Subject: NIH GUIDE - RFA CA-91-21 - V20(33) 09/06/91
From: Dot Baker <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 09 Sep 91 11:02 EST

Hi Paul,
This is the last RFA for 910906 NIH Guide.  Please post it to
the NIH Listserver as RFACA-91-21.910906.
Thanks for your help.
        M. G. Broaddus
 ---------------------------- Text of forwarded message -----------------------
$$XID RFA CA9121 CA-91-21 P1O1 *****************************************
 
REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS
 
RFA:  CA-91-21
 
EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDY OF ADENOCARCINOMAS OF THE ESOPHAGUS AND
GASTRIC CARDIA
 
P.T. 34; K.W. 0715035, 0785055, 0715085
 
National Cancer Institute
 
Letter of Intent Receipt Date:  November 15, 1991
Application Receipt Date:  December 11, 1991
 
PURPOSE
 
The Epidemiology and Biostatistics Program (EBP) of the Division of
Cancer Etiology (DCE) invites cooperative agreement applications from
investigators to participate, with the assistance of the National Cancer
Institute (NCI), in an epidemiologic study to identify risk factors for
adenocarcinomas of the esophagus and gastric cardia and to contrast them
with risk factors for other cancers of the esophagus and stomach.
Subjects for study will be patients newly diagnosed with these cancers
and appropriate controls.  The assistance mechanism used to support
these studies will be the cooperative agreement, which is similar to a
traditional research grant, but in which NCI scientific staff
participate with study investigators as partners in the research effort.
 
HEALTHY PEOPLE 2000
 
The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health
promotion and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2000," a
PHS-led national activity for setting priority areas.  This RFA
entitled, Epidemiologic Study of Adenocarcinomas of the Esophagus and
Gastric Cardia, is related to the priority area of prevention of cancer.
Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People 2000" (Full
Report:  Stock No. 017-001-00474-0 or Summary Report:  Stock No.
017-001-00473-1) through the Superintendent of Documents, Government
Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325, telephone (202) 783-3238.
 
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
 
Recent analyses of incidence data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology
and End Results (SEER) program of cancer registration covering
approximately 10 percent of the U.S. population have revealed sharply
rising rates during 1976- 87 for adenocarcinomas of the esophagus and
gastric cardia.  The increases among males in this period ranged from 4
to 10 percent per year, outpacing rises in skin melanoma, non-Hodgkin's
lymphomas, and other cancers.  In contrast, there were relatively stable
trends for squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus and slight declines
for adenocarcinoma of more distal portion of the stomach.  The
adenocarcinomas of the esophagus and gastric cardia disproportionately
affected white males and rarely occurred among women.  The male:female
ratios for these cancers exceeded five, the greatest relative excess for
any cancer except lip cancer.  By the mid-1980s, among white males,
adenocarcinomas accounted for about one-third of all esophageal cancers,
while cardia cancers accounted for about one-half of all stomach cancers
with subsite specified.  The annual age-adjusted incidence rate for
white males for adenocarcinomas of the esophagus and gastric cardia
combined was 5.1 per 100,000.
 
Part of the rise in incidence of these cancers may be due to the
increased use of endoscopy and improved specificity of diagnoses.  The
percentage of stomach tumors without a recorded subsite decreased from
38 percent to 29 percent from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s.  If these
less precisely classified stomach tumors were distributed over anatomic
subsites in proportion to the relative frequencies of adenocarcinomas by
known subsite, then approximately one-fourth of the observed increase in
gastric cardia cancer between 1976 and 1987 would be due to more
specific diagnoses.  The increase in esophageal adenocarcinoma might
also be influenced by changing classification and diagnostic practices.
In some coding schemes (but not SEER's), adenocarcinomas of the lower
esophagus have been classified as being of gastric origin.  With the
increased use of endoscopy, the precise location of tumors near the
gastroesophageal junction may have been more readily delineated, and
more of these cancers may have been assigned to the esophagus in recent
years.  If these shifts were the primary reason for the increasing rates
of esophageal adenocarcinomas, however, a concomitant decrease in
gastric cardia cancer would have been expected, rather than the increase
which was observed.  There is a sex differential in the rate of increase
of esophageal adenocarcinoma (with incidence rising twice as fast among
men as women), which also argues against endoscopy being solely
responsible for the increase, since it seems unlikely that the rate of
increase in endoscopic procedures would differ greatly between males and
females.  Furthermore, no shift in the stage distribution of either
esophageal or gastric cardia adenocarcinoma has been detected in the
past decade.
 
The unexplained increase in incidence rates, which has also been
observed in western Europe, points to the need for investigation into
the causes of these poorly understood cancers.  Reasons for the striking
racial differences between these cancers and squamous cell carcinomas of
the esophagus or adenocarcinomas occurring elsewhere in the stomach also
remain to be determined.  Because of their rarity in the past, however,
few epidemiologic studies have evaluated risk factors for esophageal
adenocarcinoma and/or gastric cardia cancer.  Esophageal adenocarcinoma
has been linked with Barrett's esophagus, but only one small
epidemiologic study (involving 30 cases in northern Italy) has
investigated etiologic factors.  Similarly, although numerous
epidemiologic investigations have identified dietary factors in stomach
cancer risk, only one (a collaborative US-China study in Linxian) had
sufficient numbers of cases for separate analyses of tumors occurring in
the gastric cardia.  A male excess and a mild association with cigarette
smoking were seen, but the study did not uncover strong dietary or
environmental associations.  In a review of medical records and
materials in Canada, increased prevalences of duodenal ulcer and hiatal
hernia were noted among patients with adenocarcinomas of the gastric
cardia and esophagus compared to patients with other stomach and
esophageal cancers.  Preliminary analyses from an NCI-supported study of
stomach cancer in Italy reveal that the cardia cancers were typically
intestinal-type tumors, had dietary associations slightly different than
those for other stomach cancers, and did not show migrant patterns
similar to those of cancers elsewhere in the stomach.
 
RESEARCH GOALS AND SCOPE
 
This initiative proposes new research into the etiology of these
emergent cancers.  It will be the first systematic analytic
epidemiologic study of adenocarcinomas of the esophagus and gastric
cardia, and enable exploration of associations with a variety of
possible environmental and host determinants.  Its objectives are to
identify risk factors for adenocarcinomas of the esophagus and gastric
cardia and contrast them with risk factors for other cancers of the
esophagus and stomach.
 
Cooperative agreements will be sought to enable the conduct of a
multi-center case-control study.  Cases will be patients newly diagnosed
during a recent period with adenocarcinoma of the esophagus or gastric
cardia.  To compare characteristics of these patients with those of
persons with other esophageal and stomach cancers, it is anticipated
that approximately equal numbers of squamous cell carcinomas of the
esophagus and adenocarcinomas elsewhere in the stomach of similar age,
sex, and race will also be included.  Controls from the populations from
which the cases arose would be selected for comparison with the cancer
patients.  To ensure sufficient numbers of cases for pooled statistical
analyses of a variety of environmental and host factors it is
anticipated that, across all centers, at least 250 patients recently or
newly diagnosed with esophageal adenocarcinoma and at least 250 with
gastric cardia cancer will need to be enrolled.
 
The initiative will involve interviews to elicit information on
potential risk factors for these cancer and reviews of medical records
and diagnostic materials to confirm the histologic diagnoses and search
for evidence of precursor lesions, including Barrett's esophagus.  If
feasible, blood specimens may be collected from a sample for assay of
serum antibodies to Helicobacter pylori, an infection closely linked to
chronic gastritis and possibly to gastric cancer risk, and possibly for
assay of other substances and for storage for future assay.  Also
considered will be the collection of paraffin-embedded tissue specimens
for detection of prevalent Helicobacter pylori infection, possible
future molecular genetic studies, or other uses.
 
This cooperative agreement is designed to enhance cooperation between
investigators and NCI.  The role of NCI will be that of the provider of
technical assistance; however, in order to assess applicant ability to
conduct research projects under the conditions of this cooperative
agreement, applicants must demonstrate their understanding of the
research process and their responsibilities as a partner in the
cooperative agreement.  Investigators will be responsible for selecting
appropriate patient and control populations and recruiting participants
for this study.  Each applicant should propose the study design most
appropriate for this project.  This might include a description of the
characteristics of the population to be selected.  Evidence should be
presented indicating the likelihood of recruiting study participants.
This should include data on the likelihood of subject availability for
interview.  Evidence should be presented indicating the feasibility of
achieving significant participation rates in this group.  Applicants
should discuss the advantages and disadvantages of their proposed
approaches and describe their plan for obtaining collaboration for the
study.  Applicants should discuss any factors which they believe should
exclude a participant from the study.
 
Applicants should discuss:  a) what data should be collected, b) how,
when, where and by whom the data are to be collected, c) the numbers of
study subjects to be enrolled, and d) the procedures for assuring
timeliness, completeness and accuracy of the data.
 
The Steering Committee will be the main oversight body of the study and
will be composed of the Principal Investigators or assignees from the
awardee institutions and the NCI Scientific Coordinator.  The Committee
likely will meet 3 times during the first 12 months and approximately
twice yearly thereafter.  All major scientific decisions will be
determined by the Steering Committee.  All investigators selected will
need to be able and willing to implement the core data collection method
and strategy collaboratively decided upon by the Steering Committee.
Additionally, the investigators must be able to implement the strategy
specifically designed for their study population.  An organizational
meeting of the Steering Committee will be convened early after award by
the NCI Scientific Coordinator.  A Chairperson, other than the NCI
representative, will be selected by a vote of the members.
 
MECHANISM OF SUPPORT
 
Support of this program will be through the cooperative agreement, an
assistance mechanism in which substantial NIH programmatic involvement
with the recipient during performance of the planned activity is
anticipated.  The nature of NCI staff involvement is described under
TERMS OF COOPERATION.  Applicants will be responsible for the planning,
direction, and execution of the proposed project.  Except as otherwise
stated in this RFA, awards will be administered under PHS grants policy
as stated in the Public Health Service Grants Policy Statement, DHHS
Publication No. (OASH) 90-50,000, revised October 1, 1990.
 
This RFA is a one-time solicitation.  Generally, future unsolicited
competitive continuation applications will compete as research project
applications with all other investigator-initiated applications and be
reviewed by the Division of Research Grants (DRG).  However, should the
NCI determine that there is a sufficient continuing program need, the
NCI will invite recipients of awards under this RFA to submit
competitive continuation cooperative agreement applications for review
according to the procedures described under SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS.
 
Approximately $750,000 in total costs per year for three years will be
committed to specifically fund applications submitted in response to
this RFA.  It is anticipated that three to four awards will be made.
This funding level is dependent on the receipt of a sufficient number of
applications of high scientific merit.  The total project period for
applications submitted in response to the present RFA must not exceed
three years.  The earliest feasible start date for the initial awards
will be June 1, 1992.  Although this program is provided for in the
financial plans of the NCI, the award of grants pursuant to the RFA is
also contingent upon the availability of funds for this purpose.
 
TERMS OF COOPERATION
 
Under the cooperative agreement, a partnership will exist between the
recipient of the award and the NCI.  The role of the NCI will be to
provide technical assistance to the awardees.  The following terms and
conditions pertaining to the scope and nature of the interaction between
the NCI and the investigators will be incorporated in the Notice of
Award.  These agreements will be in addition to the customary
programmatic and financial negotiations that occur in the administration
of grants.  The "Terms of Award:  Nature of Participation of NCI Staff"
described in this section are in addition to, and not in lieu of,
otherwise applicable OMB administrative guidelines; HHS grants
administration regulations at 45 CFR 74; other, HHS, PHS, and NIH grants
administration policy statements and other NCI administrative terms of
award.  PROGRAM STAFF INVOLVEMENT
 
The project will be a cooperative venture with scientific participation
by all awardees and NCI.  NCI staff designated below will cooperate with
and provide assistance to the awardees throughout the project.
 
The NCI Scientific Coordinator will be the Chief, Biostatistics Branch,
EBP, DCE, NCI.
 
The NCI Scientific Coordinator or Assignee will:
 
- Participate in the Steering Committee which oversees study conduct.
 
- Assist in the development of the protocol which specifies the methods
of research to be followed.
 
- Serve as liaison, helping to coordinate activities among the awardees.
 
- Assist in the preparation of questionnaires, medical record abstracts,
and other data recording forms.
 
- Assist in the monitoring of field data collection, helping to ensure
standardization in methods across study centers.
 
- Provide for laboratory analysis of selected biologic specimens, within
budgetary and other constraints determined by NCI.
 
- Assist as statistical coordinator and data processing center,
producing computerized files of pooled data suitable for statistical
analysis.
 
- Assist in the analysis of the pooled data.
 
- Assist in the interpretation and reporting of the collected
information.
 
- Monitor study progress.  This may include periodic site visits for
discussions with awardee research teams, observation of field data
collection and management techniques, fiscal review, and other matters.
Decisions for continued funding will be based on overall study progress,
as well as sufficient patient and/or data accrual, cooperation in
carrying out the research (e.g., attendance at Steering Committee
meetings, implementation of group decisions, complying with reporting
requirements), and maintenance of a high quality of research which will
allow pooling of data and comparisons across cooperative agreements for
common data elements.
 
The NCI Administrative Coordinator will be the Chief, Extramural
Programs Branch, EBP, DCE, NCI.
 
The NCI Administrative Coordinator or Assignee will:
 
- Assist by providing advice in the management and technical performance
of the investigation.
 
- Provide advice on administrative issues, including funding.
 
The project will be viewed as a partnership between NCI and the several
participating institutions, with the goal of gaining understanding of
this newly emergent cancer problem.
 
RESPONSIBILITIES OF AWARDEES
 
The recipients of cooperative agreement awards will cooperate with each
other and the NCI in the conduct of this research.  Each awardee will:
 
- Designate the Principal Investigator or assignee to participate in the
Steering Committee to oversee conduct of this multi-center case-control
study.  This committee will meet periodically during the course of the
study.  The first meeting will be called by the NCI Scientific
Coordinator shortly after award of the agreements.  Subsequent meetings
will be planned and scheduled at this meeting.  For budget purposes, it
can be assumed that there will be 3 trips to NCI in year 1, and 2 in
each of years 2 and 3.
 
- Cooperate in the development of a common study protocol and study
documents.  The study documents include questionnaires, medical record
abstract forms and field procedures manuals.  Each awardee will need to
implement and comply with the study protocol, but additional elements
could be appended by individual institutions to address issues of unique
interest or capabilities in each center.
 
- Establish and maintain quality control in all data and materials
collection and management procedures.  Each Principal Investigator will
be responsible for supplying copies of their computerized, edited data
to the statistical data coordination center at NCI.  Strategies for the
analyses of the pooled data will be developed jointly by the awardees
and NCI.
 
- Arrange for the delivery of biologic specimens collected during the
course of the study to NCI-approved laboratories.  Materials to be
sought and assays to be conducted will be determined by the Steering
Committee.
 
- Submit progress reports every 6 months to the NCI Scientific
Coordinator and periodic supplementary reports if requested.
 
- Cooperate in the reporting of the study findings.  Collaborative
publications among awardees and NCI are anticipated, with plans for
joint publication of pooled data to be developed by the Steering
Committee prior to the end of year 2 of the award.
 
ARBITRATION PROCESS
 
In the event that a major scientific/programmatic disagreement between
NCI and the awardees cannot be resolved by appropriate negotiations, an
ad hoc arbitration panel will be assembled to consist of one awardee
nominee, one NCI nominee, and a third member with appropriate expertise
chosen by the other two.  This NCI arbitration process in no way affects
the awardees' right to appeal an adverse determination under the terms
of 42 CFR Part 50, Subpart D, and 45 CFR Part 16.
 
RIGHTS TO DATA
 
The awardee will retain custody and primary rights to the data
consistent with current HHS, PHS and NIH policies.  The NCI will have
periodic access to data generated under this cooperative agreement, but
NCI will not use any data without explicit approval from the Steering
Committee.
 
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
 
Non-profit and for-profit institutions, State and local governments and
their agencies, and foreign institutions are eligible to apply.
 
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARATION OF COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT
APPLICATIONS
 
General instructions for the preparation of the cooperative agreement
applications are contained in the most recent revision, October 1988, of
the Grant Application Form PHS 398.
 
Because the Terms of Cooperation discussed above will be included in all
awards issued as a result of this RFA, it is critical that each
applicant include specific plans for responding to these terms.  Plans
should describe how the applicant will comply with the program staff
involvement as well as how all the responsibilities of awardees will be
fulfilled.
 
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANTS REGARDING IMPLEMENTATION OF NIH
POLICIES CONCERNING INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN CLINICAL STUDY
POPULATIONS
 
NIH and ADAMHA policy is that applicants for NIH/ADAMHA clinical
research grants and cooperative agreements will be required to include
minorities and women in study populations so that research findings can
be of benefit to all persons at risk of the disease, disorder or
condition under study; special emphasis should be placed on the need for
inclusion of minorities and women in studies of diseases, disorders and
conditions which disproportionately affect them.  This policy is
intended to apply to males and females of all ages.  If women or
minorities are excluded or inadequately represented in clinical
research, particularly in proposed population-based studies, a clear
compelling rationale should be provided.
 
The composition of the proposed study population must be described in
terms of gender and racial/ethnic group, together with a rationale for
its choice.  In addition, gender and racial/ethnic issues should be
addressed in developing a research design and sample size appropriate
for the scientific objectives of the study.  This information should be
included in the form PHS 398 in Section 2, A-D of the Research Plan AND
summarized in Section 2, E, Human Subjects.
 
Applicants/offerors are urged to assess carefully the feasibility of
including the broadest possible representation of minority groups.
However, NIH recognize that it may not be feasible or appropriate in all
research projects to include representation of the full array of United
States racial/ethnic minority populations (i.e., Native Americans
(including American Indians or Alaskan Natives), Asian/Pacific
Islanders, Blacks, Hispanics).  The rationale for studies on single
minority population groups should be provided.
 
For the purpose of this policy, clinical research includes human
biomedical and behavioral studies of etiology, epidemiology, prevention
(and preventive strategies), diagnosis, or treatment of diseases,
disorders or conditions, including but not limited to clinical trials.
 
The usual NIH policies concerning research on human subjects also apply.
Basic research or clinical studies in which human tissues cannot be
identified or linked to individuals are excluded.  However, every effort
should be made to include human tissues from women and racial/ethnic
minorities when it is important to apply the results of the study
broadly, and this should be addressed by applicants.
 
For foreign awards, the policy on inclusion of women applies fully;
since the definition of minority differs in other countries, the
applicant must discuss the relevance of research involving foreign
population groups to the United States' populations, including
minorities.
 
If the required information is not contained within the application, the
application will be returned.
 
Peer reviewers will address specifically whether the research plan in
the application conforms to these policies.  If the representation of
women or minorities in a study design is inadequate to answer the
scientific question(s) addressed AND the justification for the selected
study population is inadequate, it will be considered a scientific
weakness or deficiency in the study design and will be reflected in
assigning the priority score to the application.
 
All applications for clinical research submitted to NIH are required to
address these policies.  NIH funding components will not award grants or
cooperative agreements that do not comply with these policies.
 
REVIEW PROCEDURES AND CRITERIA
 
REVIEW PROCEDURE
 
Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed (initially) by the Division
of Research Grants (DRG) for completeness.  Incomplete applications will
be returned to the applicant without further consideration.  Evaluation
for responsiveness to the program requirements and criteria stated in
the RFA is an NCI program staff function.  Applications THAT are judged
non-responsive will be returned by the NCI, but may be submitted as
investigator-initiated research grants at the next receipt date.
Questions concerning the responsiveness of proposed research to the RFA
are to be directed to program staff (see INQUIRIES).
 
If the number of applications is large compared to the number of awards
to be made, the NCI may conduct a preliminary scientific peer review to
eliminate those that are clearly not competitive.  The NCI will remove
from competition those applications judged to be noncompetitive for
award and notify the applicant and institutional business official.
 
Those applications judged to be both competitive and responsive will be
further evaluated according to the review criteria stated below for
scientific and technical merit by an appropriate peer review group
convened by the Division of Extramural Activities, NCI.  The second
level of review by the National Cancer Advisory Board considers the
special needs of the Institute and the priorities of the National Cancer
Program.
 
REVIEW CRITERIA
 
Applicants are encouraged to submit and describe their own ideas on how
to best meet the goals of this announcement.  Applications will be
judged primarily on the availability of and access to a suitable
esophageal and gastric cardia adenocarcinoma patient and control
population, the scientific merit of the application submitted, the
experience of the investigators in the conduct of similar epidemiologic
research and their capability to conduct the work proposed, and a
demonstrated willingness to work cooperatively with other awardees and
with NCI staff assistance.  Criteria for review of applications are as
follows:
 
o Availability and accessibility of sufficient numbers of patients with
adenocarcinomas of the esophagus and of the gastric cardia
 
o Description of the numbers of patients in the past few years by age,
sex, and race
 
o Availability for review of the patients' medical records
 
o Accessibility of the patients for interview
 
o Availability and accessibility of controls
 
o Description of type of controls and their appropriateness
 
o Likelihood of high subject participation rate
 
o Scientific merit of the application
 
o Proposed study design, including methods for enrolling cancer cases
and controls
 
o Feasibility of approach
 
o Originality of approach
 
o Qualifications and experience of the investigators
 
o Experience and capabilities of the Principal Investigator
 
o Experience and capabilities of staff
 
o Experience in conduct of case-control studies
 
o Ability to implement study procedures
 
o Ability to carry out common protocols
 
o Willingness to work cooperatively with other awardees and NCI
assistance
 
o Availability of appropriate resources and facilities
 
The review group will also examine the proposed budget and will
recommend an appropriate budget and period of support for each approved
application.
 
METHOD OF APPLYING
 
The most recent revision of the research grant application form PHS 398,
revised October 1988, must be used in applying for cooperative
agreements.  These forms are available at most institutional business
offices; and from the Office of Grants Inquiries, Division of Research
Grants, National Institutes of Health, Room 449, Westwood Building, 5333
Westbard Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20892, telephone (301) 496-7441.
 
The RFA label available in the most recent revision, October 1988, of
application form PHS 398 must be affixed to the bottom of the face page.
Failure to use this label could result in delayed processing of the
applications such that it may not reach the review committee in time for
review.  In addition, the RFA number and title must be typed on line 2
of the face page of the application form.
 
The grants management contact for this award is:
 
Sara Stone
Grants Administration Branch
National Cancer Institute
Executive Plaza South, Room 243
Bethesda, MD  20892
Telephone:  (301) 496-7800
 
Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including the
Checklist, and four signed, exact photocopies, in one package to the DRG
at the address below.  The photocopies must be clear and single sided.
 
DIVISION OF RESEARCH GRANTS
National Institutes of Health
Westwood Building, Room 240
Bethesda, MD  20892**
 
At time of submission, send two additional copies of the application to:
 
REFERRAL OFFICER
Division of Extramural Activities
National Cancer Institute
Room 838, Westwood Building
5333 Westbard Avenue
Bethesda, MD  20892
 
Applications must be received by December 11, 1991.  If an application
is received after that date, it will be returned.  If the application
submitted in response to this RFA is substantially similar to a research
grant application already submitted to the NIH for review, but has not
yet been reviewed, the applicant will be asked to withdraw either the
pending application or the new one.  Simultaneous submission of
identical applications will not be allowed, nor will essentially
identical applications be reviewed by different review committees.
Therefore, an application cannot be submitted in response to this RFA
which is essentially identical to one that has already been reviewed.
This does not preclude the submission of substantial revisions of
applications already reviewed, but such applications must include an
Introduction addressing the previous critique.
 
LETTER OF INTENT
 
Prospective applicants are asked to submit, by November 15, 1991, a
letter of intent that includes a descriptive title of the proposed
research, the name and address of the principal investigator, the names
of other key personnel, the participating institutions, and the number
and title of the RFA in response to which the application is being
submitted.
 
Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does
not enter into the review of subsequent applications, it is requested in
order to provide an indication of the number and scope of applications
to be reviewed.
 
The letter of intent is to be sent to:
 
Chief, Extramural Programs Branch, EBP, DCE
National Cancer Institute
EPN, Room 535
Bethesda, MD  20892
Telephone:  (301) 496-9600
Fax:  (301) 496-9146
 
INQUIRIES
 
Written and telephone inquiries concerning the objectives and scope of
the RFA or inquiries about whether or not specific proposed research
would be responsive are encouraged and are to be directed to the
following:
 
Scientific Coordinator
William J. Blot, Ph.D.
Chief, Biostatistics Branch
National Cancer Institute
Executive Plaza North, Room 431
Bethesda, MD  20892
Telephone:  (301) 496-4153
Fax:  (301) 402-0081
 
Administrative Coordinator
G. Iris Obrams, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief, Extramural Programs Branch
National Cancer Institute
Executive Plaza North, Room 535
Bethesda, MD  20892
Telephone:  (301) 496-9600
Fax:  (301) 496-9146
 
THE MAILING ADDRESS GIVEN FOR SENDING APPLICATIONS TO THE DIVISION OF
RESEARCH GRANTS OR CONTACTING PROGRAM STAFF IN THE WESTWOOD BUILDING IS
THE CENTRAL MAILING ADDRESS FOR THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH.
APPLICANTS WHO USE EXPRESS MAIL OR A COURIER SERVICE ARE ADVISED TO
FOLLOW THE CARRIER'S REQUIREMENTS FOR SHOWING A STREET ADDRESS.  THE
ADDRESS OF THE WESTWOOD BUILDING IS 5333 WESTBARD AVENUE, BETHESDA,
MARYLAND 20816.
 
This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
No. 93.393, Cancer Cause and Prevention Research.  Awards are under
authorization of the Public Health Service Act, Section 301(c) and
Section 402 (Public Law 78-410, as amended; 42 USC 241; 42 USC 282) and
administered under PHS grant policies and Federal regulation 42 CFR Part
52 and 45 CFR Part 74.  This program is not subject to the
intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health
Systems Agency review.