Research Highlights - News Updates
Summaries of research conducted by DCEG investigators.
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Experiences of Discrimination Linked to Higher Mortality
In the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, a large multi-ethnic cohort with nearly two decades of follow-up, Dr. Wayne Lawrence and colleagues observed an association between discrimination and mortality across all racial/ethnic groups but strongest among Black participants.
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Low Dose Radiation Linked with Elevated Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
Meta-analysis led by Dr. Mark Little finds elevated risk of cardiovascular disease associated with moderate and low doses of radiation, suggesting need for extra vigilance.
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Increased Physical Activity Linked with Lower Hospitalization Risk for Common Conditions
In a study of 82,000 UK adults, Dr. Eleanor Watts in the Metabolic Epidemiology Branch observed that higher levels of physical activity were associated with a decreased risk of hospitalization from nine common conditions, including colon polyps and urinary tract infections.
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Transgender and Gender Diverse Adults Experience Elevated Mortality Rates
In a large cohort study, Dr. Sarah Jackson and colleagues found that transgender and gender diverse adults were at increased risk of overall mortality compared to cisgender adults.
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Prevalence of VEXAS Syndrome Higher Than Expected, Genome-First Study Finds
Dr. Stewart et al. found that VEXAS syndrome, a novel medical disorder, was more prevalent than previously reported, especially among women. This study shows the power of the genome-first approach and the need to expand genetic panel testing.
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The PLCO Atlas – GWAS Explorer: Milestone in Data Sharing
The GWAS Explorer PLCO Atlas was created to serve as an interactive tool to facilitate data sharing to the public, which enables researchers to search for, visualize, and download aggregated association results from the PLCO genome-wide association analyses (GWAS).
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Black Women Have Highest Mortality Rate of Cervical Cancer Subtype Compared to All other Groups
Camyrn Cohen and colleagues found that, despite having the lowest incidence of cervical adenocarcinoma, Black women also experience the highest mortality rate of this cervical cancer subtype.
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Virtual Pooled Registry Approach Improves Cancer Ascertainment
Investigators describe the value of a Virtual Pooled Registry (VPR) for population-based cohort studies in the United States. The VPR would increase the completeness of data, and decrease the time and costs associated with linking to multiple cancer registries.
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Geographic Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Risk Among Breast Cancer Survivors
Dr. Jacqueline B. Vo led a study using SEER data that observed increased cardiovascular disease mortality risk in breast cancer survivors if they lived in lower socioeconomic and more rural counties at the time of their breast cancer diagnosis compared to those living in higher socioeconomic and more urban counties.
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NIH Intramural Blog Highlights Lung Cancer Screening Research
Hormuzd Katki, senior investigator in the Biostatistics and Branch, and Anil Chaturvedi, senior investigator in the Clinical Genetics Branch, discuss their research on lung cancer screening with the NIH’s Intramural Research Program blog, I am Intramural.
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Germline-Somatic Interactions, Telomere Biology Affect Myelofibrosis Risk
DCEG investigators have identified six germline susceptibility loci for the rare myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) myelofibrosis; four overlap with loci previously identified for overall MPN. The findings were published September 8, 2022, in Nature Communications.
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Inaugural Intramural Health Disparities Workshop
The Center for Cancer Research Health Disparity Steering Committee, DCEG Cancer Health Disparities Working Group, and Fellows Cancer Health Disparities Interest Group co-organized a workshop to communicate expectations of health disparity research, identify research resources, highlight opportunities for collaborations, and outline future directions.
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Early HPV Vaccination is Important in Reducing HPV 16/18 Prevalence
Using NHANES data, DCEG researchers found that HPV vaccination before sexual debut virtually eliminated HPV 16/18 in females but vaccination after debut only reduced HPV-16/18 prevalence by 40 percent compared to those unvaccinated. Only 59 percent of U.S. childhood HPV vaccinations occurred before sexual debut.
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Tobacco Smoke at Home Linked To Higher Mortality Across Diverse Group of Nonsmokers
Nonsmokers exposed daily to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) at home had higher mortality risks than those unexposed in a nationally representative study of the US population. These findings were observed across population subgroups of race and ethnicity, education, and household income, according to a study led by Dr. Daniela Gutiérrez in the Metabolic Epidemiology Branch.
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Largest GWAS Maps Variation in Human Height
The international consortium known as GIANT published results from the largest-known genome-wide association study (GWAS)—nearly 5.4 million people—and identified more than 12,000 genetic variants associated with variation in human height. Dr. Sonja Berndt played a major role in the study. These findings were published in Nature on October 12, 2022.
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Novel Potential Risk Factors Identified for Treatment-Related Thoracic Soft-Tissue Sarcomas
Drs. Lene Veiga and Amy Berrington in the Radiation Epidemiology Branch explored the risk of thoracic soft tissue sarcomas among breast cancer survivors in two U.S. cohorts. They identified a history of hypertension or diabetes as novel potential co-factors for radiation-induced angiosarcoma.
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Despite Recent Declines, Gastric Cancer Remains Leading Cause of Cancer Death in the Americas
Drs. Constanza Camargo, Christian Alvarez, and collaborators in Brazil, Peru, Mexico, and Spain, analyzed data from the NCI Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program and the World Health Organization to provide the most up-to-date estimates on gastric cancer mortality trends at a country-specific level for Hispanic/Latino populations. Patterns differed by country, sex, and age, revealing potential for prevention.
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Increased Meningioma Risk Following Treatments for Childhood Cancer
In the largest pooled study of childhood cancer survivors to date, Dr. Lene Veiga in the Radiation Epidemiology Branch and former fellow Dr. Diana Withrow, observed that meningioma risk increased linearly with the treatment radiation dose. Meningioma risk was higher for children treated before age 10 and persisted over 30 years after radiotherapy. Receiving the chemotherapy drug, methotrexate was also associated with increased risk of meningioma, but no dose-response relationship was observed.
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A Healthy Lifestyle May Help Former Smokers Lower Their Risk of Death from All Causes
Findings from an analysis of a large group of former smokers who participated in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study showed that former smokers who adhered to evidence-based recommendations for body weight, physical activity, and alcohol intake had a lower risk of mortality than former smokers who didn't adhere to these recommendations.
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Tea Consumption Associated with Lower Risk of Death
Investigators found that drinking 2+ cups of tea per day was associated with lower risk of death in a study of nearly five million people in the United Kingdom, where black tea is common.