Spotlight on the Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness Research and Training

The Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness Research and Training (AANCART) is the first national cancer awareness project targeting the specific needs of Asian Americans, and has been funded for 5 years by the National Cancer Institute's Special Populations Network Program. Its Principal Investigator, Dr. Moon S. Chen, Jr. of Ohio State University, assembled a team of university-based investigators as regional principal investigators in four cities: Boston, Seattle, San Francisco, and New York.

One of the primary goals of the national AANCART program is to increase cancer awareness. Although rates of many malignancies are lower in Asian countries than in the United States, some rates have been found to greatly increase among Asian Americans within ten to fifteen years after immigration. Asian Americans also have lower cancer survival rates than members of some other ethnic groups. AANCART's educational activities, which encourage early detection and provide potential avenues for prevention, may ultimately reduce cancer among Asian Americans.

Dr. Ruby Senie of the Mailman School of Public Health is the Regional Principal Investigator for New York AANCART. She and her colleagues have established collaborative outreach activities with Korean and South Asian community-based organizations in Manhattan and Queens, the two New York City boroughs with the largest populations of Koreans and South Asians. One current educational project, addressing the harmful effects of smoking, was designed by the Korean Teen Peer Education Group and entitled, "Tobacco Not Tolerated for Korean American High School Teens." Leadership was provided by Simona Kwon, a doctoral student at the Mailman School of Public Health, and also by the Korean Community Services Group of Metropolitan New York.

Another community-based project, entitled "Needs Assessment among South Asians," has been created by Ms. Nadia Islam, a doctoral student, and Dr. Navneet Kathuria, an adjunct member of the Mailman School of Public Health. Its goal is to assess awareness of cancer risks, and willingness to participate in early detection programs. It also assesses community access to quality cancer care. In addition to these specific projects, partnerships with Korean and Southeast Asian community organizations have led to several education campaigns about Hepatitis B, through distribution of literature and brochures at several cultural events.

Dr. Marcus Loo, of Weill Cornell Medical Center, is clinical director of New York AANCART. His efforts focus on stimulating greater involvement of health professionals in cancer awareness, education, and research for and among their Asian American patients. Dr. Loo and his colleague, Dr Ben Choi, have recently received pilot funding for their project entitled: "Improving Cancer Screening Compliance in Chinatown through an Educational Partnership with Community Physicians and Managed Healthcare Plans".

Pilot project applications to stimulate and mentor junior investigators are among the goals of the AANCART Research Program. One proposal, entitled "BRCA 1 and 2 and other genetic factors among Asian American breast cancer cases in New York City" was recently submitted to the NCI for potential funding by Suh-Hang Hank Juo, M.D., Ph.D., of the Columbia Genome Center, and Habib Ahsan, M.D., M.P.H. of the Mailman School of Public Health. In addition, Simona Kwon is developing her doctoral thesis entitled: "Understanding the Role of Social Support in Breast Cancer Detection and Treatment Decisions among Korean American Women".

During the next four years the New York AANCART cancer awareness, research and training program will work hard to expand knowledge of cancer risks among Asian Americans living in the New York area; to involve members of the community in research; and to enlist clinicians in cancer prevention programs designed for Asian Americans who seek medical care through NewYork Presbyterian Hospital.