Cancer Prevention Institute of California

The Cancer Prevention Institute of California, located in Fremont, California, is a center for cancer research, examining the incidence of cancer among general and specific groups of people at the local, state, and national level, and for the dissemination of cancer screening information. CPIC studies help scientists and public health agencies understand when ethnic, racial, or other demographic-based variables result in health disparities wherein one group has a higher incidence of cancer compared to other groups of people. For example, CPIC research has demonstrated the higher incidence of colorectal cancer among certain Asian populations. The organization was also instrumental in identifying and understanding factors leading to the markedly higher incidence of breast cancer among women in the San Francisco Bay Area's Marin County, California. On February 17, 2010, Northern California Cancer Center changed its name to the Cancer Prevention Institute of California (CPIC).

CPIC Scientists

CPIC typically has between twelve and fifteen doctoral level scientists working under the direction of a Chief Scientific Officer. Most of the organization’s scientists have degrees in epidemiology, demography, biostatistics, or public health. To support their research, they compete individually and collectively for major government awards, and for private sector research awards as these become available. The scientist designated as the study’s principal investigator assembles a team of experts, such as demographers or biostatisticians, who will conduct the investigation and when a grant or contract is awarded based on peer review, other study staff, such as field staff, are hired. When the study is completed, the results are disseminated, primarily by being published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, such as Journal of the American Medical Association. CPIC scientists also hold faculty appointments at Stanford University’s School of Medicine.

Mission

The mission of the Cancer Prevention Institute of California (CPIC) is to prevent cancer and to reduce its burden where it cannot yet be prevented.

CPIC works across all communities to:

• Explore the causes of cancer by studying the genetic, environmental, and viral origins of cancers, and, once these causes have been established,
• Aid prevention by identifying where appropriate intervention can stop cancer before its starts
• Ensure that cancer prevention and treatment strategies benefit all people everywhere by
  1. monitoring the incidence of cancer among the general public,
  2. investigating racial or ethnic based disparities in cancer prevention tactics or care options,
  3. educating the public about cancer prevention, treatment, and survivorship options, and
  4. reaching out to underserved populations to ensure that they have equal access to these advances.

Major Collaborations

Stanford Cancer Institute
The CPIC recently formed a partnership with the Stanford Cancer Institute at Stanford University Medical Center that played a role in the center’s recent designation as a NCI-designated Cancer Center. The CPIC contributes epidemiology, prevention and outreach programs to the partnership.^[1]

Breast Cancer Family Registry
The CPIC also collaborates in the Breast Cancer Family Registry, an international consortium established in 1995 by the National Cancer Institute. To date, over 15,000 breast cancer families from the US, Canada and Australia have been enrolled, including over 3,000 from the San Francisco Bay Area, most of who are from racial/ethnic minority populations.^[2]

Name change

On February 17, 2010, the Northern California Cancer Center (NCCC) officially changed its name to the Cancer Prevention Institute of California (CPIC). The new name was chosen to more accurately convey the organization’s focus on cancer prevention and its statewide coverage. ^[3]

References

External links

• Cancer Prevention Institute of California Official Website
• Cancer Prevention Institute of California YouTube Channel
• Cancer Prevention Institute of California Twitter Page