Worldwide, the number of people affected by cancer grows (WHO Feb 2024) and more than 35 million cases are predicted in 2050. This is largely explained by (i) increased life span, (ii) improved early disease detection, (iii) longer survival of cancer patients in developed countries, and (iv) changes in exposures to risk factors linked to socioeconomic development, including addictions: tobacco, alcohol, obesity, and air pollution. Expensive cancer treatments cannot be afforded by all societies, and even health care systems in "rich countries" stumble over prices for new therapies. Complex cancer evolution prohibits durable clinical treatment of advanced-stage tumors.
Current research efforts largely focus on mechanisms of tumor growth and spread with the aim to identify more effective treatments. Less attention is paid to study how, in whom and when to prevent the disease because it is difficult to measure success in cancer prevention; it demands a longer-term vision and a shift in resources. Hence, a focus on cancer prevention and on behavioral and societal factors that underpin common risk factors is timely and urgent.
We have trained young scientists in interdisciplinary approaches to address these challenges. Collaboratively, we have revealed how inflammation and hormones can accelerate or slow the development of tumors in the skin and breast. We focused on the role of sex hormones and chronic inflammation, individually and in combination, on breast and skin cancer development. Both contribute to significant differences in cancer risk between males and females with important clinical implications. To ensure that patients diagnosed at early stages are not under- or over-treated, we bridged molecular biology research with statistical tools. This has led to new blood tests and computational tools that will help clinicians determine the risk of patients’ cancers progressing. Finally, we identified familial genetic and behavioral risk factors, matched to drug- based and more societal approaches, such as smoking cessation support, that can be adapted to stop tumor growth in individual patients. Excitingly, by analyzing rates of cancer development in identical twins we have shown that stress affects the recurrence of breast cancer.
Importantly, we promoted the scientific communication skills of ESRs, through participation in outreach efforts towards the general public, establishment of vibrant social media platforms on cancer prevention, broad audience meetings and more focused informational gatherings dedicated to the topic. These activities will be continued and expanded through the institutions and private organizations that participated in our network.
