title: Using Immune Marker Panels to Evaluate the Role of Inflammation in Cancer: Summary of an NCI-sponsored Workshop.
abstract: Chronic inflammation is recognized to play a role in the development of several cancers. Past investigations of inflammation and cancer have typically been small, used varied assay platforms, and included a narrow range of analytes. Multiplex technologies have now been developed to measure larger numbers of inflammatory markers using small volumes of specimens. This has created an opportunity for systematic, large-scale epidemiological studies to evaluate the role of inflammation in cancer. However, lack of consensus on the approach to these studies, the technologies/assays to be used, and the most adequate analysis/interpretation of findings have thus far hindered progress. In June of 2014, the National Cancer Institute convened a workshop involving epidemiologists, immunologists, statisticians, and laboratory biologists to share their experiences with new inflammation marker technologies and findings from association studies using such methods and technologies (http://epi.grants.cancer.gov/workshops/). Consensus and gaps in our understanding of the role of chronic inflammation in cancer were identified and recommendations made to improve future efforts in this area. These recommendations are summarized herein, along with specific suggestions for how they may be implemented. By facilitating discussions among various groups, and encouraging interdisciplinary collaborations, we anticipate that the pace of research in this field will be accelerated and duplication of efforts can be minimized.
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute danielle.carrick@nih.gov.
authors.forename: Danielle M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Carrick
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute.
authors.forename: Anil K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Chaturvedi
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute.
authors.forename: Meredith S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Shiels
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute.
authors.forename: Rao L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Divi
authors.affiliation: DCCPS, National Cancer Institute.
authors.forename: Kelly K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Filipski
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute.
authors.forename: Elizabeth F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Hebert
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology and Genomics, National Cancer Institute.
authors.forename: Mukesh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Verma
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genomics, National Cancer Institute.
authors.forename: Allan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hildesheim