Faculty and Ph.D. students from the Communication Department along with their co-authors from the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ), presented research during the 2024 Annual Retreat on Cancer Research, held on the Rutgers College Avenue campus in New Brunswick on May 23, 2024.

The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) and the New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research (NJCCR) host the retreat annually, to provide an opportunity for world-renowned scientists in the cancer field to highlight cutting-edge work conducted during the year.

SC&I Professor of Communication Kathryn Greene, who presented this year, said, “We are delighted to participate as part of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program in representing the Department, SC&I, and Rutgers in cancer related research that can improve the lives of patients in New Jersey and their families. It was rewarding to observe our doctoral students skillfully answering the many questions from both patients and researchers who showed great interest in the projects.”  

This year the event included poster and focus sessions exploring cancer metabolism and immunology; genomic instability and cancer genetics; clinical investigations and precision therapeutics; cancer pharmacology; and cancer prevention and control.

SC&I faculty and doctoral students presented two posters during the event. The first, “Interviews with Adolescents and Young Adult Cancer Survivors and Parents” was led by Associate Professor Maria K. Venetis along with Ph.D. student Angela Senger; Ph.D. student Haley-Nolan-Cody; Professor of Communication Jennifer Theiss; Professor of Communication Kathryn Greene; Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) Clinical Psychologist Karen Long-Traynor; CINJ Social Worker Susan Stephens; and CINJ Associate Professor of Pediatrics Katie Devine. The authors conducted “cognitive interviews with adolescent and young adult cancer survivors and parents to provide feedback on a proposed survey and offer construct validity. Participants provided answers to survey questions, feedback on items and scales, and what was ‘missing’ from the survey.” This is part of a project where Venetis is PI, funded by CINJ.

The second poster presented was “Predicting Disclosure: The Role of Support People in Prostate Cancer Patient-Oncologist Communication,” by Ph.D. Candidate Liesl Broadbridge; Ph.D. student Angela Senger; CINJ Associate Professor of Pediatrics Katie Devine; Associate Professor of Communication Maria K. Venetis; CINJ Medical Oncologist Biren Saraiya M.D.; and Professor of Communication Kathryn Greene.

The authors wrote, “This study investigated how communication behaviors of support people facilitate or prohibit cancer patients’ efficacy for disclosure and subsequent disclosure of health information to their oncologist. The study found that overall, helpful support person behaviors positively affected patients’ disclosure efficacy and subsequent disclosure to oncologists. Moreover, when controlling for helpful behaviors, the negative effects of unhelpful behaviors did not affect efficacy or disclosure. These results are promising for developing interventions for patients and support people in the cancer context to focus on helpful support behaviors.” This study is part of a project led by Greene and leverages recruitment through community groups as well as the online patient portals (MyChart/EPIC).

“The retreat was a terrific opportunity to network with scholars, practitioners, and members of the community who share the passion and commitment of improving the lives of cancer patients and their families,” Venetis said.   

Learn more about the Communication Department at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information on the website.