Research Highlights - News Updates
Summaries of research conducted by DCEG investigators.
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Trends in Early Onset Cancers
A research team led by Dr. Meredith Shiels analyzed cancer incidence and mortality rates for 33 cancers in different age groups in the United States. The study analyzed how cancer rates in people under 50 have changed over time compared to older age groups (70 to 79 years). The results could generate insights into risk factors that are particularly important in early age groups.
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Study of Oral Microbiome Describes the Mouth of America
A research team led by Dr. Christian Abnet characterized the composition, diversity, and correlates of the oral microbiome of US adults in a new cross-sectional study. They described the associations between age, sex, tobacco use, alcohol, BMI and other individual characteristics and different aspects of the oral microbiome. This is the first population representative description of a human microbiome, which that includes describing the the prevalence of different bacterial genera in the US population.
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Light Intensity Physical Activity Linked to Lower Cancer Risk
A new NIH study of 85,000 adults in the United Kingdom found that individuals who engaged in light- and moderate-to-vigorous-intensity daily physical activity had a lower risk of cancer than individuals who were more sedentary. Participants in the study wore accelerometers to track their total daily activity, its intensity, and daily step count. The researchers determined that a higher step count, at any pace, can help lower cancer risk.
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Self Collection for HPV Testing to Prevent Cervical Cancer: New Guidelines Published
New guidelines for clinicians advise on cervical cancer screening using self-collected vaginal samples. Self-collection expands screening options and has potential to increase access for individuals who have never been screened or are not receiving adequate screening.
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Prototype AI Program Detects Biomarkers that Could Predict Cervical Cancer Risk
The NIH Intramural Research program highlights Dr. Nicolas Wentzensen’s prototype artificial intelligence program that reviews cervical cell samples and detects proteins that could predict cervical cancer risk.
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Pacific Islander Adults Experience Significantly Higher Overall and Leading-Cause Death Rates than Asian American Adults in the U.S.
Health data of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander individuals have often been aggregated, but Jacqueline B. Vo, Jaimie Z. Shing, and colleagues observed significantly higher death rates among Pacific Islander individuals compared to Asian Americans between 2018 and 2020.
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Testicular Cancer Incidence Rising in the U.S., Especially Among Hispanic Men
Dr. McGlynn and colleagues found testicular cancer incidence rates among Hispanic men rose to the levels of rates among non-Hispanic White men in 2021, marking a significant development in the descriptive epidemiology of testicular cancer in the U.S.
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Tool Estimates Colorectal Cancer Survival for Patients in Need of Organ Transplantation
The new web-based tool, developed by Dr. Eric Engels and colleagues, provides estimates that a colorectal cancer patient will not die from their cancer in the next five years, calculated both at the time of their cancer diagnosis and updated to accommodate the passage of time since their cancer diagnosis. The authors illustrate how these probabilities can inform organ transplant guidelines and help clinicians decide when it is safe to offer a transplant for individual patients with a history of colorectal cancer.
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Ancestry-adjusted Model to Facilitate Patient Engagement in Lung Cancer Prevention
A new ancestry-adjusted risk prediction model, Genomic-informed Care for Motivating High Risk Individuals Eligible for Evidence-based Prevention (GREAT), may aid patients in decision-making around lung cancer prevention. The model and its performance are described in a paper published November 8, 2024, in the journal eBioMedicine.
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HPV Single-Dose Protection: JNCI Monograph Summarizes the Evidence
Aimée Kreimer and fellow guest editors published, “State of the Science of Single-Dose Prophylactic HPV Vaccination,” a Journal of the National Cancer Institute Monograph comprised of 13 studies which together update the state of the science on single-dose HPV vaccination since World Health Organization’s recommendation in 2022 of an alternative single-dose schedule.
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Physical Activity, Metabolic Adaptation, and Risk of Breast Cancer
A new study by Dr. Eleanor Watts and investigators in the Metabolic Epidemiology Branch explores how physical activity influences metabolic pathways and how these changes might lower breast cancer risk. Higher physical activity was associated with a broad range of metabolic adaptations, highlighting potential role of fatty acid metabolism in breast cancer prevention.
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Guidelines for Diagnosis and Management of Pediatric Melanocytic Tumors
A multidisciplinary panel of experts, convened by the Children’s Oncology Group, has published consensus guidelines for diagnostic evaluation and surgical management of pediatric melanocytic tumors.
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Single Cell Atlas Characterizes Mechanisms of Lung Cancer Risk Variants
Multiple genetic loci are associated with lung cancer risk, but the underlying genetic mechanisms remain poorly understood. Dr. Jiyeon Choi from the Laboratory of Translational Genomics and her colleagues analyzed normal lung cells from ever- and never-smokers using single-cell multiomics. The data highlighted cell-type-specific gene regulation underlying lung cancer susceptibility.
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Genomic Landscape of Sebaceous Tumors
Dr. Michael Sargen, in collaboration with investigators in the Center for Cancer Research, compared the genomic landscape of benign and malignant sebaceous tumors to identify molecular changes that could potentially be diagnostic biomarkers or targeted for therapy.
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Somatic Mutations in Routinely Collected Cervical Cells Associated with Infection Outcome and HPV Type
Investigators in the Clinical Genetics Branch, led by senior investigator Lisa Mirabello and former research fellow Maísa Pinheiro, used deep targeted sequencing to look for hotspot somatic driver mutations resulting from persistent infection with one of the three most carcinogenic types of human papillomavirus (HPV types 16, 18, and 45) in cells collected during routine screening for cervical cancer. These mutations may serve as a clinically meaningful biomarker of carcinogenesis in individuals with persistent HPV infection.
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Genes Associated with Renal Cell Carcinoma Investigated
Researchers led by Dr. Diptavo Dutta conducted transcriptome- and proteome-wide association studies to increase understanding of genes and proteins associated with renal cell carcinoma and identify potential therapeutic targets.
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Life Course Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status Associated with Premature Mortality
In an analysis led by Dr. Wayne Lawrence and colleagues, using data from 12,610 Black and White men and women living in the United States, low neighborhood socioeconomic status experienced during young to middle adulthood was associated with higher risk of premature mortality. The relationship was most pronounced among women.
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Comprehensive Literature Review Confirms Etiologic Heterogeneity by Breast Cancer Subtype
Dr. Amber Hurson and colleagues found evidence to support etiologic heterogeneity by estrogen receptor (ER) subtype for some risk factors, which was consistent across racial and ethnic groups in a qualitative, scoping review of literature published between 1990-2022.
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Fusion Genes Linked to Metastasis after Thyroid Cancer
Patients with papillary thyroid carcinomas, the most common thyroid cancer, driven by gene fusions are more likely to present with cervical lymph node metastases at diagnosis than those with PTCs driven by point mutations, study finds.
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Researchers Identify Rare Cancers Possibly Caused by Viruses
Investigators in the Infections and Immunoepidemiology Branch, led by Drs. Cameron Haas and Eric Engels, identified several rare cancers not known to be caused by a virus, for which people with a compromised immune system had a higher risk, providing strong evidence that these cancers could be caused by an infectious agent.