Publications by authors named "Luis Carvajal-Carmona"

Background: A substantial portion of the genetic predisposition for breast cancer is explained by multiple common genetic variants of relatively small effect. A subset of these variants, which have been identified mostly in individuals of European and Asian ancestry, have been combined to construct a polygenic risk score (PRS) to predict breast cancer risk, but the prediction accuracy of existing PRSs in Hispanic/Latinx individuals (H/L) remain relatively low. We assessed the performance of several existing PRS panels with and without addition of H/L specific variants among self-reported H/L women.

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Purpose: To describe the area-level rate of breast cancers, the percentage of early-stage diagnoses (stage I-IIa), and associations between area-level measures of poverty, racial/ethnic composition, primary care shortage, and urban/rural/frontier status for the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCDCCC) catchment area.

Methods: Using data from the SEER Cancer Registry of Greater California (2014-2018) and the California Department of Health Care Access and Information Medical Service Study Area, we conducted an ecological study in the UCDCCC catchment area to identify geographies that need screening interventions and their demographic characteristics.

Results: The higher the percentage of the population identifying as Hispanic/Latino/Latinx, and the higher the percentage of the population below the 100% poverty level, the lower the odds of being diagnosed at an early-stage (OR = 0.

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Patient-derived xenografts (PDX) model human intra- and intertumoral heterogeneity in the context of the intact tissue of immunocompromised mice. Histologic imaging via hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining is routinely performed on PDX samples, which could be harnessed for computational analysis. Prior studies of large clinical H&E image repositories have shown that deep learning analysis can identify intercellular and morphologic signals correlated with disease phenotype and therapeutic response.

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Unlabelled: Precision medicine holds great promise for improving cancer outcomes. Yet, there are large inequities in the demographics of patients from whom genomic data and models, including patient-derived xenografts (PDX), are developed and for whom treatments are optimized. In this study, we developed a genetic ancestry pipeline for the Cancer Genomics Cloud, which we used to assess the diversity of models currently available in the National Cancer Institute-supported PDX Development and Trial Centers Research Network (PDXNet).

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Although patient-derived xenografts (PDX) are commonly used for preclinical modeling in cancer research, a standard approach to in vivo tumor growth analysis and assessment of antitumor activity is lacking, complicating the comparison of different studies and determination of whether a PDX experiment has produced evidence needed to consider a new therapy promising. We present consensus recommendations for assessment of PDX growth and antitumor activity, providing public access to a suite of tools for in vivo growth analyses. We expect that harmonizing PDX study design and analysis and assessing a suite of analytical tools will enhance information exchange and facilitate identification of promising novel therapies and biomarkers for guiding cancer therapy.

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Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States (U.S.) and the leading cause of cancer related death among U.

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Unlabelled: Gastric cancer is a leading cause of cancer mortality and health disparities in Latinos. We evaluated gastric intratumoral heterogeneity using multiregional sequencing of >700 cancer genes in 115 tumor biopsies from 32 patients, 29 who were Latinos. Analyses focused on comparisons with The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and on mutation clonality, druggability, and signatures.

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Background: Prostate cancer (PrCa) is one of the most hereditable human cancers, however, only a small fraction of patients has been shown to carry deleterious variants in known cancer predisposition genes.

Methods: Whole-exome sequencing was performed in multiple affected members of 45 PrCa families to select the best candidate genes behind part of the PrCa missing hereditability. Recurrently mutated genes were prioritised, and further investigated by targeted next-generation sequencing in the whole early-onset and/or familial PrCa series of 462 patients.

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A recent study published in The Journal of Pathology used an shRNA library targeting all known human genes involved in metabolism to identify genes important for gastric cancer. The screen identified aspartyl-tRNA synthetase (DARS) as a potential drug target, and patients whose tumors had high DARS levels had a worse prognosis, particularly among diffuse-type gastric cancer. These findings identify a potential therapeutic target for precision medicine of gastric cancer patients, and may be useful for further investigations to discover additional interacting targets.

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Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the U.S. and the leading cause of cancer death among Hispanics/Latinas (H/L).

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Background: There is a need to assess neighborhood-level factors driving COVID-19 disparities across racial and ethnic groups.

Objective: To use census tract-level data to investigate neighborhood-level factors contributing to racial and ethnic group-specific COVID-19 case rates in California.

Design: Quasi-Poisson generalized linear models were used to identify neighborhood-level factors associated with COVID-19 cases.

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Background: Cancer is the leading cause of death among Latinos, the largest minority population in the United States (US). To address cancer challenges experienced by Latinos, we conducted a catchment area population assessment (CAPA) using validated questions from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) population health assessment supplement at our NCI-designated cancer center in California.

Methods: A mixed-methods CAPA was administered by bilingual-bicultural staff, with a focus on understanding the differences between foreign-born and US-born Latinos.

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have coevolved with mankind since its origins, adapting to different human groups. In America, has evolved into several subpopulations. We analysed the genome of 154 Colombian strains along with 1,091 strains from worldwide populations to discern the ancestry and adaption to Colombian people.

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Background: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of multiple myeloma in populations of European ancestry (EA) identified and confirmed 24 susceptibility loci. For other cancers (e.g.

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Article Synopsis
  • The PDX Network (PDXNet) portal centralizes resources funded by the National Cancer Institute to enhance collaboration and simplify access to important cancer research data.
  • It contains information on 334 new PDX models across 33 cancer types, with samples stored in the NCI's Patient-Derived Model Repository for public access.
  • The portal provides validated analysis workflows with extensive sequencing data, continually updates with new resources, and serves as a valuable tool for cancer researchers focusing on treatment studies and preclinical trials.
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Cancer health disparities define a critical healthcare issue for racial/ethnic minorities in the USA. Key findings have led to cancer treatment improvements tailored to minority patients, but such successes have been rare. Here, we highlight how the use of patient-derived xenograft (PDX) and organoid models could resolve current blocks toward precision cancer health equity.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the BRCA1 c.3331_3334delCAAG mutation found in breast and ovarian cancer families across various Hispanic groups and aims to assess its genetic diversity in individuals of different ancestries (European, African, Latin American).
  • Researchers analyzed genetic samples from mutation carriers in Colombia, Spain, Portugal, Chile, Brazil, and Africa to understand the mutation's history and its haplotype across these populations. Results showed a common genetic region among all carriers and estimated the mutation's age at around 100 generations.
  • The findings suggest the mutation originated in Iberia and was brought to South America during the early 1500s Spanish colonization, with Colombian carriers showing
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Article Synopsis
  • - The text discusses the significant disparities in cancer incidence and outcomes among different racial and ethnic groups, attributed to a mix of social, economic, environmental, behavioral, and biological factors.
  • - Research on cancer has predominantly focused on populations of European descent, leading to gaps in understanding and addressing the unique cancer experiences of ethnic minorities in the USA.
  • - The review emphasizes the need for more inclusive research and better access to healthcare services for racial and ethnic minorities, addressing structural inequities like racism to help reduce cancer health disparities.
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Studies examining genetic conditions common in Latin America are highly underrepresented in the scientific literature. Understanding of the population structure is limited, particularly Chile, in part due to the lack of available population specific data. An important first-step in elucidating disease mechanisms in Latin America countries is to understand the genetic structure of isolated populations.

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We present the complete genome sequences of three strains isolated from patients who resided in Tolima Department, Colombia, diagnosed with chronic gastritis. The genomes present an average length of 1.6 Mbp and 1,546 genes and correspond to different subpopulations.

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Women of Latin American origin in the United States are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced breast cancer and have a higher risk of mortality than non-Hispanic White women. Studies in U.S.

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