Research Highlights - News Updates
Summaries of research conducted by DCEG investigators.
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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 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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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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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.
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COVID-19 Research Across the Division: DCEG Experts Address the Pandemic
Investigators have uncovered important differences in mortality patterns over the course of the pandemic, identified a novel isoform of ACE2, launched a hub to monitor seroprevalence, evaluated risks for cancer patients, and possible late effects of COVID-19, and more.
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COVID-19 Research by DCEG Featured in NCI Cancer Currents Blog
Researchers in DCEG have applied their expertise to address various aspects of the coronavirus pandemic, from volunteering in the NIH staff testing program to investigations of the underlying biology of coronavirus infections. Read about some of those activities and the work of other NCI scientists on the Cancer Currents blog.
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Subsequent Cancer Risk in Retinoblastoma Survivors
Sara Schonfeld, Ph.D., in the Radiation Epidemiology Branch (REB) and colleagues, find that survivors of hereditary retinoblastoma have an increased long-term risk of certain subsequent epithelial cancers and of developing multiple subsequent cancers.
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AI Tools Provide Picture of Cervical Health: Artificial Intelligence Simplifies Cervical Cancer Screening
I Am Intramural Blog describes DCEG research to develop artificial intelligence to create a fast, inexpensive, and easy to use method of identifying possible signs of cervical cancer using nothing more than a smartphone.
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Definition of Breast Cancer Genes for Panel Testing
An international team of scientists, known collectively as the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC), conducted an analysis of more than 113,000 women to define the genes that are most clinically useful for inclusion in panel testing and provide precise risk estimates for genetic counseling.