ABSTRACT
Accelerated understanding of nervous system functions and cancer has led to cancer neuroscience evolving into
a new frontier of discovery in cancer biology and therapy. The proposed hybrid Cancer Neuroscience: An
Emerging Hallmark symposium will be held both on-site at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer
Center and virtually in recognition of the comprehensive role the nervous system plays in cancer, including its
initiation, growth, and spread. A platform such as this one that nurtures interdisciplinary discussions among
oncologists, neuroscientists, immunologists, and cancer biologists is an unmet need. Based on the highly
successful, first-of-its-kind 2022 Cancer Neuroscience Symposium that included more than 1200 participants
from 70 countries, we propose to create a platform for cross-fertilization of adjacent disciplines with the long-
term goal of improving cancer treatment and services with targeted inclusion of variables and outcomes in cancer
neuroscience research aiming to reduce disparities based on race, sex, gender, and age. We are seeking partial
support to enable rising postdoctoral fellows, trainees, and junior faculty to attend the Cancer Neuroscience
Symposium. The proposed program will feature a keynote session on communication between cancer and the
nervous system in the brain and another keynote session on these interactions in the peripheral nervous system.
The scientific program will include pioneering results on the impact of cancer on the central and peripheral
nervous systems, neural regulation of cancer, cross-talk between nerves and immune cells, nerves and glial
cells in cancer growth and spread, community and patient advocacy and brain health during cancer therapies,
and neural injury in cancer patients. Our overall goal is to leverage advances in neuroscience and fertilize ideas
from key opinion leaders in cancer biology as well as to leverage advances in immuno-oncology and other
clinically relevant fields as focus areas (e.g., the biology of aging). To achieve this goal, we aim to 1) enable
attendees of the Cancer Neuroscience Symposium to gain knowledge about cancer neuroscience investigations
and methodologies and foster collaboration and cross-institution mentorship to advance the field of cancer
neuroscience around the world; 2) recruit and invite speakers and attendees from diverse backgrounds (i.e.,
race, sex and gender) to participate in the Cancer Neuroscience Symposium and make a significant impact on
the field’s future directions; 3) encourage investigators at very early stages of their careers to further pursue
interdisciplinary cancer neuroscience research as a long-term career; and 4) provide financial registration and
travel support to enable trainees and students to present their research at the Cancer Neuroscience Symposium
in a safe, public scientific environment. This “call to arms” will spur research to help fill critical gaps across the
spectrum of cancer patient care and treatment strategies. The Cancer Neuroscience Symposium will be at the
leading edge of the intersection of exciting new breakthroughs in the world of neurobiology and discoveries in
fundamental cancer biology that will break down the barriers that have separated these fields in the past.