title: A review of NCI's extramural grant portfolio: identifying opportunities for future research in genes and environment in cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Genetic and environmental factors jointly influence cancer risk. The NIH has made the study of gene-environment (GxE) interactions a research priority since the year 2000.
  
  
  METHODS
  To assess the current status of GxE research in cancer, we analyzed the extramural grant portfolio of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) from Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009. Publications attributed to selected grants were also evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From the 1,106 research grants identified in our portfolio analysis, a random sample of 450 grants (40%) was selected for data abstraction; of these, 147 (33%) were considered relevant. The most common cancer type was breast (20%, n = 29), followed by lymphoproliferative (10%, n = 14), colorectal (9%, n = 13), melanoma/other skin (9%, n = 13), and lung/upper aerodigestive tract (8%, n = 12) cancers. The majority of grants were studies of candidate genes (68%, n = 100) compared with genome-wide association studies (GWAS) (8%, n = 12). Approximately one-third studied environmental exposures categorized as energy balance (37%, n = 54) or drugs/treatment (29%, n = 43). From the 147 relevant grants, 108 publications classified as GxE or pharmacogenomic were identified. These publications were linked to 37 of the 147 grant applications (25%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings from our portfolio analysis suggest that GxE studies are concentrated in specific areas. There is room for investments in other aspects of GxE research, including, but not limited to developing alternative approaches to exposure assessment, broadening the spectrum of cancer types investigated, and conducting GxE within GWAS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This portfolio analysis provides a cross-sectional review of NCI support for GxE research in cancer.
authors: Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors: Armen A
authors: AA
authors: Ghazarian
authors: Naoko I
authors: NI
authors: Simonds
authors: Kelly
authors: K
authors: Bennett
authors: Camilla B
authors: CB
authors: Pimentel
authors: Gary L
authors: GL
authors: Ellison
authors: Elizabeth M
authors: EM
authors: Gillanders
authors: Sheri D
authors: SD
authors: Schully
authors: Leah E
authors: LE
authors: Mechanic
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D059647:Gene-Environment Interaction; D005796:Genes / Q000235:genetics*; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D006801:Humans; D054547:National Cancer Institute (U.S.); D009369:Neoplasms / Q000191:economics / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D012109:Research Support as Topic / Q000639:trends*; D014481:United States