Physical Activity and Weight Control Interventions Among Cancer Survivors: Effects on Biomarkers of Prognosis and Survival (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages transdisciplinary and translational research that will identify the specific biological or biobehavioral pathways through which physical activity and/or weight control (either weight loss or avoidance of weight gain) may affect cancer prognosis and survival. Research applications should test the effects of physical activity, alone or in combination with weight control (either weight loss or avoidance of weight gain), on biomarkers of cancer prognosis among cancer survivors identified by previous animal or observational research on established biomarkers other than insulin/glucose metabolism, especially those obtained from tumor tissue sourced from repeat biopsies where available. Because many cancer survivor populations will not experience recurrence but will die of comorbid diseases or may experience early effects of aging, inclusion of biomarkers of comorbid diseases (e.g., cardiovascular disease) and of the aging process are also sought. Applications should use experimental designs (e.g., randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs), fractional factorial designs), and will include transdisciplinary approaches that bring together behavioral intervention expertise, cancer biology, and other basic and clinical science disciplines relevant to the pathways being studied.