Redefining precision cancer prevention to promote health equity.

Precision cancer prevention as it is currently envisioned is a targeted, molecular-based approach to intercept carcinogenesis before cancer develops or before it becomes untreatable. Unfortunately, due to systemic biases, current precision cancer prevention interventions might not be effective in all populations, especially in minoritized communities. In addition, not all cancer risk is attributable to genetic or even biological factors, but includes social determinants of health (SDH).

Discovery and fine-mapping of height loci via high-density imputation of GWASs in individuals of African ancestry.

Although many loci have been associated with height in European ancestry populations, very few have been identified in African ancestry individuals. Furthermore, many of the known loci have yet to be generalized to and fine-mapped within a large-scale African ancestry sample. We performed sex-combined and sex-stratified meta-analyses in up to 52,764 individuals with height and genome-wide genotyping data from the African Ancestry Anthropometry Genetics Consortium (AAAGC).

A meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of multiple myeloma among men and women of African ancestry.

Persons of African ancestry (AA) have a twofold higher risk for multiple myeloma (MM) compared with persons of European ancestry (EA). Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) support a genetic contribution to MM etiology in individuals of EA. Little is known about genetic risk factors for MM in individuals of AA.

Impact of adverse childhood experiences on cardiovascular disease risk factors in adulthood among Mexican women.

Background: Childhood adversities are prevalent worldwide and might affect adult cardiovascular health. However, in middle-income countries such as Mexico, research on the impact of childhood adversities on cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adulthood is lacking.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and their association with risk factors for CVD in adult Mexican women.

Association of Blood Marker of Inflammation in Late Adolescence With Premature Mortality.

This study evaluates the association of inflammation in late adolescence as measured by erythrocyte sedimentation rate with cause-specific mortality among healthy Swedish men assessed for conscription in the military.

Socioenvironmental adversity and risk of prostate cancer in non-Hispanic black and white men.

Non-Hispanic black (NHB) men experience higher risk of prostate cancer than other racial/ethnic groups, and it is possible that socioenvironmental (SE) adversity and resulting stress may contribute to this disparity. Data from the Southern Community Cohort Study were used to evaluate associations between SE adversity and perceived stress in relation to prostate cancer risk, overall and by race/ethnicity and grade. Between 2002 and 2009, 26,741 men completed a questionnaire, from which an 8-item SE adversity composite was created (covering socioeconomic status, residential environment, and social support/buffers).

Allergies and Asthma in Relation to Cancer Risk.

Background: Allergies and asthma, conditions commonly characterized by immunoglobulin E-mediated atopic reactions, may decrease cancer risk via increases in immunosurveillance, but may increase risk due to persistent immune stimulation. Associations between allergies and asthma and cancer risk remain unclear, and it is unknown whether associations vary by race/ethnicity.

Methods: We evaluated these associations in the Southern Community Cohort Study.

Baseline Prostate-specific Antigen Level in Midlife and Aggressive Prostate Cancer in Black Men.

Background: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) measurement in midlife predicts long-term prostate cancer (PCa) mortality among white men.

Objective: To determine whether baseline PSA level during midlife predicts risk of aggressive PCa in black men.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Nested case-control study among black men in the Southern Community Cohort Study recruited between 2002 and 2009.

Characterizing Genetic Susceptibility to Breast Cancer in Women of African Ancestry.

Genome-wide association studies have identified approximately 100 common genetic variants associated with breast cancer risk, the majority of which were discovered in women of European ancestry. Because of different patterns of linkage disequilibrium, many of these genetic markers may not represent signals in populations of African ancestry. We tested 74 breast cancer risk variants and conducted fine-mapping of these susceptibility regions in 6,522 breast cancer cases and 7,643 controls of African ancestry from three genetic consortia (AABC, AMBER, and ROOT).

Novel colon cancer susceptibility variants identified from a genome-wide association study in African Americans.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in ethnic/racial minority populations can help to fine-map previously identified risk regions or discover new risk loci because of the genetic diversity in these populations. We conducted a GWAS of colorectal cancer (CRC) in 6,597 African Americans (1,894 cases and 4,703 controls) (Stage 1) and followed up the most promising markers in a replication set of 2,041 participants of African descent (891 cases and 1,150 controls) (Stage 2). We identified a novel variant, rs56848936 in the gene SYMPK at 19q13.

Genome-wide association studies in women of African ancestry identified 3q26.21 as a novel susceptibility locus for oestrogen receptor negative breast cancer.

Multiple breast cancer loci have been identified in previous genome-wide association studies, but they were mainly conducted in populations of European ancestry. Women of African ancestry are more likely to have young-onset and oestrogen receptor (ER) negative breast cancer for reasons that are unknown and understudied. To identify genetic risk factors for breast cancer in women of African descent, we conducted a meta-analysis of two genome-wide association studies of breast cancer; one study consists of 1,657 cases and 2,029 controls genotyped with Illumina’s HumanOmni2.

Built Environment and Depression in Low-Income African Americans and Whites.

Introduction: Urban environments are associated with a higher risk of adverse mental health outcomes; however, it is unclear which specific components of the urban environment drive these associations.

Methods: Using data collected in 2002-2009 from 73,225 low-income, racially diverse individuals across the Southeastern U.S.

A Meta-analysis of Multiple Myeloma Risk Regions in African and European Ancestry Populations Identifies Putatively Functional Loci.

Background: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in European populations have identified genetic risk variants associated with multiple myeloma.

Methods: We performed association testing of common variation in eight regions in 1,318 patients with multiple myeloma and 1,480 controls of European ancestry and 1,305 patients with multiple myeloma and 7,078 controls of African ancestry and conducted a meta-analysis to localize the signals, with epigenetic annotation used to predict functionality.

Results: We found that variants in 7p15.

An intergenic risk locus containing an enhancer deletion in 2q35 modulates breast cancer risk by deregulating IGFBP5 expression.

Breast cancer is the most diagnosed malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer mortality in females. Previous association studies have identified variants on 2q35 associated with the risk of breast cancer. To identify functional susceptibility loci for breast cancer, we interrogated the 2q35 gene desert for chromatin architecture and functional variation correlated with gene expression.

Use of glucosamine and chondroitin supplements in relation to risk of colorectal cancer: Results from the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals follow-up study.

Recent epidemiologic evidence has emerged to suggest that use of glucosamine and chondroitin supplements may be associated with reduced risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). We therefore evaluated the association between use of these non-vitamin, non-mineral supplements and risk of CRC in two prospective cohorts, the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Regular use of glucosamine and chondroitin was first assessed in 2002 and participants were followed until 2010, over which time 672 CRC cases occurred.

Sleep duration and breast cancer risk among black and white women.

Background: Sleep has been suggested to influence breast cancer risk; however, the evidence is mixed. Black women have a higher prevalence of both short (<6 h) and long (≥9 h) sleep duration and are more likely to develop more aggressive, hormone receptor-negative breast cancer. No study has examined the relationship between sleep and breast cancer in blacks.

A prospective study of Trichomonas vaginalis and prostate cancer risk among African American men.

Background: African Americans (AA) have a higher prevalence of Trichomonas vaginalis (Tv) infection and a higher prostate (PC) risk. Past studies suggest an association between Tv seropositivity and PC, and therefore we prospectively investigated this association among AA men.

Results: Incident PC cases were individually matched to controls in a nested case-control study within the Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS).

Atlas of prostate cancer heritability in European and African-American men pinpoints tissue-specific regulation.

Although genome-wide association studies have identified over 100 risk loci that explain ∼33% of familial risk for prostate cancer (PrCa), their functional effects on risk remain largely unknown. Here we use genotype data from 59,089 men of European and African American ancestries combined with cell-type-specific epigenetic data to build a genomic atlas of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) heritability in PrCa. We find significant differences in heritability between variants in prostate-relevant epigenetic marks defined in normal versus tumour tissue as well as between tissue and cell lines.

Prostate Cancer Susceptibility in Men of African Ancestry at 8q24.

The 8q24 region harbors multiple risk variants for distinct cancers, including >8 for prostate cancer. In this study, we conducted fine mapping of the 8q24 risk region (127.8-128.

Persistence of Trichomonas vaginalis serostatus in men over time.

Purpose: Previous epidemiologic studies have observed positive associations between Trichomonas vaginalis (Tv) serostatus and both prostate cancer (PCa) risk and mortality. However, only a few small older studies have examined Tv antibody persistence over time, all of which were composed mainly of female patients. Therefore, we examined Tv antibody persistence over time, as well as intra-individual variability, among middle- to older-aged men in the Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS).

Integration of multiethnic fine-mapping and genomic annotation to prioritize candidate functional SNPs at prostate cancer susceptibility regions.

Interpretation of biological mechanisms underlying genetic risk associations for prostate cancer is complicated by the relatively large number of risk variants (n = 100) and the thousands of surrogate SNPs in linkage disequilibrium. Here, we combined three distinct approaches: multiethnic fine-mapping, putative functional annotation (based upon epigenetic data and genome-encoded features), and expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analyses, in an attempt to reduce this complexity. We examined 67 risk regions using genotyping and imputation-based fine-mapping in populations of European (cases/controls: 8600/6946), African (cases/controls: 5327/5136), Japanese (cases/controls: 2563/4391) and Latino (cases/controls: 1034/1046) ancestry.

Physical activity, sedentary behavior and all-cause mortality among blacks and whites with diabetes.

Purpose: The study objective was to examine the role of physical activity (PA) and sedentary time (ST) on mortality risk among a population of low-income adults with diabetes.

Methods: Black (n = 11,137) and white (n = 4508) men and women with diabetes from the Southern Community Cohort Study self-reported total PA levels and total ST. Participants were categorized into quartiles of total PA and total ST.

Methodological Considerations in Estimation of Phenotype Heritability Using Genome-Wide SNP Data, Illustrated by an Analysis of the Heritability of Height in a Large Sample of African Ancestry Adults.

Height has an extremely polygenic pattern of inheritance. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have revealed hundreds of common variants that are associated with human height at genome-wide levels of significance. However, only a small fraction of phenotypic variation can be explained by the aggregate of these common variants.

Statin use and risk of prostate cancer: Results from the Southern Community Cohort Study.

Background: Epidemiologic studies suggest that statin use may be inversely associated with risk of prostate cancer, but prior studies have focused predominantly on non-Hispanic white populations.

Methods: We evaluated the association between statin use and prostate cancer risk in the Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS). Study participants were 32,091 men aged 40-79 at baseline, 67% of whom were non-Hispanic black.