Estimation of Cancer Deaths Averted From Prevention, Screening, and Treatment Efforts, 1975-2020.

Importance: Cancer mortality has decreased over time, but the contributions of different interventions across the cancer control continuum to averting cancer deaths have not been systematically evaluated across major cancer sites.

Objective: To quantify the contributions of prevention, screening (to remove precursors [interception] or early detection), and treatment to cumulative number of cancer deaths averted from 1975 to 2020 for breast, cervical, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancers.

Design, Setting, And Participants: In this model-based study using population-level cancer mortality data, outputs from published models developed by the Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network were extended to quantify cancer deaths averted through 2020.

Pathogenic Variants in Cancer Susceptibility Genes Predispose to Ductal Carcinoma In Situ of the Breast.

Purpose: To determine the relationship between germline pathogenic variants (PV) in cancer predisposition genes and the risk of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).

Experimental Design: Germline PV frequencies in breast cancer predisposition genes (ATM, BARD1, BRCA1, BRCA2, CDH1, CHEK2, PALB2, RAD51C, and RAD51D) were compared between DCIS cases and unaffected controls and between DCIS and invasive ductal breast cancer (IDC) cases from a clinical testing cohort (n = 9,887), a population-based cohort (n = 3,876), and the UK Biobank (n = 2,421). The risk of contralateral breast cancer (CBC) for DCIS cases with PV was estimated in the population-based cohort.

Supplemental breast cancer screening after negative mammography in U.S. women with dense breasts.

The extent and determinants of supplemental screening among women with dense breasts are unclear. We evaluated a retrospective cohort of 498,855 women aged 40-74 years with heterogeneously or extremely dense breasts who obtained 1,176,251 negative screening mammography examinations during 2011-2019 in the United States. Overall, 2.

Breast Cancer Screening Using Mammography, Digital Breast Tomosynthesis, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging by Breast Density.

Importance: Information on long-term benefits and harms of screening with digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) with or without supplemental breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is needed for clinical and policy discussions, particularly for patients with dense breasts.

Objective: To project long-term population-based outcomes for breast cancer mammography screening strategies (DBT or digital mammography) with or without supplemental MRI by breast density.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Collaborative modeling using 3 Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network (CISNET) breast cancer simulation models informed by US Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium data.

Need for Culturally Competent and Responsive Cancer Education for African Immigrant Families and Youth Living in the United States.

Cancer prevalence data for Black Americans is monolithic and fails to consider the diverse cultures and backgrounds within that community. For instance, African immigrants constitute a meaningful proportion of the foreign-born Black immigrants in the United States (42%), but the prevalence of cancer in the African immigrant community itself is unknown. Therefore, without accurate cancer prevalence data, it is impossible to identify trends and other key factors that are needed to support the health of African immigrants and their children.

Analysis of Breast Cancer Mortality in the US-1975 to 2019.

Importance: Breast cancer mortality in the US declined between 1975 and 2019. The association of changes in metastatic breast cancer treatment with improved breast cancer mortality is unclear.

Objective: To simulate the relative associations of breast cancer screening, treatment of stage I to III breast cancer, and treatment of metastatic breast cancer with improved breast cancer mortality.

Change in alcohol consumption during the Covid-19 pandemic and associations with mental health and financial hardship: results from a survey of Wisconsin patients with cancer.

Purpose: Alcohol consumption increases health risks for patients with cancer. The Covid-19 pandemic may have affected drinking habits for these individuals. We surveyed patients with cancer to examine whether changes in drinking habits were related to mental health or financial effects of the pandemic.

Estimated US Cancer Deaths Prevented With Increased Use of Lung, Colorectal, Breast, and Cervical Cancer Screening.

Importance: Increased use of recommended screening could help achieve the Cancer Moonshot goal of reducing US cancer deaths.

Objective: To estimate the number of cancer deaths that could be prevented with a 10-percentage point increase in the use of US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)-recommended screening.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This decision analytical model study is an extension of previous studies conducted for the USPSTF from 2018 to 2023.

Data gaps and opportunities for modeling cancer health equity.

Population models of cancer reflect the overall US population by drawing on numerous existing data resources for parameter inputs and calibration targets. Models require data inputs that are appropriately representative, collected in a harmonized manner, have minimal missing or inaccurate values, and reflect adequate sample sizes. Data resource priorities for population modeling to support cancer health equity include increasing the availability of data that 1) arise from uninsured and underinsured individuals and those traditionally not included in health-care delivery studies, 2) reflect relevant exposures for groups historically and intentionally excluded across the full cancer control continuum, 3) disaggregate categories (race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, etc.

ENIGMA CHEK2gether Project: A Comprehensive Study Identifies Functionally Impaired CHEK2 Germline Missense Variants Associated with Increased Breast Cancer Risk.

Purpose: Germline pathogenic variants in CHEK2 confer moderately elevated breast cancer risk (odds ratio, OR ∼ 2.5), qualifying carriers for enhanced breast cancer screening. Besides pathogenic variants, dozens of missense CHEK2 variants of uncertain significance (VUS) have been identified, hampering the clinical utility of germline genetic testing (GGT).

Building relationships to connect cancer researchers with community members: 'bench to community pipeline'.

Purpose: Partnerships between researchers and community members and organizations can offer multiple benefits for research relevance and dissemination. The goal of this project was to build infrastructure to create bidirectional relationships between University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center (UWCCC) researchers and community educators in the Division of Extension, which connects the knowledge and resources of the university to communities across the state.

Methods: This project had three aims: (1) create linkages with Extension; (2) establish an in-reach program to educate and train researchers on the science of Community Outreach and Engagement (COE); and (3) identify and facilitate collaborative projects between scientists and communities.

Current Approaches to Serving Catchment Areas in Cancer Centers: Insights from the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium Population Science Working Group.

In 2021, the NCI issued updated guidance clarifying the mission and organizational structure for Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) for Cancer Center Support Grants. These guidelines outlined how cancer centers should address the cancer burden of the catchment area (CA) and define how COE would partner with the community to inform cancer research and implement programs to reduce the cancer burden. In this paper, the Common Elements Committee of the Population Science Working Group in the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium describes their respective approaches to implementing these guidelines.

Breast cancer risk for women with diabetes and the impact of metformin: A meta-analysis.

Background: Diabetes mellitus has been associated with increased breast cancer (BC) risk; however, the magnitude of this effect is uncertain. This study focused on BC risk for women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods: Two separate meta-analyses were conducted (1) to estimate the relative risk (RR) of BC for women with T2DM and (2) to evaluate the risk of BC for women with T2DM associated with the use of metformin, a common diabetes treatment.

Treatment Inequity: Examining the Influence of Non-Hispanic Black Race and Ethnicity on Pancreatic Cancer Care and Survival in Wisconsin.

Introduction: We investigated race and ethnicity-based disparities in first course treatment and overall survival among Wisconsin pancreatic cancer patients.

Methods: We identified adults diagnosed with pancreatic adenocarcinoma in the Wisconsin Cancer Reporting System from 2004 through 2017. We assessed race and ethnicity-based disparities in first course of treatment via adjusted logistic regression and overall survival via 4 incremental Cox proportional hazards regression models.

A Flexible Method for Identifying Spatial Clusters of Breast Cancer Using Individual-Level Data.

Prior research has shown that cancer risk varies by geography, but scan statistics methods for identifying cancer clusters in case-control studies have been limited in their ability to identify multiple clusters and adjust for participant-level risk factors. We develop a method to identify geographic patterns of breast cancer odds using the Wisconsin Women's Health Study, a series of 5 population-based case-control studies of female Wisconsin residents aged 20-79 enrolled in 1988-2004 (cases=16,076, controls=16,795). We create sets of potential clusters by overlaying a 1 km grid over each county-neighborhood and enumerating a series of overlapping circles.