Infectious Agents
Viral and bacterial infections are known to cause a number of different malignancies in populations worldwide. DCEG carries out multidisciplinary studies of carefully selected populations in the United States and abroad, with the goal of clarifying the relationship of infectious agents, especially viruses, to human cancer and other conditions. DCEG has concentrated on HIV, human papillomaviruses (HPV), hepatitis viruses, and Epstein-Barr virus.
In response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, a collaborative group of epidemiologists, geneticists, and data scientists accelerated the discovery of outcomes and risk factors for patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. Learn more about our COVID-19-related research.
Hepatitis Viruses
- Laboratory of Ludmilla Prokunina-Olsson
Dr. Prokunina-Olsson's lab discovered a novel human interferon, IFN-λ4, by performing a follow-up of GWAS findings for clearance of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The IFNL4 genotype plays a key role in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, as well as in other conditions.
- Hepatitis Viruses and Liver Cancer
DCEG investigators conduct interdisciplinary collaborative studies that integrate epidemiology, virology, and human genetics to study chronic hepatitis virus infection, the cause of most hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the third leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide.
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccines
Recent News
Early HPV Vaccination is Important in Reducing HPV 16/18 Prevalence
Validation of a Low-cost, Rapid HPV DNA Genotyping Test for Cervical Cancer Prevention
HPV 16 Variants Associated with Prognosis for Oropharyngeal Cancer
HPV 35 Infection and Associated Cervical Precancer More Common Among Women of African Ancestry
- Costa Rica HPV Vaccine Trial (CVT) and Long-Term Follow-up
A randomized, controlled phase III trial of a vaccine to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 and 18 infections and their associated cervical lesions in Costa Rica. - ESCUDDO Efficacy Trial
A study to determine if one dose of the HPV vaccines works as well as giving two doses of these vaccines to young women. - PRIMAVERA Immunobridging Trial
A non-inferiority trial comparing immunogenicity from one dose of bivalent HPV vaccine in girls to three doses of quadrivalent vaccine in women. - PRISMA Efficacy Trial
A study to determine if one dose of HPV vaccine is sufficient to reduce the risk of HPV infection in women, compared to no vaccine—the standard in the majority of the world. - Study of HPV Vaccine Efficacy at Extracervical sites
A study to determine the impact of HPV vaccination in preventing infections in the oral, vulvar, and anal regions.
HPV Clinical Screening and Management
- Anal Precancer and Cancer in HIV-Positive Men (Anal Cancer Screening Study)
A study of anal cancer risk in HIV-positive men who have sex with men. - ASC-US/LSIL Triage Study (ALTS)
A study of the clinical management of low-grade cervical cytologic abnormalities. - Biopsy Study to Improve Detection of Cervical Precancer
A collaborative study on colposcopic biopsy that aims to study cervical disease on the lesion level, optimize criteria for biopsy placement, and analyze the incremental benefit of taking multiple biopsies. - Cervical Cancer Screening Among HIV-Infected Women in India
A study to evaluate a cohort of HIV-infected women using two novel and potentially sustainable, lower-cost tests for accurate screening for cervical cancer. - Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Genomics Project
This project is designed to interrogate the relationship between sequence changes in the HPV genome and carcinogenicity. There is huge variability in risk of precancer and cancer conferred by different HPV types that is poorly explained. HPV type 16 is known to cause half of all cervical cancer cases worldwide, however, the specific reason for its carcinogenicity has been elusive. - STRIDES: Studying Risk and Improving Disparities of Cervical Cancer in Mississippi
The NCI is partnering with the University of Mississippi Medical Center to evaluate risk of cervical precancer and to study novel biomarkers in women undergoing cervical cancer screening. - Study to Understand Cervical Cancer Early Endpoints and Determinants (SUCCEED)
A study to comprehensively assess biomarkers of risk for progressive cervical neoplasia, and thus develop a new set of biomarkers that can distinguish those at highest risk of cervical cancer from those with benign infection.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
- HIV/AIDS Cancer Match Study
HIV/AIDS cancer match study examines cancer risk among people living with HIV infection in the United States.
Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)
- EBV-Associated Gastric Cancer
DCEG studies of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and gastric cancer - EBV Screening for the Early Detection of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) Screening for the Early Detection of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC) in China demonstration project includes a group of approximately 52,000 men and women ages 30-69 recruited into the active screening arm of a community-randomized trial to evaluate the impact of EBV-based antibody screening on NPC mortality rates. - Epidemiology of Burkitt Lymphoma in East African Children and Minors (EMBLEM)
A large, multidisciplinary epidemiological effort to evaluate environmental and host factors associated with childhood Burkitt lymphoma in sub-Saharan Africa.