This volume serves as a comprehensive registry designed to identify and catalog active research projects in cancer epidemiology globally during the early 1980s. The authors, C.S. Muir and G. Wagner, utilize their positions within the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) to aggregate data from international research institutions. The text provides a structured framework for researchers to locate ongoing studies, facilitate collaboration, and avoid duplication of effort in the field of oncology.

Experts and researchers in the field of oncology recognize this publication as a foundational historical record of epidemiological research priorities during the 1980s. The text is frequently cited by historians of science for its utility in tracking the evolution of cancer research methodologies and institutional focus areas.