DCEG News Updates
The latest news and research findings from the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics.
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Fusion Genes Linked to Metastasis after Thyroid Cancer
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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Researchers Identify Rare Cancers Possibly Caused by Viruses
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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Acrylonitrile Exposure at Work Associated with Significant Risk to Workers
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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Staff Recognized for Outstanding Papers
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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Tumor Genetic Signatures May Help Explain Global Kidney Cancer Rates: Cancer Currents
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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How Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tools Work: Cancer Currents
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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2024 Society for Epidemiologic Research Annual Meeting Attended by DCEG Scientists
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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Megan Frone and Jessica Hatton Received 2024 ClinGen Significant Contributor Awards
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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Taking Daily Multivitamin Not Associated with Lower Risk of Death
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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Connect for Cancer Prevention: Update on the Cohort
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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Power of Cohorts: Public Health Advances from Prospective Cohort Studies
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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"A Fatal Inheritance" Author Larry Ingrassia Discusses His New Book
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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DCEG Welcomes First Cancer Research Transatlantic Development and Skills Enhancement Awardee
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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Mosaic Loss of Chromosome X in Older Women Influenced by Inherited Factors
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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Cancer Currents Blog Post on Anal Cancer Screening Features DCEG Researchers
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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Gen X Projected to Experience Greater Increases in Cancer Incidence than Previous Generations
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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Jill Barnholtz-Sloan Named CBIIT’s Acting Director
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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Mitchell Machiela Awarded Scientific Tenure by the NIH
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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2024 Informatics Tool Challenge Winners Announced
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.
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Lisa McReynolds Appointed Lasker Clinical Research Scholar
In June 2024, Lisa McReynolds was appointed Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, a tenure-track position in the Clinical Genetics Branch. She is an expert in hematopoiesis, bone marrow failure, and predisposition to myeloid malignancies.