Research Highlights - News Updates
Summaries of research conducted by DCEG investigators.
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Researchers led by Dr. Diptavo Dutta conducted transcriptome- and proteome-wide association studies to increase understanding of genes and proteins associated with renal cell carcinoma and identify potential therapeutic targets.
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In an analysis led by Dr. Wayne Lawrence and colleagues, using data from 12,610 Black and White men and women living in the United States, low neighborhood socioeconomic status experienced during young to middle adulthood was associated with higher risk of premature mortality. The relationship was most pronounced among women.
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Dr. Amber Hurson and colleagues found evidence to support etiologic heterogeneity by estrogen receptor (ER) subtype for some risk factors, which was consistent across racial and ethnic groups in a qualitative, scoping review of literature published between 1990-2022.
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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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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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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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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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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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In the NCI-Kaiser Permanente Breast Cancer Survivors Cohort, DCEG experts observed increased risk of cardiovascular disease that breast cancer survivors treated with anthracyclines and/or trastuzumab that persisted 10+ years after diagnosis and was heightened for women diagnosed before age 65, compared to women who did not receive chemotherapy.
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Data from the Finnish Maternity cohort suggest early-pregnancy thyroid autoimmunity is associated with elevated risk for maternal papillary thyroid cancer and may shed light onto mechanisms of thyroid carcinogenesis.
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Sarah Jackson, Ph.D., M.P.H., Earl Stadtman investigator in the Infections and Immunoepidemiology Branch, was featured in a Cancer Currents: An NCI Cancer Research blog post on cancer disparities among LGBTQ+ people.
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In a new analysis of genetic susceptibility to kidney cancer, researchers identified 50 new areas across the genome that are associated with the risk of developing kidney cancer. These insights could one day be used to advance our understanding of the molecular basis of kidney cancer, inform screening efforts for those at highest risk, and identify new drug targets.
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Using the NCI’s HIV/AIDS Cancer Match Study data from 2001-2019, Jennifer McGee-Avila, postdoctoral fellow in the Infections and Immunoepidemiology Branch, finds that people with HIV are less likely to receive treatment for many different cancer types compared to people without HIV.
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Common inherited genetic factors that predict cancer risk in the general population may also predict elevated risk of new cancers among childhood cancer survivors. Findings could potentially inform screening and long-term follow-up of those at greatest risk.
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Continual improvement of cervical cancer screening and management to include new technologies and approaches requires a flexible approach to guidelines. A description of the Enduring Guidelines effort—methods and principles to ensure swift adoption of changes—and a review and decision on the first new technology to be added to the guidelines—dual stain cytology—were published in the Journal of the Lower Genital Tract Diseases.