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Health Services Research & Development

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Research Topics


Cancer Care and Prevention

Cancer occurs when some of the body’s cells divide without stopping and spread into surrounding tissues. Malfunctioning genes trigger the formation of cancer cells, and those malfunctions may be inherited, or may arise as a result of damage to DNA caused by certain environmental exposures—including chemicals or ultraviolet radiation. Cancer screenings are a key preventive care measure, and can help detect cancer in its early stages—which can contribute to early treatment, increased survival rates, and better health outcomes.

VA conducts cancer research to help better understand how Veterans’ military experience may impact the development of certain cancers; how lifestyle choices known to cause cancer—such as tobacco use—may disproportionately impact them; and to build the evidence-base for effective, appropriate cancer screening tests and tools.

Each "widget" below is populated by a dynamic search of the HSR&D website and its underlying databases. Search results are generated based on the search term "Cancer". Results are updated regularly, as new data are available.

VIEW: Citations | Publication Briefs | Studies | HSR&D Briefs, Reports, Newsletters | Topic Spotlight | Cyberseminars | Videos | Podcasts | Other Resources



Citations

(5 of more than 3432 CANCER focused publications)



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Publication Briefs

(5 of more than 92 CANCER focused publication briefs)


  • Quality of Treatment for Veterans with Early-Stage Lung Cancer Varies Widely and is Associated with Survival
    Most lung cancer treatment guidelines recommend several surgical quality metrics (QMs) that should be met for all patients diagnosed with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). VA Lung Cancer Operative quality (VALCAN-O) comprises 5 quality measures. This study sought to determine the association between adherence to these metrics and overall survival and recurrence-free survival among Ve...
    Date: March 1, 2023
  • Factors Associated with Refusal of Lung Cancer Screening When Offered by VA Physicians
    This study sought to determine how frequently patients decline lung cancer screening (LCS) when it is offered by a physician – and to define patient and facility-level factors associated with their decision. Findings showed that in this study cohort of more than 43,200 Veterans, approximately one-third declined lung cancer screening following a discussion with their physician. The physician and fa...
    Date: August 16, 2022
  • Excess Mortality Rates among Post-9/11 Veterans Compared with General US Population, Particularly among Veterans with TBI
    This study sought to assess the total all-cause and cause-specific mortality burden – and to estimate the total number of excess deaths among post-9/11 Veterans with and without exposure to traumatic brain injury (TBI) compared with the total US population. Findings showed that post-9/11 Veterans experienced excess all-cause and cause-specific mortality compared with the total US population, which...
    Date: February 11, 2022
  • Low-Value Prostate Cancer Screenings Common in VA; Low-Value Breast, Cervical, Colorectal Screening Rare
    This study sought to describe the prevalence and association of multilevel factors, including key patient-centered medical home (PCMH) domains, with four common low-value cancer screenings (breast, cervical, colorectal, and prostate) within the VA healthcare system. Findings showed that low-value prostate cancer screenings were common, although low-value breast, cervical, and colorectal testing wa...
    Date: October 22, 2021
  • Fewer than Two-Thirds of Veterans Receive Timely Lung Cancer Screening Follow-Up
    This retrospective cohort study sought to determine adherence to recommended next steps (i.e., annual screening or evaluation of screen-detected findings) in a national cohort of Veterans screened for lung cancer – and to identify factors associated with delayed or absent follow-up. Findings showed that less than two-thirds of Veterans received timely recommended follow-up after an initial lung ca...
    Date: July 8, 2021

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Studies

( 5 of more than 90 CANCER focused projects )

Project No.  Title  PI  Funding Start   
PPO 21-225 Developing and Pilot-testing a Yoga Program to Address Post-prostatectomy Side-effects Among Veterans with Prostate Cancer Silva , Abigail 2023-07-01
IIR 20-089 Patient Risk Perception and Decision-Making about Adherence to Repeat Cancer Screening Gillespie, Christopher 2021-10-01
PPO 20-121 Identifying Risk Factors for New Persistent Opioid Use Among Veterans Following Treatment for Early Stage Cancer Schapira, Marilyn 2020-10-01
IIR 17-063 Defining Quality of Care in Lung Cancer Puri, Varun 2019-10-01
IIR 18-215 Implementing Risk-aligned Bladder Cancer Surveillance Schroeck, Florian 2019-09-01

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HSR&D Briefs, Reports, Newsletters

5 sample "Cancer" publications displayed.


  • Evidence Brief: Proton Beam Therapy for Treatment of Localized Prostate Cancer

    ...for Treatment of Localized Prostate Cancer...for Treatment of Localized Prostate Cancer Evidence Synthesis Program Evidence...for Treatment of Localized Prostate Cancer Supplemental Materials August 2022

  • Evidence Brief: Proton Beam Therapy for Treatment of Localized Prostate Cancer

    ...for Treatment of Localized Prostate Cancer...for Treatment of Localized Prostate Cancer H Evidence Synthesis Program Evidence...for Treatment of Localized Prostate Cancer August 2022 Recommended citation: Hickam

  • Improving Cancer Care || In Progress

    ...Cancer is soon expected to be the leading cause of death in the United States...million people are diagnosed with cancer and more than 500,000 people die of...Improving Cancer Care Overview Individual Research Studies on Cancer Multilevel...Hepatocellular Cancer Helping Optimize Information for Cancer and Effective Pain

  • Overview: Improving Cancer Care || In Progress

    ...Cancer is soon expected to be the leading cause of death in the United States...million people are diagnosed with cancer and more than 500,000 people die of...Improving Cancer Care » Table of Contents Improving Cancer Care Overview Cancer is...million people are diagnosed with cancer and more than 500,000 people die of

  • Incorporating Veterans' Preferences into Lung Cancer Screening Decisions || In Progress

    ...Cancer is soon expected to be the leading cause of death in the United States...million people are diagnosed with cancer and more than 500,000 people die of...February 2018 In this Issue: Improving Cancer Care » Table of Contents Incorporating...Incorporating Veterans’ Preferences into Lung Cancer Screening Decisions Feature Article

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Topic Spotlight

Read more on this topic and related topics


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Cyberseminars

The most recent "Cancer" seminars are displayed.

Date Title Presenter(s)
11/13/2023 Veteran Cancer Survivors and Suicide Prevention Kittel-Moseley, Julie  
6/13/2023 Health Informatics Approaches to Reduce Missed Opportunities in Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis Khalaf, Natalia  
11/8/2022 Precision Oncology for Veterans with Lung Cancer: Work in Progress Wu, Julie  
11/7/2022 Data-Driven Implementation Mapping for the Selection of Implementation Strategies: Case Example of Bladder Cancer Surveillance Schroeck, Florian  
Ould Ismail, A. Aziz  
Zubkoff, Lisa  
2/15/2022 Cervical Cancer Screening in VA: Unique individual and health system challenges Haskell, Sally  
Danan, Elisheva  

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Videos


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Podcasts


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Other Resources

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