Initiatives Meeting: New CGH Program Proposals–Cancer Research in the Media and the Cancer Surveillance Partnership Implementation Phase

1:00-1:05: Welcome and scene setting
1:00-1:25: CRIM proposal presentation
1:25-1:40: Discussion and Questions
1:40-2:05: Global Cancer Data Implementation phase proposal
2:05-2:20: Discussion and Questions

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Noteworthy Reports

Recent International Research Publications in Peer-Review Journals

Neal Freedman co-authored a paper, “Waterpipe and co-use of inhaled nicotine and tobacco products: findings from a population-based cross-sectional household survey in Germany,” published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research in December 2025. There is evidence of the growing use of waterpipe globally, particularly among adolescents and young adults. The study found that among current waterpipe users in Germany, exclusive waterpipe use has decreased in recent years, with potential commensurate increase in dual- and poly-use. These novel data help inform on the consumption behavior of current waterpipe users and highlights the need for targeted public health interventions that address not only exclusive product use but also the rising combination of different products.

A second paper coauthored by Dr. Freedman, “The association between waterpipe smoking and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a multicenter case-control study in Iran,” was published in December 2025 in the International Journal of Cancer. Although the prevalence of waterpipe smoking is increasing worldwide, evidence on its health hazards, including cancer, is limited. Dr. Freedman and his coauthors examined the association between waterpipe smoking and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and its subsites. Based on their analysis of data from the IROPICAN study, the authors concluded that although no association was found between waterpipe smoking and HNSCC, exclusive waterpipe smoking, particularly at high doses and long duration, seems to lead to an increased risk of HNSCC, especially laryngeal cancer. Larger studies with sufficient power are warranted.

Lastly, Dr. Freedman coauthored a paper entitled “Trends in cancer incidence in younger and older adults: an international comparative analysis,” which was also published in December 2025, in Annals of Internal Medicine. The authors found that cancer incidence rates increased for several cancer types in many of the countries studied. Other than for colorectal cancer, these increases occurred in both younger and older adults. However, for colorectal cancer, incidence only increased in older adults in about half the countries, and the average annual percentage change was greater in younger than older adults in 69% of countries. These findings can help inform future research and clinical and public health guidelines.

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Meeting Reports

World Conference on Lung Cancer

Stephanie Land attended the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) World Conference on Lung Cancer in Barcelona, Spain, in September 2025. Dr. Land gave a presentation on the inclusion of smoking cessation in lung cancer screening programs, was a coauthor on a talk by Lawson Eng about the statistical effects of smoking status on prognosis relative to lung cancer staging, attended the meeting of the IASLC Smoking Cessation and Tobacco Control Committee, met with investigators and local tobacco control advocates, and attended a variety of talks and poster presentations.