A contribution of alcohol to the development of several cancers, including esophageal, laryngeal, lung, breast (in women) and colorectal (especially in men), is becoming increasingly evident. Each year, 390,000 cases of cancer world-wide are attributable to alcohol consumption, representing 3.6% of all newly diagnosed cancers. The International Conference on Alcohol and Cancer (ICAC) was established in 2010 to complement the major research conferences in cancer (e.g. AACR) and alcohol (e.g., RSA, ISBRA, ESBRA) which do not have a focus on the role of alcohol in carcinogenesis. After the success of the first three meetings (in Heidelberg, Germany in 2011; Breckenridge, USA in 2013; and Crete, Greece in 2015), we are now in the process of organizing our fourth conference. The conferences have been successful in bringing together over fifty investigators (from sixteen nations) with cutting-edge and complementary expertise in alcohol and cancer. In addition to allowing experts to share their most current results, the conference has promoted interactions between basic scientists and clinicians in all major aspects of alcohol-induced carcinogenesis. In so doing, it has fostered the development of valuable new collaborations that promote major advances in the field. An important secondary function of this conference is to attract young scientists and graduate students into this important field of research. This R13 application seeks mostly travel support for new investigators, and pre- and post-doctoral trainees to allow attendance at the fourth ICAC to be held in Newport, Rhode Island, USA, on April 14-18, 2019. The conference will remain faithful to and build upon the previous conferences by achieving the following specific aims: i) provide a venue for the presentation of cutting-edge research in the field of alcohol and cancer; ii) promote the development of new ideas and research directions by fostering interactions and collaborations between researchers from a variety of sub-specialties and disciplines; iii) foster interactions between young investigators (including postgraduate and graduate students) and established investigators; iv) facilitate distribution of new scientific and translational information to the professional and lay communities, and v) disseminate the findings of the meeting to a wider audience by publishing the presentations. It is anticipated that these conferences will continue to enhance our understanding of the role played by alcohol in carcinogenesis and thereby facilitate the development of treatments that will prevent or treat cancers caused by alcohol.
The contribution of alcohol to the development of a variety of cancers is becoming increasingly evident. The proposed meeting will focus on recent advances in epidemiology, molecular mechanisms and biomarkers of alcohol-induced carcinogenesis, and the emerging areas of systems approaches, big data, deep learning and artificial intelligence. As has been the case previously, this meeting will function as an ideal platform for promoting interactions between basic scientists and clinicians in all major aspects of alcohol-induced carcinogenesis. In addition, it will serve to attract young scientists and graduate students into this important field of research.
