SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Health Serv.
Sec. Implementation Science
Volume 5 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/frhs.2025.1624733
This article is part of the Research TopicDissemination and Implementation Science in MedicineView all 12 articles
An Analysis of National Cancer Institute-Funded Scale-up Research
Provisionally accepted
- National Cancer Institute (NIH), Rockville, United States
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Background: The National Cancer Institute seeks to support cancer research to advance scientific knowledge that will "help all people live longer, healthier lives." To do this, we need to understand how to effectively and efficiently scale-up evidence-based cancer control innovations (EBIs). We analyzed National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded implementation science (IS) grants to understand gaps and opportunities for scale-up research. Methods: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Query, View, and Report (QVR) system was used to identify NCI-funded IS grants focused on scale-up since 2016. Key search terms were identified, and two coders reviewed specific aims to identify IS and scale-up grants. Eligible grants were coded for study characteristics, including administrative, cancer-related, and scale-up related features using Microsoft Excel and iSearch. Results: Of the 61 grants initially identified, 17 were included. Approximately one-third of the grants were conducted abroad (n=6). Most examined factors related to scale-up (e.g., barriers/facilitators, context) (n=11). Nine studies assessed the costs and benefits of the scaled-up delivery of an EBI, and seven studies evaluated an implementation strategy for EBI scale-up. Most focused on prevention (n=11), with seven focusing on screening. Cervical cancer (n=6) was the most frequently studied cancer type. Most of the research took place in healthcare settings (n=11). Conclusions: The NCI has funded a limited number of IS grants focused on scale-up. This analysis helps identify the current scope of the NCI portfolio and enables exploration of gaps and opportunities for future research on scale-up across the cancer continuum.
Keywords: Scale-up, Cancer control, research gaps, evidence-based innovations, implementation science
Received: 07 May 2025; Accepted: 25 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Vinson, Villalobos, Correa Mendez and Neta. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Gila Neta, National Cancer Institute (NIH), Rockville, United States
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