DCEG News Updates
The latest news and research findings from the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics.
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Choonsik Lee Appointed to ICRP Committee 2, Doses from Radiation Exposure
Dr. Choonsik Lee, head of the Dosimetry Unit in the Radiation Epidemiology Branch, will serve the 2021-2025 term on the International Committee on Radiologic Protection, Committee 2: Doses from Radiation Exposure.
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Chromosomal Changes in White Blood Cells May Increase Risk of Infections
Postdoctoral fellow Shu-Hong Lin, Ph.D., M.S., and Earl Stadtman tenure-track investigator Mitchell Machiela, Sc.D., M.P.H., in the Integrative Tumor Epidemiology Branch analyzed nearly 770,000 individuals across five biobanks and find mosaic chromosomal alterations may increase the risk of different types of infections, including severe COVID-19.
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2021 Annual Fellows’ Symposium Focuses on Cancer Survivorship
The theme was “The Lifetime Impact of Cancer: Experiences in survivorship research, advocacy, and policy.” Presenters included invited outside speakers and Dr. Amy Berrington, Chief of the Radiation Epidemiology Branch.
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2021 Virtual AACR Annual Meeting Features DCEG Research
Stephen J. Chanock, M.D. Director of DCEG, received the AACR/American Cancer Society Award for Research Excellence in Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention, while fellows Jeanny Wang, M.P.H., and Minkyo Song, M.D., Ph.D. received scholar in training awards.
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2021 Staff Scientist/Staff Clinician Retreat
The 17th annual event focused on “Intramural Research in the Era of COVID-19.” Dr. Douglas R. Lowy, Principal Deputy Director of the National Cancer Institute, delivered the keynote address. Drs. Jill Koshiol and Lisa Mirabello from DCEG gave presentations on recent scientific insights.
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Sarah Jackson Becomes an Independent Research Scholar
Sarah Jackson, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow in IIB, was inducted into the NIH Independent Research Scholar Program, sponsored by the Office of Intramural Research. Dr. Jackson studies sex differences in cancer incidence and cancer risk among transgender individuals.
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Awareness Day for Li-Fraumeni Syndrome: 5/3 for TP53
Inaugural Li-Fraumeni syndrome Awareness Day featured health education materials for clinicians, patients, and families, and was dedicated to the researchers who identified LFS in 1969 at the NCI: Drs. Frederick Li and Joseph F. Fraumeni, Jr.
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New Radiation Society ISoRED Begins 2021 with Webinar Series
REB experts presented “The Chernobyl Accident: Radiation and Health,” the first in the webinar series, “Community Building in Radiation Epidemiology and Dosimetry Research,” sponsored by the International Society for Radiation Epidemiology and Dosimetry (ISoRED). Dr. Amy Berrington talked about the society on the Physics World podcast.
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Higher Body Mass Index May Increase Risk of Second Cancer in Breast Cancer Survivors
Investigators in the Integrative Tumor Epidemiology Branch and Radiation Epidemiology Branch find that increasing body mass index may increase the risk of second cancers, including obesity-related cancers, second breast cancer, and estrogen receptor positive second breast cancer.
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International Research Teams Explore Genetic Effects of Chernobyl Radiation
In two landmark studies, researchers have used cutting-edge genomic tools to investigate the potential health effects of exposure to ionizing radiation, a known carcinogen, from the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine. One study found no evidence that radiation exposure to parents resulted in new genetic changes being passed from parent to child. The second study documented the genetic changes in the tumors of people who developed thyroid cancer after being exposed as children or fetuses to the radiation released by the accident.
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Transgender Patients and Cancer Disparities
Sarah Jackson, Ph.D., M.P.H., postdoctoral fellow in the Infections and Immunoepidemiology Branch and colleagues using data from the National Cancer Database found that transgender people may be diagnosed at later stages, be less likely to receive treatment, and have worse survival for many cancer types compared to cisgender patients.
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2021 NCI Intramural Scientific Investigators Retreat, Highlights
DCEG investigators participated in the annual Intramural Investigators Retreat. Charles L. Sawyers, M.D., and Sara A. Courtneidge, Ph.D., D.Sc., gave the Knudson and Franklin Awards Lectures, respectively. Douglas Stewart, M.D., (DCEG) gave an invited lecture. Several others received awards.
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Keith Griffin and Sarah Irvin Receive NIH Graduate Student Research Award
Keith Griffin, M.S., and Sarah Irvin, M.S., received the NIH Graduate Student Research Award for their posters presented at the 17th Annual NIH Graduate Student Research Symposium.
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New Genetic Alterations Associated with Childhood Cancers
Investigators in the Clinical Genetics Branch examined data from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study and found survivors are more likely to carry a harmful, or likely harmful, variant in known cancer susceptibility genes compared to individuals without cancer.
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Christian Abnet and Lindsay Morton Elected to American Epidemiological Society
In March 2021, Christian Abnet and Lindsay Morton were elected to the prestigious American Epidemiological Society, an honorary society dedicated to epidemiology.
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Philip Castle Rejoins DCEG as a Senior Investigator
Dr. Castle was reinstated with scientific tenure by the NIH and rejoined DCEG as a senior investigator in the Clinical Genetics Branch.
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Cari Kitahara Awarded Scientific Tenure by the NIH
Dr. Kitahara investigates the etiology of thyroid cancer and cancer risk in patients and medical personnel exposed to diagnostic and therapeutic medical radiation. She is now a senior investigator in the Radiation Epidemiology Branch.
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ClinGen TP53 Variant Curation Expert Panel Guidelines Finalized
A multi-year process of expert review resulted in new rule specifications for the interpretation of germline genetic variants in TP53, reducing the number of clinically-relevant discrepancies and decreasing reports of variants of uncertain significance from 28% to 12%, compared with the original guidelines.
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Building A Robust Community for Fellows in the COVID-19 Era
Jackie Lavigne, Ph.D., Diane Wigfield, and Cara Murray of the Office of Education have supported fellows during the work-from-home order. They have bridged the distance inflicted by COVID-19 through virtual events, on-line and telephone support, providing virtual professional development workshops, and more.
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Acid Reflux Disease Associated with Increased Risk of Esophageal and Laryngeal Cancers
Christian Abnet, Ph.D., chief of the Metabolic Epidemiology Branch (MEB) and colleagues, found gastroesophageal reflux disease was associated with a two-fold increased risk of esophageal or laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas, using data from the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study.