Related websites

1. BEED: Bladder Cancer Epidemiology and Early Detection in Africa study
   The BEED study aims to examine the role of infections in bladder cancer in Africa, the lifestyle and environmental risk factors for bladder cancer in Africa, and the potential use of mutations in the promoter of the TERT gene (TERTpm) as a biomarker for the early diagnosis of bladder tumours in Africa and for the triage of symptomatic patients.
2. DISCERN: Discovering the Causes of Three Poorly Understood Cancers in Europe
   The aim of the DISCERN project is to identify the causes of renal, pancreatic, and colorectal cancer, and to help explain the geographical distribution of these cancer types in central and eastern Europe.
3. HEADSpAcE
   The Translational Studies of Head and Neck Cancer in South America and Europe (HEADSpAcE) project investigates multiple reasons for the poor prognosis of head and neck cancers, including individual and structural reasons for late diagnosis. Its impact is to elucidate reasons for late diagnosis and reduce the proportion of head and neck cancers diagnosed at a very late stage. Guidelines will be developed for implementation in clinical care. HEADSpAcE is funded by the European Commission and brings together a consortium of 18 partner institutions from four continents.
4. Integrative Analysis of Lung Cancer Etiology and Risk
   This project focuses on evaluating a comprehensive panel of biomarkers of lung cancer risk and their ability to inform risk prediction by integrating data from large-scale biomarker studies within the Lung Cancer Cohort Consortium (LC3).
5. Mutographs project
   The Mutographs research project aims to advance understanding of the causes of cancer through studies of mutational signatures, elucidating geographical and temporal differences in cancer incidence, characterizing biological processes underlying mutational signatures, and monitoring mutagenic exposures in normal human cells.
6. Computational Cancer Genomics
   Leveraging state-of-the-art technologies and innovative statistical and computational methods, previously applied to rare cancers, the Computational Cancer Genomics Team (CCG) aims to understand the rapid progression of common cancers with very poor survival, including lung cancer and pancreatic cancer, as well as cancers identified as being of interest by the G7 Cancer international partnership, such as oesophageal cancer. By addressing critical questions related to cancer initiation and progression, CCG strives to advance the understanding of these lethal diseases and provide insights for prevention and early detection. To shed light on the molecular characteristics of cancers, to understand their etiology and carcinogenesis processes, and to ultimately improve their clinical management and, consequently, patient prognosis, CCG follows different approaches.
7. PROMINENT
   PROMINENT is broadly considering what makes a cell “normal”. Focusing on the lung, kidney, oesophagus, bladder, gastroesophageal junction, pancreas, and colorectal tissues, the team aims to answer four major questions: (1) What are the environmental, lifestyle, or endogenous risk factors that promote the selection of pre-initiated cells in normal tissue? (2) Which cells carry initiating mutations, where are they located, how are they selected for during ageing, and what is their relationship with normal and cancer stem cells? (3) Which mechanisms promote the first signs of neoplastic growth, and what additional changes cause transition to full malignancy? (4) How can we intervene to prevent the earliest stages of neoplastic cell selection by tumour promoters?