Cancer Epidemiology in Hispanic Populations: Needs and Opportunities.

This report provides a summary of the identified evidence gaps and a general discussion of the next steps to advance cancer epidemiology research in Hispanic/Latino (H/L) populations based partly on the workshop, "Cancer Epidemiology in Hispanic Populations," convened by the NCI in September 2021. The cancer burden among H/L populations varies greatly by nativity and country of origin, yet this variation is not often captured due to systemic challenges in how racial/ethnic data have been collected and often reported in aggregate for this heterogeneous population. Developing culturally relevant assessment tools, increasing the representation of H/L participants, and adopting appropriate methodologic approaches are critical to enhancing cancer research.

Cancer Epidemiology in Hispanic Populations: An Analysis of Funded Observational Research at the National Cancer Institute.

Background: More than 62 million people self-identified as Hispanic/Latino (H/L) in the 2020 United States census. The U.S.

Examining the Asian American leadership gap and inclusion issues with federal employee data: Recommendations for inclusive workforce analytic practices.

In April 2021, a coalition of employee resource groups called the Federation of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Network, or FAN, was established at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The coalition aims to be a unifying voice that represents and serves these diverse communities. Discussion within the group centered around the persistent inequities and the lack of inclusion that the Asian American communities have long endured.

Perception of worry of harm from air pollution: results from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS).

Background: Air pollution exposure has been associated with a multitude of diseases and poses a significant concern to public health. For targeted environmental risk communication and interventions to be effective, it is important to correctly identify characteristics associated with worry of harm from air pollution.

Methods: Using responses from 3,630 participants of the Health Information National Trends Survey 4 Cycle 2, we assessed worry of harm from exposure to indoor (IAP) and outdoor (OAP) air pollution separately.

Opportunities for Gene and Environment Research in Cancer: An Updated Review of NCI's Extramural Grant Portfolio.

Background: The study of gene-environment (GxE) interactions is a research priority for the NCI. Previously, our group analyzed NCI's extramural grant portfolio from fiscal years (FY) 2007 to 2009 to determine the state of the science in GxE research. This study builds upon our previous effort and examines changes in the landscape of GxE cancer research funded by NCI.

Next steps in studying the human microbiome and health in prospective studies, Bethesda, MD, May 16-17, 2017.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) sponsored a 2-day workshop, "Next Steps in Studying the Human Microbiome and Health in Prospective Studies," in Bethesda, Maryland, May 16-17, 2017. The workshop brought together researchers in the field to discuss the challenges of conducting microbiome studies, including study design, collection and processing of samples, bioinformatics and statistical methods, publishing results, and ensuring reproducibility of published results. The presenters emphasized the great potential of microbiome research in understanding the etiology of cancer.

Association of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D with Liver Cancer Incidence and Chronic Liver Disease Mortality in Finnish Male Smokers of the ATBC Study.

Although circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations were linked to liver cancer and chronic liver disease (CLD) in laboratory studies, few epidemiologic studies have addressed the associations. Within the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study, we measured 25(OH)D in baseline serum of 202 incident liver cancer cases and 225 CLD deaths that occurred during nearly 25 years of follow-up, and 427 controls. ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using unconditional logistic regression.

Research Strategies for Nutritional and Physical Activity Epidemiology and Cancer Prevention.

Very large international and ethnic differences in cancer rates exist, are minimally explained by genetic factors, and show the huge potential for cancer prevention. A substantial portion of the differences in cancer rates can be explained by modifiable factors, and many important relationships have been documented between diet, physical activity, and obesity, and incidence of important cancers. Other related factors, such as the microbiome and the metabolome, are emerging as important intermediary components in cancer prevention.

Nut Consumption and Lung Cancer Risk: Results from Two Large Observational Studies.

Epidemiologic evidence on the association between nut consumption and lung cancer risk is limited. We investigated this relationship in the Environment and Genetics in Lung Cancer Etiology (EAGLE) study, a population-based case-control study, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Diet and Health Study, a prospective cohort. We identified 2,098 lung cases for EAGLE and 18,533 incident cases in AARP.

Higher Glucose and Insulin Levels Are Associated with Risk of Liver Cancer and Chronic Liver Disease Mortality among Men without a History of Diabetes.

Insulin resistance likely increases the risk of chronic liver disease (CLD) and liver cancer, but long-term prospective studies with measured fasting glucose and insulin are lacking. We evaluated the associations of prediagnostic fasting glucose, insulin, and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) with liver cancer and CLD mortality in a prospective study of Finnish male smokers with extended follow-up time (≤22 years) and information on known risk factors using data from 138 incident primary liver cancer cases, 216 CLD deaths, and 681 matched controls. Fasting glucose and insulin were measured in baseline serum.

The Cancer Epidemiology Descriptive Cohort Database: A Tool to Support Population-Based Interdisciplinary Research.

Background: We report on the establishment of a web-based Cancer Epidemiology Descriptive Cohort Database (CEDCD). The CEDCD's goals are to enhance awareness of resources, facilitate interdisciplinary research collaborations, and support existing cohorts for the study of cancer-related outcomes.

Methods: Comprehensive descriptive data were collected from large cohorts established to study cancer as primary outcome using a newly developed questionnaire.

Coffee Consumption and Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma by Sex: The Liver Cancer Pooling Project.

Background: Coffee consumption has been reported to be inversely associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of liver cancer. Caffeine has chemopreventive properties, but whether caffeine is responsible for the coffee-HCC association is not well studied. In addition, few studies have examined the relationship by sex, and no studies have examined whether there is an association between coffee and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), the second most common type of liver cancer.

Association of seropositivity to Helicobacter species and biliary tract cancer in the ATBC study.

Unlabelled: Helicobacter have been detected in human bile and hepatobiliary tissue. Despite evidence that Helicobacter species promote gallstone formation and hepatobiliary tumors in laboratory studies, it remains unclear whether Helicobacter species contribute to these cancers in humans. We used a multiplex panel to assess whether seropositivity to 15 Helicobacter pylori proteins was associated with subsequent incidence of hepatobiliary cancers in the Finnish Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention (ATBC) Study.

Association of C-peptide and leptin with prostate cancer incidence in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.

Purpose: Hyperinsulinemia is hypothesized to influence prostate cancer risk. Thus, we evaluated the association of circulating C-peptide, which is a marker of insulin secretion, and leptin, which is secreted in response to insulin and influences insulin sensitivity, with prostate cancer risk.

Methods: We identified prostate cancer cases (n = 1,314) diagnosed a mean of 5.

The association between self-reported diabetes and cancer incidence in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study.

Context: Epidemiological studies have observed associations between diabetes and a number of different cancers. Yet the association with cancer overall and the interrelationship of diabetes and obesity with cancer have been unclear. OBJECTIVE, DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We evaluated the association between self-reported diabetes and cancer incidence in the NIH-AARP (National Institutes of Health-American Association of Retired Persons) Diet and Health Study, a prospective cohort in which 295,276 men and 199,591 women completed a questionnaire in 1995-1996 and were followed up for cancer through 2006.

Racial variation in umbilical cord blood leptin concentration in male babies.

Background: We hypothesize that racial differences in utero contribute to the racial disparity in prostate cancer risk. Leptin is a candidate for evaluating this hypothesis because it influences fetal development and newborn growth.

Methods: We measured leptin concentration by ELISA in venous cord blood collected from 70 African-American and 37 white male full-term babies.

Association between C-peptide concentration and prostate cancer incidence in the CLUE II cohort study.

Diabetes, characterized by perturbations in insulin production and signaling, is inversely associated with prostate cancer risk irrespective of stage. Obesity, a diabetes risk factor, is inversely associated with localized disease but positively associated with advanced disease. To understand the complex association between hyperinsulinemia and prostate cancer, we evaluated the association of plasma C-peptide, an insulin secretion marker, with prostate cancer risk in a case-control study nested in a prospective community cohort.

Barriers to recruiting underrepresented populations to cancer clinical trials: a systematic review.

Racial and ethnic minorities, older adults, rural residents, and individuals of low socioeconomic status are underrepresented among participants in cancer-related trials. The authors conducted a systematic review to determine the barriers to participation of underrepresented populations in cancer-related trials. Their search included English-language publications that reported original data on the recruitment of underrepresented groups to cancer treatment or prevention trials between 1966 and December 2005 in multiple electronic databases.

Applying justice in clinical trials for diverse populations.

Background: Considerable attention has focused on increasing clinical trial participation for members of "underrepresented groups". However, doing so involves clarifying how to meet the demands of justice, or fairness, which provides the ethical mandate to enhance broad trial representation.

Purpose: To examine the ethical principle of justice as it applies to recruiting diverse populations to clinical trials representation.

Provider roles in the recruitment of underrepresented populations to cancer clinical trials.

Background: Providers play a vital role in the successful recruitment of underrepresented patients to cancer clinical trials because they often introduce the opportunity of clinical trials. The purpose of the current systematic review was to describe provider-related factors influencing recruitment of underrepresented populations to cancer clinical trials.

Methods: To find original studies on the recruitment of underrepresented populations to cancer clinical trials, electronic databases from January 1966 to December 2005 were searched; hand-searched titles in 34 journals from January 2003 to January 2006; and reference lists were examined of eligible articles.

Effectiveness of strategies to recruit underrepresented populations into cancer clinical trials.

Background: Certain populations, including racial and ethnic minorities and older persons, have had a history of low participation in cancer-related trials, yet there has been little information reported on recruitment strategies tailored to improve their enrollment.

Methods: We conducted a systematic literature review to examine the methods used to study recruitment of underrepresented populations into cancer prevention and treatment trials and examined the studies that compared the efficacy and/or effectiveness of different recruitment strategies. We performed an electronic search through multiple databases including PubMed and a hand search of 34 journals.