The Applied Research Program (ARP) is one of five programs in the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS). ARP's mission is to understand how and why cancer care and control activities in the United States influence patterns of care and trends in cancer incidence, morbidity, mortality and survival. Pursuit of this mission is possible through ARP's support of methodologic research to improve survey data collection and clinical databases, development of assessment tools for use in clinical trials and observational studies, as well as analysis of existing cancer control data. These data are used to evaluate patterns and trends in cancer-associated health behaviors and risk factors, health care services, economics, and outcomes, including patient-reported outcomes. ARP collaborates with grantees and many public and private partners. ARP's research initiatives, tools, and resources contribute in important ways to the translation of research knowledge into effective policies across the cancer control continuum. Research supported by ARP is targeted to: * Monitoring risk and health behaviors and developing methods to assess these behaviors. * Improving methods for assessing cancer-relevant exposures. * Monitoring cancer screening behaviors in populations. * Examining the dissemination of cancer treatment in populations. * Advancing methods and systems for measuring and monitoring quality of cancer care. * Estimating cost and benefit of cancer interventions at the population level. * Describing and understanding cancer-related health disparities. * Improving methods for questionnaire design and testing. * Improving dissemination of efficacious cancer control interventions. Research in each area informs policy decisions in cancer prevention, treatment, and control. Staff also provide analytical support to other NCI cancer prevention and control research programs for NCI-wide program guidance, evaluation, and policy development.
