Research Highlights - News Updates
Summaries of research conducted by DCEG investigators.
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With Big Data Come Big Responsibilities
Data science provides a powerful transdisciplinary approach to data stewardship and analysis that allows researchers to take full advantage of the increasing scale of epidemiological data. DCEG investigators are implementing this approach across the Division by building collaborative data platforms and software tools for large-scale epidemiological research.
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Making Strides Toward Precision Medicine for Individuals with Li-Fraumeni Syndrome
LFS research conducted in the Clinical Genetics Branch reveals nuanced cancer incidence patterns, key distinctions within the LFS population, and areas for improvement in TP53 variant classification and clinical management.
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Study Suggests HPV Vaccine Would Prevent Most Cervical Cancers/Precancers Across Major U.S. Racial/Ethnic Groups
Investigators from the CDC, Biostatistics Branch, and Clinical Genetics Branch collaborated on a pooled analysis of human papillomavirus (HPV) genotype studies in the U.S. and showed that among major racial and ethnic groups, at least 84% of cervical precancers and 90% of invasive cancers were attributed to HPV types targeted by the 9-valent HPV vaccine. Among non-Hispanic Black women, a higher proportion of squamous cervical precancers were attributed to non-vaccine types, especially HPV 35.
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Small Increases in Physical Activity Could Prevent Over 100,000 Deaths/Year
A research letter from Pedro Saint-Maurice, Ph.D., and Charles Mathews, Ph.D., in the Metabolic Epidemiology Branch and Barry Graubard, Ph.D., in the Biostatistics Branch, reported that if the adult population in the United States increased moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity by 10 minutes per day, more than 100,000 deaths per year could be prevented. Similar benefits were observed regardless of sex or racial and ethnic group.
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Gastric Autoantibodies Associated with Elevated Gastric Cancer Risk in Women
Using blood samples from a cohort of young Finnish women, Minkyo Song, M.D., Ph.D., and Charles Rabkin, M.D., in the Infections and Immunology Branch and colleagues discovered an association between the presence of gastric parietal cell antibodies, which are used to diagnose autoimmune gastritis, and elevated risk of gastric cancer. These findings may explain the recent rise in gastric cancer developing at a young age.
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New Risk Model Aims to Reduce Breast Cancer Disparities in Black Women
Most breast cancer risk tools were developed with data mainly from White women and don’t work as well for Black women. A new tool that estimates risk for Black women may help identify those who might benefit from earlier screening, enabling earlier diagnosis and treatment.
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International Agency for Research on Cancer Produces New Cervical Cancer Screening Handbook
Nicolas Wentzensen chaired, and Mark Schiffman participated in an international working group convened by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), to develop an IARC Handbook of Cancer Prevention for cervical cancer. The IARC handbook summarizes the evidence on cervical cancer biology, diagnosis, and screening and demonstrates that HPV DNA testing for cervical screening has higher effectiveness and better balance of benefits and harms compared to other approaches.
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Beyond the Signature: Exposing Mutational Patterns of Cancer
Mutational signature analysis is a powerful tool for natural history and etiologic studies and could identify high-risk populations that may benefit from tailored screening, treatment, and prevention strategies. DCEG scientists seek to uncover the relationship between these unique signature patterns and the internal processes or external exposures that caused a tumor to develop.
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COVID-19 Research: Cancer Screening, Mosaicism and Infection, Seroprevalence Data Visualization
Cancer screening in the context of the pandemic, clinical validation of SARS-CoV-2 assays, genetic mosaicism and respiratory infection risk, seroprevalence data visualization tools, and more. Learn about the latest research on SARS-COV-2 with DCEG.
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Gastric and Esophageal Cancers Largely Attributable to Preventable Exposures
Christian Abnet and colleagues found that several modifiable risk factors contribute to a large proportion of cases of esophageal and gastric cancers in the U.S., representing critical targets for cancer prevention efforts.
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Estrogen Receptor-Negative Breast Cancer Trends Vary by Location, Race, and Ethnicity
Research led by Gretchen Gierach and Philip Rosenberg found variability by age, race and ethnicity, and geographic location for estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer trends in the United States, despite an overall decline in incidence.
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NIH Intramural Blog Highlights Finding on Cell Age and Transplant Outcomes
Drs. Rotana Alsaggaf and Shahinaz Gadalla in the Clinical Genetics Branch discuss their research which shows that molecular markers of cellular aging may be more accurate predictors of hematopoietic stem cell transplant success than chronological age alone.
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NIH Study Illuminates Origins of Lung Cancer in Never Smokers
A genomic analysis of lung cancer in people with no history of smoking has found that a majority of these tumors arise from the accumulation of mutations caused by natural processes in the body. This study describes for the first time three molecular subtypes of lung cancer in people who have never smoked.
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Physical Activity May Lessen the Effects of Chemobrain, Study Finds
A study found that people with breast cancer who met the minimum national physical activity guidelines before and during chemotherapy had better cognitive function immediately and six months after chemotherapy than people who did not meet the guidelines. The results were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Risk-Based Oral Cancer Screening Can Cut Costs While Maintaining High Sensitivity
Li Cheung, Ph.D., staff scientist in the Biostatistics Branch finds risk-based oral cancer screening may improve the efficiency of screening programs and still maintain high sensitivity. Findings have public health implications for low-resource settings.
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Strategic Plan Outlines Research Priorities
The five-year strategic plan outlines the critical elements to evaluate emerging exposures, including novel biomarkers, employing cutting-edge exposure assessment for a research program that utilizes the full potential of new analytic technologies and data sources. A key focus is a research program that reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of the U.S. population.
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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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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 Chornobyl 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 Chornobyl 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.