NCORP Symptom Science Portfolio analysis (2014-2025).

Abstract

e24054 Background: Symptom science research constitutes the largest share of the Division of Cancer Prevention’s portfolio at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), supported through its flagship program, the National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) as well as investigator-initiated grants. The purpose of this portfolio analysis was to describe the breadth of the symptom science portfolio, assess gaps and highlight opportunities for growth. Methods: We searched the NIH database for studies conducted through the NCORP Network between 2014 and 2024. We also queried the NIH iSearch database for grants funded by NIH between 2015 and 2024, using a keyword search, and screened results to select studies that characterize, prevent, measure, or treat cancer related symptoms. We also categorized each study based on the priority areas that were established by the Symptom Science and Quality of Life (SxQOL) Steering Committee in 2015. These research priorities were established considering clinical need, defined mechanistic hypotheses, sufficient preliminary data to warrant larger longitudinal, prospective, cohort studies and availability of interventions that were ready for large phase II and phase III randomized clinical trials. Results: Between 2014 and 2024, NCORP conducted 80 symptom science studies, the majority of which were phase II or III trials. 36 studies addressed one or more priority areas. 26 of these studies were categorized as meeting the first-tier SxQOL priorities, including 10 cancer related cognitive impairment (CRCI), 7 chemotherapy -induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), 5 cardiotoxicity, 1 fatigue, and 3 cancer-specific pain. Among the grant portfolio, 228 individual grants (33 conducted through NCORP) included endpoints related to top-tier symptom priorities. Fatigue was the symptom most represented in these trials, followed by cancer pain. Among completed studies, 15 demonstrated a significant intervention effect on a top tier symptom. Conclusions: Our analysis demonstrated that only a subset of studies addressed symptom science priority areas. However, the first-tier priorities of CRCI and CIPN account for our largest number of NCORP studies and the largest number of grants in the portfolio, suggesting the priorities drove research through both mechanisms. Significant gaps remain in priority areas. Targeted portfolio analyses in each area are essential to explore specific gaps and move research through the pipeline to intervention studies both through the grant portfolio and NCORP.