DCEG News Updates
The latest news and research findings from the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics.
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Shahinaz Gadalla, M.D., Ph.D., Ludmila Prokunina-Olsson, Ph.D., and colleagues find acute leukemia patients receiving a hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) from donors with IFNL4-null genotype experience reduced risk of death from non-relapse related causes. Findings published October 2020 in Lancet Haematology.
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An international team of experts led by Dr. Prokunina-Olsson identified dACE2, a novel isoform of ACE2 (the cell receptor used by the SARS-CoV-2 virus to infect the body). The new report suggests that production of dACE2 and not ACE2 is affected by the presence of interferons, contributed by treatment or various viral infections, including SARS-CoV-2.
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Lauren Hurwitz and Michael Cook in the Metabolic Epidemiology Branch proposed a standardized definition for aggressive prostate cancer for use in epidemiologic research and compared its performance using data from the NCI SEER-18 database. The findings were published October 3, 2020, in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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Researchers in Sweden have confirmed that widespread use of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine dramatically reduces the number of women who will develop cervical cancer. Aimée R. Kreimer, Ph.D., senior investigator in the Infections and Immunoepidemiology Branch, discusses the impact of the study for a featured research highlight on the NCI Cancer Currents blog.
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Neal Freedman, in collaboration with researchers in the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences and National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, examined the use of e-cigarettes by U.S. adults in the largest nationally representative tobacco use survey. The findings were published in JAMA Network Open October 13, 2020.
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Payal Khincha was appointed assistant clinical investigator in the Clinical Genetics Branch in Spring 2020. She will build an independent research program investigating the genetic and clinical epidemiology of individuals with Li-Fraumeni Syndrome.
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Dr. Clarke combines molecular, clinical, and population-based approaches to address etiology, prevention, and early detection of anogenital and endometrial cancers, yielding results that inform natural history and clinical management. She has designed and implemented several new studies that will establish long-term resources to address novel questions related to disease natural history and risk factors in racially diverse and underserved populations.
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Across the biomedical research community, investigators have turned their attention to the pandemic with the hope of uncovering clues to improve health outcomes from COVID-19 infections, to better understand risk, develop therapeutics and vaccines, and to identify those at greatest risk. DCEG investigators are applying their expertise in analyzing cancer incidence trends, assay development, germline genomics, and other techniques, to the study of COVID-19.
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The NCI Director’s Intramural Innovation Award Program is designed to support development of highly innovative approaches and technology aimed at significant cancer–related problems. Winning proposals showed potential for significant scientific or public health impact, as well as approach, innovation, and programmatic relevance to the mission of the Division. Award winners include Drs. Jiyeon Choi, M. Constanza Camargo, Jongeun Rhee, Katelyn Connelly, Minkyo Song, Monica D'Arcy, and Rohit Thakur.
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Jonathan Hofmann, Ph.D., and collaborators find that perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is associated with increased risk of kidney cancer in a prospective population-based U.S. cohort.
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Investigators in the Radiation Epidemiology Branch assessed the current cause-specific mortality following chemotherapy for classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) in the largest population-based study of more than 20,000 individuals diagnosed with cHL during 2000-2015, an era reflecting contemporary treatment approaches.
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Over his forty-year career, Dr. Graubard has mentored countless young statisticians and epidemiologists, sharing his intelligence and enthusiasm for statistics with unbounded generosity.
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Dr. Jill Koshiol was awarded scientific tenure by the NIH and promoted to senior investigator in the Infections and Immunoepidemiology Branch in September 2020.
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Routine cervical cancer screening is very effective for preventing cervical cancer and deaths from the disease. On July 30, the American Cancer Society (ACS) published an updated guideline for cervical cancer screening. The guideline’s recommendations differ in a few ways from ACS’s prior recommendations and those of other groups. Nicolas Wentzensen, M.D., Ph.D., explains the changes in an interview on the NCI Cancer Currents blog.
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Joseph Scotto, M.S., retired NCI biostatistician and epidemiologist, passed away on August 5, 2020, at the age of 81. Mr. Scotto applied his expertise in statistics toward the development of population-based studies of skin cancer and provided a model for evaluating and mitigating threats to public health that may be posed by climate change.
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Meredith Shiels and colleagues investigated whether patterns and trends in mortality from drug poisoning, suicide and alcohol-induced deaths varied by different geographic and demographic factors in 2000-2017. The findings were published in JAMA Network Open on September 11, 2020.
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Erikka Loftfield was selected as an Earl Stadtman tenure-track investigator in the Metabolic Epidemiology Branch (MEB) in April 2020. Dr. Loftfield will develop an integrative research program investigating the interplay between diet, metabolism, the microbiome and genetics to advance current understanding of the relationship between diet and cancer.
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The twelfth annual DCEG Fellows’ Symposium was held virtually on July 2, 2020. The theme for this year was “Mine the Gap: Research in Underrepresented Populations,” and explored the challenges in health disparities among underrepresented populations and the role of research in closing the gap.
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Rashmi Sinha, Ph.D., received the Fred P. Li Impact Award for her article, “Collecting Fecal Samples for Microbiome Analyses in Epidemiology Studies,” at the annual AACR meeting in 2020.
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Martha Linet and Annelie Landgren received the Constance L. Percy Award for Distinguished Service in recognition of their work on the Virtual Pooled Registry Cancer Linkage System.