SIP 22-002: Understanding Pathways to Earlier Diagnosis for Ovarian Cancer in North Carolina
Project Title
SIP 22-002: Understanding Pathways to Earlier Diagnosis for Ovarian Cancer in North Carolina
Funding Dates
September 2022—September 2024
Description
Understanding Pathways to Earlier Diagnosis for Ovarian Cancer in North Carolina has been funded as a Special Interest Project of the CDC. The study seeks to better understand healthcare-related factors that predict earlier diagnoses of ovarian cancer in North Carolinians, particularly among women of color, lower income, and rural populations. The study will be the first in the U.S. to examine pathways and timeliness of ovarian cancer diagnosis.
Researchers will examine data from UNC Health ovarian cancer patients who were diagnosed at all stages and in various health care settings (primary care, secondary care, and emergency care). The research team hopes to learn why some ovarian cancer patients are diagnosed at much earlier stages than others. From those results, the researchers will develop best practices for ovarian cancer screening and diagnosis, including improved public health messaging, enhanced screening and diagnostic tools for primary care providers, and strategies for minimizing delays to diagnosis.
This study will contribute to a meta-analysis in collaboration with researchers at the University of California San Francisco, who will investigate similar questions in a patient population from Northern California.
Research Areas
Cancer Prevention and Control
Health Equity
Rural Health
Principal Investigator
Caroline Thompson, PhD, MPH
Funding
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention