About this Research Topic
Precision medicine is rapidly transitioning cancer management from an organ to genomic based approach and impacting cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment strategies. It considers individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle for each person and is focused on providing individualized cancer treatment based upon biological and individual characteristics. There are significant gaps in knowledge of the biology, gene-environment interactions, pharmacogenomics, and precision medicine in clinical practice, as well as the barriers and promoters for the implementation of precision medicine. Furthermore, persistent gaps remain in our understanding biopsychosocial mechanisms that underlie disparities in cancer in minority, rural, urban, elderly, indigenous, and LGBTQ populations and communities. Successfully implementing and integrating precision medicine into cancer management will require interdisciplinary efforts to effect an ecological understanding of these issues.
The overarching goal of the proposed Frontiers in Oncology issue is to present current perspectives on cancer issues affecting the minority, rural, urban, indigenous, and LGBTQ communities by convening both community and academic investigators, clinicians and stake holders from the translational, clinical and public heath communities. Collectively, they will address cancer in urban, rural, minority, indigenous, LGBTQ and immigrant populations through the precision medicine, clinical, translational, public health, policy, health system and ecological lenses. It is expected that this issue will expand existing knowledge of cancer disparities and provide perspectives that can inform the development of integrated and innovative approaches to advance precision medicine and reduce cancer disparities among diverse populations at the local, regional and national levels.
Target Populations and Topics: Racial-ethnic minority, indigenous, LGBTQ, elderly, young, rural, frontier and urban communities are the target populations for this issue. Manuscripts will be solicited in the following areas: Precision medicine, informatics, oncology in the primary care setting, environmental issues, cancer screening, treatment and diagnosis, clinical trials, policy, ethics, health literacy, health systems, survivorship, epidemiology, public health of cancer, community engagement, community interventions, tribal sovereignty and self-determination, public health and cancer, work force, social determinants of cancer, and spirituality.
Submissions: Original research as well as reviews that present new perspectives or meaningfully expand existing perspectives are encouraged.
Keywords: disparities, minorities, precision medicine, public health
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.