Cancer care continuumPrevention > Detection > Diagnosis > Treatment > Survivorship

Detection is the second phase in the cancer care continuum. Our faculty members work closely with community and clinical members to address cancer disparities in this specific phase through screening and shared decision making.

Research topics

  • Pap/HPV testing
  • Mammography
  • Fecal occult blood test
  • Colonoscopy
  • Informed and shared decision making
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Child asthma exacerbation: Role of caregiver risk beliefs

Faculty Involved: Erika Waters, Jean Hunleth

Drs. Waters,  Hunleth, and colleagues will used a mixed methods research design to gain in-depth understanding of the psychological and social factors that shape the decision making process that caregivers use to care for their asthmatic children.  This project will provide evidence-based behavioral strategies to improve the lives of 6.2 million children who are affected by asthma.

 

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Chronic Diseases Related to Obesity

Faculty involved: Su-Hsin Chang, Graham Colditz

The project will study obesity, the coexistence of obesity-related chronic diseases, and mortality in the United States in terms of life expectancy and lifetime healthcare.

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Community Engagement in Research

Faculty involved: Mary Politi, Bettina Drake, Esther Lu, Aimee James, Jean Hunleth, Erika Waters, PhD, MPH, Vetta Sanders Thompson, Graham Colditz

This line of research strives to engage all members of the community throughout the research process to help navigate the healthcare process.

Community Outreach: Mobile Mammography Van

Community Outreach: Mobile Mammography Van

Faculty involved: Bettina Drake, Graham Colditz, Su-Hsin Chang

This project worked towards increasing and providing effective mammography screening for women in the St. Louis area.

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Disparities in Adherence to Adjuvant Therapy for DCIS and Outcomes

Faculty involved: Ying Liu

Ying Liu, MD, PhD, assistant professor of surgery, has received a three-year, research scholar grant from the American Cancer Society to study disparities associated wtih ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).

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Disparities in Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Survival

Faculty involved: Yin Cao

Dr. Yin Cao received a Young Investigator Award from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. This two-year award will support Dr. Cao in her work addressing colorectal cancer survival disparities among patients diagnosed under age 50 through integrating patients, treatment, and tumor molecular characteristics.

Effect of Diabetes & Obesity on Disparities in Prostate Cancer Outcomes

Effect of Diabetes & Obesity on Disparities in Prostate Cancer Outcomes

Faculty involved: Bettina Drake

In this Department of Defense project, Dr. Drake and colleagues utilize a prostate cancer cohort from the VA hospitals to explore the association between obesity and prostate cancer recurrence, and its outcome on patient health.

Health Literacy in the Context of Kidney Cancer & Smoking

Health Literacy in the Context of Kidney Cancer & Smoking

Faculty involved: Erin Linnenbringer

This pilot project examined health literacy in the context of kidney cancer and smoking among rural populations in southern and central Illinois.

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Improving Rural Colon Cancer Screening

Faculty involved: Aimee James, Esther Lu, Graham Colditz, Jean Hunleth

This project will address colorectal cancer mortality rates in rural Southern Illinois by  improving the screening process and follow-up for patients who have a positive fecal blood test (FOBT, FIT).

Multi-disciplinary Approach to the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain (MAPP) Research Network

Multi-disciplinary Approach to the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain (MAPP) Research Network

Faculty involved: Siobhan Sutcliffe, Aimee James

The MAPP study is a cohort study of patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) and chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) from six sites across the United States. It was designed to better understand the natural history of these conditions and their underlying causes, taking a “whole-body” rather than a bladder- or prostate-specific approach.

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Program Evaluation of Community Engagement

Faculty involved: Aimee James, Graham Colditz, Vetta Sanders Thompson, Bettina Drake, Esther Lu, Jean Hunleth

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) helps give community members voice in academic research. These projects evaluated current and past CBPR projects to discovery future best practices.

Program for the Elimination of Cancer Disparities (PECaD)

Program for the Elimination of Cancer Disparities (PECaD)

Faculty involved: Graham Colditz, Aimee James, Bettina Drake, Vetta Sanders Thompson

The mission of Siteman Cancer Center’s Program for the Elimination of Cancer Disparities (PECaD) is to create a national model for eliminating local and regional disparities in cancer education, prevention and treatment. Through a community advisory committee and community partnerships, PECaD works with community representatives to find solutions that reduce disparities.

Prostate Cancer Biorepository Network

Prostate Cancer Biorepository Network

Faculty involved: Bettina Drake

The Prostate Cancer Biorepository Network (PCBN) is a Department of Defense (DOD)/ Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) bioresource that provides tissue and other biospecimens to all prostate cancer investigators.

RANK Pathway and Mammographic Breast Density

RANK Pathway and Mammographic Breast Density

Faculty involved: Adetunji Toriola, Graham Colditz, Rosy Luo

A very dense breast on mammogram is one of the strongest risk factors for breast cancer, and many women in the United States have extremely dense breasts. There is, however, very limited knowledge on how to modify breast density to reduce breast cancer risk

Study of the Influence of Infections on Biomarkers of Prostate Pathology

Study of the Influence of Infections on Biomarkers of Prostate Pathology

Faculty involved: Siobhan Sutcliffe

This project, the Department of Defense Serum Repository Study of the Influence of Infections on Biomarkers of Prostate Pathology, is nested within the large population of men on active U.S. military duty with stored blood samples in the Department of Defense Serum Repository. The project examines the short- and longer-term influence of genitourinary and non-genitourinary infections on biomarkers of prostate pathology to inform the possible influence of infections on later prostate cancer risk.

The ColoCare Study

The ColoCare Study

Faculty involved: Adetunji Toriola, Graham Colditz

The ColoCare Study follows a cohort of men and women who have been newly diagnosed with colorectal cancer (stages I-IV). This project’s main interest is in quality-of-life and in rates of cancer recurrence and death.

Your Disease Risk

Your Disease Risk

Faculty involved: Graham Colditz, Erika Waters, PhD, MPH, Adetunji Toriola, Bettina Drake, Siobhan Sutcliffe, Yikyung Park

Personalized health assessment tool that allows people to see their risk for common chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer risk.