Nine Groups Adopt New Standardized Coding System

BETHESDA, Md—Nine organizations that fund cancer research have agreed to adopt a newly created standardized coding system, which is designed to make it easier to compare research papers and coordinate their scientific efforts. No common coding system existed previously.

The Common Scientific Outline (CSO) was initially tested jointly by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC).

Seven other groups have now announced they will use the CSO as well. They are the American Cancer Society, Oncology Nursing Society, California Cancer Research Program, California Breast Cancer Research Program, Cancer Research Campaign of the United Kingdom, CaPCURE, and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Other cancer research funding groups, nationally and internationally, are expected to adopt the CSO, which is organized around seven broad areas of interest to cancer scientists: biology; etiology; prevention; early detection, diagnosis, and prognosis; treatment; cancer control, survivorship, and outcomes research; and scientific model systems.

Better Coordination

“The CSO helps to lay a framework for better coordination among research organizations,” NCI director Richard D. Klausner, MD, said in a news release. “It puts everybody on the same page as they evaluate their scientific portfolios, helping to point to areas of possible collaboration and suggesting areas of duplicated or under supported study.”

The CSO, which underwent pilot testing jointly by the NCI and the USAMRMC, is designed for easy accessibility to physicians, researchers, and members of the general public. NCI is developing a database organized around the CSO system, which will provide users with a “straightforward way to access and explore institute-supported research by cancer type and scientific area,” the NCI said. The web-based information center is expected to be online by year’s end.