With your help, we raised $2.6 million at AGDQ 2023!
Check out some of the highlights from this year’s event.
Because of you, we can dare to imagine a world where cancer is preventable, detectable and beatable for all.
Awesome Games Done Quick is an annual live-streamed video game marathon organized by Games Done Quick to raise funds for the Prevent Cancer Foundation®. Hundreds of all-star gamers from around the world meet to speedrun—play as fast as possible—their favorite games. People around the globe tune in online to watch the “best of the best” take on the most popular games.
We’re on Discord!
The Prevent Cancer Foundation is now on Discord! Join our server to find a supportive space to share stories, increase prevention awareness and spark conversations that inspire each other to lead healthier lifestyles.
AGDQ 2022 Interviews with Prevent Cancer Foundation Grantees,
Leadership and Staff
Interview with Prevent Cancer Foundation community grantee – West Virginia University LUCAS (Lung Cancer Screening Truck) – AGDQ 2022 Online
Learn more about this and other Community Grant recipients
Interview with Prevent Cancer Foundation program participants – ¡Celebremos la Vida! – AGDQ 2022 Online
Learn more about ¡Celebremos la Vida!
See more interviews from AGDQ 2022
Meet our 2022 AGDQ Research Grant and Fellowship Awardees
My “Why”
My interest in cancer disparities stems from witnessing enormous inequities in access to cancer and cardiovascular disease risk reduction strategies and cancer screening, treatment, palliative care and survivorship services, as well as from documenting the role of social determinants on cancer outcomes. I knew that I had to bring these disparities to the forefront and to develop, study and translate successful community, clinical and policy interventions to overcome them.
My Mission
My research is devoted to eliminating health disparities by creating bridges between immigrants and other underrepresented and underserved community members and the health care system. This involves improving health care access with culturally and linguistically responsive approaches that are developed in concert with the community. The FITx3 approach may help prevent the unnecessary pain and potential loss that are caused when someone receives a late-stage diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) with poor odds of survival.
Research Overview
CRC is a leading cause of cancer-related death in the U.S. Black Americans are 20% more likely to get CRC and 40% more likely to die of it than other racial and ethnic groups, and African immigrants may be particularly vulnerable. CRC screening can lead to early detection and improve disease survival.
The FITx3 research project aims to increase access to CRC screening in Black communities with low screening rates. Fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) is a highly effective and potentially more acceptable screening method than colonoscopy. Individuals can mail a FIT sample from home, with follow-up colonoscopy if indicated by test results.
This project will:
- Adapt empowering methods that have been successfully used to increase voter turnout in Black communities (called “Votex3”) to promote CRC screening in Black communities by leveraging social networks.
- Educate community members about CRC screening and recruit and train three people in their social network (friends/family) for FIT. These three new people will then receive similar training to recruit an additional three people for FIT.
- Develop and tailor training materials to the culture and languages of U.S.-born-immigrant Blacks living in Harlem, New York, where FITx3 will be piloted.
If this research is successful, we can use the findings to develop a larger-scale research program for the early detection of CRC in Black communities throughout New York City and then across the U.S.
Why Funding Matters
Funding [from the Prevent Cancer Foundation] will allow me to develop a novel intervention aimed at increasing CRC screening in at-risk Black communities in New York City by empowering community members to promote FIT testing with their friends, families, neighbors and co-workers. It is vital that the use of FIT tests is expanded, according to guidelines, and that communities are empowered to learn about and access FIT testing to reduce the disparity in CRC outcomes between Black and white residents in New York City and throughout the United States.
My Hope
[My hope with] this research is that this approach to increasing CRC screening in the Black community in Harlem is effective. To determine this, we will look at how many people, beyond the original recruits, complete FIT screening, compared to a control group. If successful, the FITx3 approach may reduce deaths from CRC in medically underserved Black communities.
My “Why”
As a breast surgical oncologist, my interest in cancer research is fueled by the ever-present need for advances and innovation in clinical cancer care, from cancer screening and diagnosis to treatment and prevention. My research focuses on how diet and nutrition affect the development of breast cancer and how changes to diet could be used to prevent cancer.
My Mission
Taking care of women with breast cancer as well as those at high risk of developing breast cancer has motivated my research efforts to understand how diet and diet quality modulate breast cancer risk. The proposed research will investigate the effects of the common white button mushroom on cellular changes that can lead to cancer.
Research Overview
White button mushrooms (WBM) are the most highly consumed mushroom in the U.S. and worldwide. Health benefits of mushrooms, such as WBM, may include decreased risk of breast cancer based on comparisons of dietary intake of mushrooms in women who have breast cancer relative to those without breast cancer.
Studies also indicate the possibility that WBM may reduce obesity and metabolic problems associated with obesity, such as fatty liver changes. The preventive effects of WBM may be due to improved responses of immune cells (white blood cells) and reduced chronic inflammation, that is, low-grade inflammation associated with obesity and obesity-related conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
We are investigating WBM as a novel, effective dietary approach to prevent breast cancer in postmenopausal women with obesity and increased risk of breast cancer. In a WBM trial with obese women at high risk of breast cancer, we will test blood and breast fat before and after WBM for effects on immune cell and inflammation biomarkers. If successful, the study will support the design of large–scale, multi-institutional clinical trials of WBM for prevention of obesity-associated breast cancer.
Why Funding Matters
Funding [from the Prevent Cancer Foundation] will support our research on WBM as a dietary strategy to decrease the risk of developing obesity-associated breast cancer. The study will evaluate treatment effects on inflammation, which is linked to precancerous changes.
My Hope
This research will contribute to our understanding of how white button mushrooms might reduce breast cancer risk in obese postmenopausal women who are at high risk of breast cancer. It is our hope that this study will lead to large-scale clinical trials evaluating WBM as a safe and effective dietary intervention for cancer prevention.
Learn more about these and other innovative research projects.
Meet our 2022-2024 Global Cancer Prevention Grant Recipients
made possible by AGDQ
Organization: Hope for Haiti
Title: Improving Awareness, Screenings, and Treatment for Cervical and Breast Cancer in Haiti
Location of Project: Haiti
Award: $150,000 for two years
Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in Haiti, yet sufficient screening is not widely available. This project will provide 34,000 free cervical and breast cancer screenings, organize bi-annual education campaigns and train 35 nurses and 45 community health workers to reduce mortality and morbidity rates.
Organization: KILELE Health Association
Title: Thamani Yetu – Engaging Communities to Improve Cervical Cancer Prevention and Early Detection in Mbeere North Sub County, Embu County, Kenya
Location of Project: Kenya
Award: $150,000 for two years
This project aims to reach 40,000 Kenyans by engaging with the community and providing human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations, cervical cancer screenings and treatment. The program will also address myths and misconceptions and work with cancer survivors. These cervical cancer initiatives are intended to be replicated in other countries with hard-to-reach regions.
Learn more about the Foundation’s Global Grants Program.
The Prevent Cancer Foundation funds important research and outreach work around the world
Note: Grant recipients based in the U.S. are not shown on the map
visit the Research Grants and Community Grants pages to learn more.
