Rutgers Health Receives $4.8 Million Federal Grant to Fund Research to Reduce Cardiovascular Risks in Cancer Survivors
August 14, 2024
Researchers aim to transform cancer survivorship care in the U.S. by enhancing the adoption of shared delivery models
A team of researchers from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers Cancer Institute has been awarded a five-year, $4.83 million grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to support efforts in coordinating care for cancer survivors who are managing cardiovascular risks.
Led by Denalee M. O’Malley, an assistant professor and social work researcher in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and a research member of Rutgers Cancer Institute, the study builds on more than 15 years of extensive investigation into the challenges of integrating primary care in survivorship care. The team is one of four sites nationally to receive funding this year as part of the NCI’s initiative to address primary care needs of cancer survivors.
“For many cancer survivors, the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease is greater than their risk of dying from cancer,” O’Malley said. “Therefore, it is critical that we emphasize a whole-patient perspective during cancer treatment and ensure that cardiovascular disease risks that are present are managed by primary care throughout the cancer care experience.”
Majority of cancer survivors in the U.S. have cardiovascular disease risk factors and manage at least one chronic condition in addition to their cancer, making them “complex cancer survivors.” Cancer survivors have an eightfold risk of developing cardiovascular disease in their lifetime compared with those without a history of cancer, O’Malley said.