# 27 Risk, Detection and Outcomes

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · 2024 · $23,220

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The newly-formed Risk, Detection and Outcomes (RDO) Program has 49 members (47 primary, 2 associate)
from 19 departments and is led by Drs. Paul Scheet (human genetics, computational biology) with co-leaders
Sanjay Shete (biostatistics, genetic epidemiology, population health), Samir Hanash (early detection,
proteomics), and Sharon Giordano (health care delivery, outcomes). The major scientific goal of the RDO
Program is to reduce the cancer burden in the population and improve quality of life in survivors through
innovative research aimed at optimizing cancer risk assessment, screening, early detection, and treatment-
associated outcomes from diagnosis through survivorship, with an ultimate goal of informing successful
interventions (e.g., in the Cancer Prevention Program). To achieve this goal, the RDO Program is organized into
3 specific aims focusing on 1) Cancer Etiology, 2) Early Detection, and 3) Care Delivery and Outcomes. Aim 1:
To discover genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors for cancer initiation. Aim 2: To perform biomarker
discovery for personalized risk assessment and early detection. Aim 3: To identify biological and social factors
influencing care delivery and patient outcomes. The annual direct peer-reviewed funding of the RDO Program
totals $11.4M, including 4 U01s, of which $5.4M (47%) is from the NCI. Over the past 6 years, program members
have authored 1211 published peer-reviewed papers, with 373 (31%) intra-programmatic, 594 (49%) inter-
programmatic, and 877 (72%) external collaborations. Forty-five percent of articles appeared in journals with
IF >5, and 14% appeared in journals with IF >10, including Nat Biotechnol, Nat Genet and J Clin Oncol. Program
members used all 14 shared resources. Over this period, the RDO Program has had several major
accomplishments. First, in whole-genome genetic epidemiology studies, we identified genetic variants that
predispose to disease initiation, affect outcomes, or predict adverse responses to therapy. In multiple whole-
exome next-generation sequencing studies, the first of their kind, we are powered to discover variants of higher,
intermediate cancer risk. We have also surveyed genomic changes in precancerous tissues, shedding light on
early disease pathology. Second, we have uncovered novel blood-based biomarkers for early detection through
state-of-the-art profiling technologies. Key hits identified from proteomics and metabolomics promise to
complement low-dose CT scans in individuals at high risk for lung cancer. Third, as leaders in a consortium of
Texas academic institutions and the Texas Cancer Registry, we have studied patterns of screening, diagnosis,
treatment (e.g., chemotherapy and associated decision-making), and follow-up to impact state-wide policy. For
all of these endeavors, we continue to develop and enhance unique cohorts, including Cancer Patients and
Survivors, Mexican American, Premalignant Genome Atlas, Childhood Cancer Surviv...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10953767
- **Project number:** 4P30CA016672-48
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Paul A Scheet
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $23,220
- **Award type:** 4N
- **Project period:** 1996-08-28 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10953767

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10953767, 27 Risk, Detection and Outcomes (4P30CA016672-48). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10953767. Licensed CC0.

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