An Orientation to Implementation Science in Cancer

THE ROOTS of implementation science (IS) in cancer in some sense date back to the earliest days of uncovering cancer’s etiology, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment, although it was not called that. Indeed, unlocking the mysteries of cancer and determining effective ways to intervene began not in the lab but, rather, the clinic. As Mukherjee recounted in the seminal work, The Emperor of All Maladies, 1 cancer had been the subject of clinical examination for centuries, and the drive to optimize care began in those early days. As opposed to the largely separate worlds of research discovery and care delivery that exist today, scientific research and cancer treatment coexisted. In addition, epidemiologic observations of risk factors affecting oncogenesis developed targets for what types of prevention programs needed to be implemented. Naturally, the challenges of what exactly to implement and how best to implement have been with us throughout time.