The National Cancer Institute R25 Cancer Education Grants Program: A Workshop Report.

Through the R25 Cancer Education Grants Program (CEGP), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has been supporting the broad educational needs of the cancer research and cancer healthcare communities since 1974. NCI sponsored a workshop on September 13, 2016 in Bethesda, Maryland, with the objectives of sharing best practices in cancer education, communicating R25 CEGP programmatic information, and gathering ideas to strengthen the R25 CEGP to better meet the emerging needs in cancer education in the face of a rapidly changing landscape in cancer research and cancer care. With 53 leaders in cancer education in attendance, the workshop featured an overview of the R25 CEGP by NCI Program Staff, a showcase of several types of CEGP programs by current R25 grantees, and in-depth discussions on a broad range of questions critical for the continued success of the R25 CEGP.

Comparison of industrial emissions and carpet dust concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans in a multi-center U.S. study.

Proximity to facilities emitting polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/F) has been associated with increased risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). There is limited information about whether proximity to industrial sources leads to indoor PCDD/F contamination of homes. We measured carpet dust concentrations (pg/g) of 17 toxic PCDD/F congeners and calculated their toxic equivalence (TEQ) in 100 homes in a population-based case-control study of NHL in Detroit, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Iowa (1998-2000).

Confidence intervals for rate ratios between geographic units.

Background: Ratios of age-adjusted rates between a set of geographic units and the overall area are of interest to the general public and to policy stakeholders. These ratios are correlated due to two reasons-the first being that each region is a component of the overall area and hence there is an overlap between them; and the second is that there is spatial autocorrelation between the regions. Existing methods in calculating the confidence intervals of rate ratios take into account the first source of correlation.

Relation of Serum Estrogen Metabolites with Terminal Duct Lobular Unit Involution Among Women Undergoing Diagnostic Image-Guided Breast Biopsy.

Higher levels of circulating estrogens and estrogen metabolites (EMs) have been associated with higher breast cancer risk. In breast tissues, reduced levels of terminal duct lobular unit (TDLU) involution, as reflected by higher numbers of TDLUs and acini per TDLU, have also been linked to elevated breast cancer risk. However, it is unknown whether reduced TDLU involution mediates the risk associated with circulating EMs.

Do Men Receive Information Required for Shared Decision Making About PSA Testing? Results from a National Survey.

Most professional organizations, including the American College of Physicians and U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, emphasize that screening for prostate cancer with the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test should only occur after a detailed discussion between the health-care provider and patient about the known risks and potential benefits of the test.

Nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate and cancer: Evaluation of a possible common genetic background through the analysis of GWAS data.

Previous research suggests a genetic overlap between nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) and cancer. The aim of the present study was to identify common genetic risk loci for NSCL/P and cancer entities that have been reported to co-occur with orofacial clefting. This was achieved through the investigation of large genome-wide association study datasets.

Multiple rare variants in high-risk pancreatic cancer-related genes may increase risk for pancreatic cancer in a subset of patients with and without germline CDKN2A mutations.

The risk of pancreatic cancer (PC) is increased in melanoma-prone families but the causal relationship between germline CDKN2A mutations and PC risk is uncertain, suggesting the existence of non-CDKN2A factors. One genetic possibility involves patients having mutations in multiple high-risk PC-related genes; however, no systematic examination has yet been conducted. We used next-generation sequencing data to examine 24 putative PC-related genes in 43 PC patients with and 23 PC patients without germline CDKN2A mutations and 1001 controls.

Long-term Mortality in 43 763 U.S. Radiologists Compared with 64 990 U.S. Psychiatrists.

Purpose To compare mortality rates from all causes, specific causes, total cancers, and specific cancers to assess whether differences between radiologists and psychiatrists are consistent with known risks of radiation exposure and the changes in radiation exposure to radiologists over time. Materials and Methods The authors used the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile to construct a cohort of 43 763 radiologists (20% women) and 64 990 psychiatrists (27% women) (comparison group) who graduated from medical school in 1916-2006. Vital status was obtained from record linkages with the Social Security Administration and commercial databases, and cause of death was obtained from the National Death Index.

Concerted changes in transcriptional regulation of genes involved in DNA methylation, demethylation, and folate-mediated one-carbon metabolism pathways in the NCI-60 cancer cell line panel in response to cancer drug treatment.

Background: Aberrant patterns of DNA methylation are abundant in cancer, and epigenetic pathways are increasingly being targeted in cancer drug treatment. Genetic components of the folate-mediated one-carbon metabolism pathway can affect DNA methylation and other vital cell functions, including DNA synthesis, amino acid biosynthesis, and cell growth.

Results: We used a bioinformatics tool, the Transcriptional Pharmacology Workbench, to analyze temporal changes in gene expression among epigenetic regulators of DNA methylation and demethylation, and one-carbon metabolism genes in response to cancer drug treatment.

Ages at menarche- and menopause-related genetic variants in relation to terminal duct lobular unit involution in normal breast tissue.

Reduced levels of terminal duct lobular unit (TDLU) involution, as reflected by higher numbers of TDLUs and acini per TDLU, have been associated with higher breast cancer risk. Younger age at menarche and older age at menopause have been previously related to lower levels of TDLU involution. To determine a possible genetic link, we examined whether single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) previously established in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for ages at menarche and menopause are associated with TDLU involution.

Potential of breastmilk analysis to inform early events in breast carcinogenesis: rationale and considerations.

This review summarizes methods related to the study of human breastmilk in etiologic and biomarkers research. Despite the importance of reproductive factors in breast carcinogenesis, factors that act early in life are difficult to study because young women rarely require breast imaging or biopsy, and analysis of critical circulating factors (e.g.

Comparative rates of harms in randomized trials from more developed versus less developed countries may be different.

Objectives: We set up to evaluate the relative risk of harms in trials performed in less developed vs. more developed countries.

Study Design And Setting: Meta-epidemiologic evaluation using the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

Cancer Risks in U.S. Radiologic Technologists Working With Fluoroscopically Guided Interventional Procedures, 1994-2008.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine risks of cancer incidence and mortality among U.S. radiation technologists performing or assisting with fluoroscopically guided interventional procedures.

The Bayesian basket design for genomic variant-driven phase II trials.

Basket clinical trials are a new category of early clinical trials in which a treatment is evaluated in a population of patients with tumors of various histologic types and primary sites selected for containing specific genomic abnormalities. The objective of such studies is generally to discover histologic types in which the treatment is active. Basket trials are early discovery trials whose results should be confirmed in expanded histology specific cohorts.

Preclinical Data on Efficacy of 10 Drug-Radiation Combinations: Evaluations, Concerns, and Recommendations.

Background: Clinical testing of new therapeutic interventions requires comprehensive, high-quality preclinical data. Concerns regarding quality of preclinical data have been raised in recent reports. This report examines the data on the interaction of 10 drugs with radiation and provides recommendations for improving the quality, reproducibility, and utility of future studies.

Reconstruction of paediatric organ doses from axial CT scans performed in the 1990s - range of doses as input to uncertainty estimates.

Objective: To assess the range of doses in paediatric CT scans conducted in the 1990s in Norway as input to an international epidemiology study: the EPI-CT study, http://epi-ct.iarc.fr/ .

Comparative pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of two sources of ch14.18 in pediatric patients with high-risk neuroblastoma following myeloablative therapy.

Purpose: Dinutuximab (Unituxin™; ch14.18), a monoclonal antibody against disialoganglioside, improved survival as part of post-consolidation therapy for high-risk neuroblastoma. United Therapeutics Corporation (UTC) assumed ch14.

Designing an Agent-Based Model for Childhood Obesity Interventions: A Case Study of ChildObesity180.

Complex systems modeling can provide useful insights when designing and anticipating the impact of public health interventions. We developed an agent-based, or individual-based, computation model (ABM) to aid in evaluating and refining implementation of behavior change interventions designed to increase physical activity and healthy eating and reduce unnecessary weight gain among school-aged children. The potential benefits of applying an ABM approach include estimating outcomes despite data gaps, anticipating impact among different populations or scenarios, and exploring how to expand or modify an intervention.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: determinants of residential carpet dust levels and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Purpose: To investigate the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) associated with residential carpet dust measurements of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

Methods: We evaluated the relationship between residential carpet dust PAH concentrations (benz(a)anthracene, benzo(a)pyrene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, chrysene, dibenz(a,h)anthracene, and indeno(1,2,3-c,d)pyrene, and their sum) and risk of NHL (676 cases, 511 controls) in the National Cancer Institute Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results multicenter case-control study. As a secondary aim, we investigated determinants of dust PAH concentrations.

Leukocyte telomere length and its association with mammographic density and proliferative diagnosis among women undergoing diagnostic image-guided breast biopsy.

Background: Elevated mammographic density (MD) is a strong breast cancer risk factor but the mechanisms underlying the association are poorly understood. High MD and breast cancer risk may reflect cumulative exposures to factors that promote epithelial cell division. One marker of cellular replicative history is telomere length, but its association with MD is unknown.

Geographic disparities in late stage breast cancer incidence: results from eight states in the United States.

Background: Late stage of cancer at diagnosis is an important predictor of cancer mortality. In many areas worldwide, cancer registry systems, available data and mapping technologies can provide information about late stage cancer by geographical regions, offering valuable opportunities to identify areas where further investigation and interventions are needed. The current study examined geographical variation in late stage breast cancer incidence across eight states in the United States with the objective to identify areas that might benefit from targeted interventions.

Comparing the Maryland Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan With Federal Cancer Prevention and Control Recommendations.

Introduction: Since the introduction of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2012, 11 million more Americans now have access to preventive services via health care coverage. Several prevention-related recommendations issued by the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) are covered under the ACA. State cancer plans often provide prevention strategies, but whether these strategies correspond to federal evidence-based recommendations is unclear.

Calculation of Organ Doses for a Large Number of Patients Undergoing CT Examinations.

Objective: The objective of our study was to develop an automated calculation method to provide organ dose assessment for a large cohort of pediatric and adult patients undergoing CT examinations.

Materials And Methods: We adopted two dose libraries that were previously published: the volume CT dose index-normalized organ dose library and the tube current-exposure time product (100 mAs)-normalized weighted CT dose index library. We developed an algorithm to calculate organ doses using the two dose libraries and the CT parameters available from DICOM data.

Collection media and delayed freezing effects on microbial composition of human stool.

Background: Different bacteria in stool have markedly varied growth and survival when stored at ambient temperature. It is paramount to develop optimal biostabilization of stool samples during collection and assess long-term storage for clinical specimens and epidemiological microbiome studies. We evaluated the effect of collection media and delayed freezing up to 7 days on microbial composition.

Risk perceptions and health behavior.

Risk perceptions - or an individual's perceived susceptibility to a threat - are a key component of many health behavior change theories. Risk perceptions are often targeted in health behavior change interventions, and recent meta-analytic evidence suggests that interventions that successfully engage and change risk perceptions produce subsequent increases in health behaviors. Here, we review recent literature on risk perceptions and health behavior, including research on the formation of risk perceptions, types of risk perceptions (including deliberative, affective, and experiential), accuracy of risk perceptions, and associations and interactions among types of risk perceptions.