Epigeneti-What? Approaches on Translating Research for Primary Breast Cancer Prevention

Conclusion In conclusion, neither the bottom-up nor top-down strategy should be used in isolation. While utilizing the bottom-up approach researchers are likely to see effects rather quickly, but these effects will likely be limited to small pockets of populations, and potentially not very long lasting. Utilizing the top-down approach is likely to yield much larger dividends, but it also comes with a much longer time commitment, and no guarantee of success after years of advocacy work. To maximize return-on-investment, breast cancer prevention researchers should seek to translate their findings simultaneously along both of these routes, and seek guidance from interdisciplinary colleagues trained in their intricacies—those in the health communication discipline. If researchers truly want to advance knowledge, part of that advancement has to be translating and disseminating their work to the public to help them act on it in meaningful ways. Until breast cancer prevention researchers are ready to work comprehensively and share resources across disciplinary boundaries with those in communication, it is likely researchers' advancement of knowledge will stop at the peer-reviewed publication of their work—relegated to a dusty shelf or seldom used online depository—and society will potentially be no better off for it. Author Contributions All authors listed have made a substantial, direct and intellectual contribution to the work, and approved it f...
Source: Frontiers in Oncology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research