DCEG News Updates
The latest news and research findings from the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics.
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Dr. Hu has integrated her training, experience, and skill in widely-varied but complementary disciplines—molecular genetics, bench work, epidemiologic field studies, and statistical analysis—to play a fundamental role in research on the etiology, prevention, and early detection of upper gastrointestinal cancers.
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Patients with papillary thyroid carcinomas, the most common thyroid cancer, driven by gene fusions are more likely to present with cervical lymph node metastases at diagnosis than those with PTCs driven by point mutations, study finds.
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Investigators in the Infections and Immunoepidemiology Branch, led by Drs. Cameron Haas and Eric Engels, identified several rare cancers not known to be caused by a virus, for which people with a compromised immune system had a higher risk, providing strong evidence that these cancers could be caused by an infectious agent.
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Dr. Alexander Keil and colleagues used novel methods to correct for healthy worker bias in this large study of workers exposed to acrylonitrile. Their findings suggest previous reports of the association with lung cancer mortality may have been underestimated.
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Recipients of DCEG's Outstanding Paper Award are recognized for outstanding research papers published in 2023. Winners demonstrate impact, innovation, and clarity of thought and language.
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Stephen Chanock was featured in the latest Cancer Currents: An NCI Cancer Research Blog post, which covers the latest study on global kidney tumor mutational signatures.
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The latest Cancer Currents: An NCI Cancer Research Blog post features DCEG researchers, Drs. Ruth Pfeiffer and Peter Kraft, who discuss how breast cancer risk assessment tools are created and how people can use them to understand and manage their risk.
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In June, the 2024 Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER) Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas was attended by DCEG scientists. Caroline Pruitt, postbaccalaureate fellow in the Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, received the Kathy Rose Travel Scholarship, sponsored by SER and DLH Holdings Corporation.
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Genetic counselors in the Clinical Genetics Branch, Megan Frone, M.S., C.G.C., and Jessica Hatton, M.S., C.G.C., were recognized with 2024 Significant Contributor Awards by ClinGen, a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded resource dedicated to building an authoritative central resource that defines the clinical relevance of genes and variants for use in precision medicine and research.
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The latest NCI Media Advisory featured research led by Erikka Loftfield, investigator in the Metabolic Epidemiology Branch (MEB), which showed that daily multivitamin use was not associated with lower risk of death.
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The Connect for Cancer Prevention Study is a new prospective cohort seeking to enroll 200,000 adults in the United States. Connect is designed to further investigate the etiology of cancer and its outcomes, which may inform new approaches in precision prevention and early detection. We will update the research community as to the progress of Connect across multiple topics of interest.
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Prospective cohort studies have informed our understanding of cancer, directing scientific inquiries in basic and clinical laboratory science, as well as translational studies and treatment trials, and led to the development of guidelines and regulatory actions to protect public health. Learn about the different DCEG cohort studies based in the United States and the major accomplishments they have achieved to date.
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Lawrence “Larry” Ingrassia talked about the evolution of his book, "A Fatal Inheritance: How a Family Misfortune Revealed a Medical Mystery," and his engagement with LFS researchers, including Dr. Joseph F. Fraumeni, Jr. The seminar at the National Cancer Institute drew an audience full of leading researchers in cancer epidemiology and genetics.
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Dr. Fiona Malcomson has joined DCEG as part of the first cohort of the Cancer Research Transatlantic Development and Skills Enhancement (DSE) Award.
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NCI Media Advisory features DCEG research which identified inherited genetic variants that may predict loss of X chromosome in older women (mLOX).
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An NCI Cancer Currents blog post on advances in anal cancer screening features DCEG researchers in the Infections and Immunoepidemiology and Clinical Genetics Branches.
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In age-period-cohort modeling of SEER data, researchers led by Philip Rosenberg in the Biostatistics Branch projected that Generation X will experience larger per-capita increases in the incidence of leading cancers combined than any prior generation.
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Dr. Jill Barnholtz-Sloan is CBIIT’s new acting director following Dr. Tony Kerlavage’s retirement. In addition to this role, Dr. Barnholtz-Sloan maintains her responsibility as associate director for the Informatics and Data Science Program and senior investigator in the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, Trans-Divisional Research Program.
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In June 2024, Mitchell Machiela was awarded scientific tenure by the NIH and promoted to senior investigator in the Integrative Tumor Epidemiology Branch. He is an internationally recognized expert on the genetic architecture of cancer and genetic mosaicism.
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Three projects were funded. Two support data processing for the Pediatric Proton and Photon Therapy Comparison Cohort. The third will facilitate the development and evaluation of polygenic risk scores across diverse populations.