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Announcing EGRP's 2024 Research Highlights!
Each year, the Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program (EGRP) Research Highlights showcases a selection of research publications supported by grants in the EGRP grant portfolio. EGRP asked NCI grantees with projects supported by current or recently-closed grants (i.e., grants that ended in 2023 or 2024) administered by EGRP to select and submit a research publication resulting from the grant. Submitted articles had to include an acknowledgement of the grant funding and comply with all NIH data sharing policies.
Below are the final selections for EGRP's 2024 Research Highlights, listed in alphabetical order by first author.
Increasing risk of hepatocellular carcinoma with successive generations in the United States among Mexican American adults: The Multiethnic Cohort
Acuna N, Zhou K, Pinheiro PS, et al. Increasing risk of hepatocellular carcinoma with successive generations in the United States among Mexican American adults: The Multiethnic Cohort. Cancer. 2024;130(2):267-275.
Modeling thyroid cancer epidemiology in the United States using Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Microsimulation model
Alagoz O, Zhang Y, Arroyo N, et al. Modeling thyroid cancer epidemiology in the United States using Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Microsimulation model. Value Health. 2024;27(3):367-375.
A population-level digital histologic biomarker for enhanced prognosis of invasive breast cancer
Amgad M, Hodge JM, Elsebaie MAT, et al. A population-level digital histologic biomarker for enhanced prognosis of invasive breast cancer. Nat Med. 2024;30(1):85-97.
Diet and survival in Black women with epithelial ovarian cancer
Armidie TA, Bandera EV, Johnson CE, et al. Diet and survival in Black women with epithelial ovarian cancer. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(10):e2440279.
Impact of barriers and motivators on intention and confidence to undergo hereditary cancer genetic testing
Austin S, Hanson EN, Delacroix E, et al. Impact of barriers and motivators on intention and confidence to undergo hereditary cancer genetic testing. J Genet Couns. Published online May 27, 2024.
Radiodensities of skeletal muscle and visceral adipose tissues are prognostic factors in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma
Bradshaw PT, Olsson LT, Sanchez A, et al. Radiodensities of skeletal muscle and visceral adipose tissues are prognostic factors in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2024;33(10):1375-1382.
What do cancer genetic providers want us to know about variant reclassification and recontact that we are not asking? A thematic analysis of open-ended survey responses
Brown K, Ponton M, Davidson E, et al. What do cancer genetic providers want us to know about variant reclassification and recontact that we are not asking? A thematic analysis of open-ended survey responses. Cancer. 2024;130(22):3926-3934.
Neonatal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance exposure in relation to retinoblastoma
Chen Y, Paul KC, Walker DI, et al. Neonatal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance exposure in relation to retinoblastoma. Environ Res. 2024;240(Pt 2):117435.
Maternal exposure to heavy metals from industrial sources during pregnancy and childhood cancer risk in California
Chen Y, Van Deventer D, Nianogo R, et al. Maternal exposure to heavy metals from industrial sources during pregnancy and childhood cancer risk in California. J Occup Environ Med. 2024;66(9):714-721.
Relative contribution of COVID-19 vaccination and SARS-CoV-2 infection to population-level seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 spike antibodies in a large integrated health system
Chervo TC, Elkin EP, Nugent JR, et al. Relative contribution of COVID-19 vaccination and SARS-CoV-2 infection to population-level seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 spike antibodies in a large integrated health system. PLoS One. 2024;19(6):e0303303. Published 2024 Jun 20.
Relationships among physical activity, sleep, and cancer-related fatigue: results from the International ColoCare Study
Crowder SL, Li X, Himbert C, et al. Relationships among physical activity, sleep, and cancer-related fatigue: results from the International ColoCare Study. Ann Behav Med. 2024;58(3):156-166.
Associations of steps per day and step intensity with the risk of cancer: findings from the Women's Health Accelerometry Collaboration cohort
Cuthbertson CC, Evenson KR, Wen F, et al. Associations of steps per day and step intensity with the risk of cancer: findings from the Women's Health Accelerometry Collaboration cohort. Prev Med. 2024;186:108070.
Circulating tryptophan-kynurenine pathway metabolites are associated with all-cause mortality among patients with stage I-III colorectal cancer
Damerell V, Klaassen-Dekker N, Brezina S, et al. Circulating tryptophan-kynurenine pathway metabolites are associated with all-cause mortality among patients with stage I-III colorectal cancer. Int J Cancer. 2025;156(3):552-565.
A noncoding regulatory variant in IKZF1 increases acute lymphoblastic leukemia risk in Hispanic/Latino children
de Smith AJ, Wahlster L, Jeon S, et al. A noncoding regulatory variant in IKZF1 increases acute lymphoblastic leukemia risk in Hispanic/Latino children. Cell Genom. 2024;4(4):100526.
Building a machine learning-assisted echocardiography prediction tool for children at risk for cancer therapy-related cardiomyopathy
Edwards LA, Yang C, Sharma S, et al. Building a machine learning-assisted echocardiography prediction tool for children at risk for cancer therapy-related cardiomyopathy. Cardiooncology. 2024;10(1):66.
Diet quality and cardiovascular disease risk among breast cancer survivors in the Pathways Study
Ergas IJ, Cheng RK, Roh JM, et al. Diet quality and cardiovascular disease risk among breast cancer survivors in the Pathways Study. JNCI Cancer Spectr. 2024;8(2):pkae013.
Machine learning-based prediction of hospitalization during chemoradiotherapy with daily step counts
Friesner ID, Feng J, Kalnicki S, Garg M, Ohri N, Hong JC. Machine learning-based prediction of hospitalization during chemoradiotherapy with daily step counts. JAMA Oncol. 2024;10(5):642-647.
Parallel measurement of transcriptomes and proteomes from same single cells using nanodroplet splitting
Fulcher JM, Markillie LM, Mitchell HD, et al. Parallel measurement of transcriptomes and proteomes from same single cells using nanodroplet splitting. Nat Commun. 2024;15(1):10614.
A multi-tissue, splicing-based joint transcriptome-wide association study identifies susceptibility genes for breast cancer
Gao G, McClellan J, Barbeira AN, et al. A multi-tissue, splicing-based joint transcriptome-wide association study identifies susceptibility genes for breast cancer. Am J Hum Genet. 2024;111(6):1100-1113.
Polygenic risk score and upgrading in patients with prostate cancer receiving active surveillance
Goss LB, Liu M, Zheng Y, et al. Polygenic risk score and upgrading in patients with prostate cancer receiving active surveillance. JAMA Oncol. Published online December 12, 2024.
Association of immunoglobulin E levels with glioma risk and survival
Guerra G, Nakase T, Kachuri L, et al. Association of immunoglobulin E levels with glioma risk and survival. J Natl Cancer Inst. Published online October 24, 2024.
Associations of seven measures of biological age acceleration with frailty and all-cause mortality among adult survivors of childhood cancer in the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort
Guida JL, Hyun G, Belsky DW, et al. Associations of seven measures of biological age acceleration with frailty and all-cause mortality among adult survivors of childhood cancer in the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort. Nat Cancer. 2024;5(5):731-741.
Large-scale alternative polyadenylation-wide association studies to identify putative cancer susceptibility genes
Guo X, Ping J, Yang Y, et al. Large-scale alternative polyadenylation-wide association studies to identify putative cancer susceptibility genes. Cancer Res. 2024;84(16):2707-2719.
Disentangling the relationships of body mass index and circulating sex hormone concentrations in mammographic density using Mendelian randomization
Haas CB, Chen H, Harrison T, et al. Disentangling the relationships of body mass index and circulating sex hormone concentrations in mammographic density using Mendelian randomization. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2024;206(2):295-305.
Enhancing disease risk gene discovery by integrating transcription factor-linked trans-variants into transcriptome-wide association analyses
He J, Perera D, Wen W, et al. Enhancing disease risk gene discovery by integrating transcription factor-linked trans-variants into transcriptome-wide association analyses. Nucleic Acids Res. 2025;53(1):gkae1035. Epub 2024 Nov 13.
Mammographic density and breast cancer risk among Black American women
Holder EX, Bigham Z, Nelson KP, Barnard ME, Palmer JR, Bertrand KA. Mammographic density and breast cancer risk among Black American women. Int J Cancer. Published online October 19, 2024.
Uptake of cancer genetic services for chatbot vs standard-of-care delivery models: the BRIDGE randomized clinical trial
Kaphingst KA, Kohlmann WK, Lorenz Chambers R, et al. Uptake of cancer genetic services for chatbot vs standard-of-care delivery models: the BRIDGE randomized clinical trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(9):e2432143.
Patient-reported discussions on fertility preservation before early-onset cancer treatment
Keller SR, Rosen A, Lewis MA, et al. Patient-reported discussions on fertility preservation before early-onset cancer treatment. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(11):e2444540.
Clinical, epidemiologic, and pathologic significance of ERBB2-low expression in breast cancer
Khoury T, Mendicino L, Payne Ondracek R, et al. Clinical, epidemiologic, and pathologic significance of ERBB2-low expression in breast cancer. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(3):e243345.
The influence of dietary isothiocyanates on the effectiveness of mitomycin C and bacillus Calmette-Guérin in treating nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer
Kwan ML, Wang Z, Haque R, et al. The influence of dietary isothiocyanates on the effectiveness of mitomycin C and bacillus Calmette-Guérin in treating nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer. J Urol. 2024;212(3):420-430.
Leukaemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma mortality after low-level exposure to ionising radiation in nuclear workers (INWORKS): updated findings from an international cohort study
Leuraud K, Laurier D, Gillies M, et al. Leukaemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma mortality after low-level exposure to ionising radiation in nuclear workers (INWORKS): updated findings from an international cohort study. Lancet Haematol. 2024;11(10):e761-e769.
Multiregional transcriptomic profiling provides improved prognostic insight in localized non-small cell lung cancer
Li C, Nguyen TT, Li JR, et al. Multiregional transcriptomic profiling provides improved prognostic insight in localized non-small cell lung cancer. NPJ Precis Oncol. 2024;8(1):225.
Splicing neoantigen discovery with SNAF reveals shared targets for cancer immunotherapy
Li G, Mahajan S, Ma S, et al. Splicing neoantigen discovery with SNAF reveals shared targets for cancer immunotherapy. Sci Transl Med. 2024;16(730):eade2886.
A prognostic and predictive computational pathology immune signature for ductal carcinoma in situ: retrospective results from a cohort within the UK/ANZ DCIS trial
Li H, Aggarwal A, Toro P, et al. A prognostic and predictive computational pathology immune signature for ductal carcinoma in situ: retrospective results from a cohort within the UK/ANZ DCIS trial. Lancet Digit Health. 2024;6(8):e562-e569.
Hierarchical false discovery rate control for high-dimensional survival analysis with interactions
Liang W, Zhang Q, Ma S. Hierarchical false discovery rate control for high-dimensional survival analysis with interactions. Comput Stat Data Anal. 2024;192:107906.
Impacts of poverty and lifestyles on mortality: a cohort study in predominantly low-income Americans
Liu L, Wen W, Shrubsole MJ, et al. Impacts of poverty and lifestyles on mortality: a cohort study in predominantly low-income Americans. Am J Prev Med. 2024;67(1):15-23.
Validation of candidate protein biomarkers previously identified by genetic instruments for prostate cancer risk: a prospective cohort analysis of directly measured protein levels in the ARIC study
Liu T, Joshu CE, Lu J, et al. Validation of candidate protein biomarkers previously identified by genetic instruments for prostate cancer risk: a prospective cohort analysis of directly measured protein levels in the ARIC study. Prostate. 2024;84(15):1355-1365.
Nonchromosomal birth defects and risk of childhood acute leukemia: an assessment in 15,000 leukemia cases and 46,000 controls from the Childhood Cancer and Leukemia International Consortium
Lupo PJ, Chambers TM, Mueller BA, et al. Nonchromosomal birth defects and risk of childhood acute leukemia: an assessment in 15,000 leukemia cases and 46,000 controls from the Childhood Cancer and Leukemia International Consortium. Int J Cancer. 2024;154(3):434-447.
Pregnancy-related factors and breast cancer risk for women across a range of familial risk
McDonald JA, Liao Y, Knight JA, et al. Pregnancy-related factors and breast cancer risk for women across a range of familial risk. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(8):e2427441.
Annotation of metabolites in stable isotope tracing untargeted metabolomics via Khipu-web
Mitchell JM, Chi Y, Zheng S, Thapa M, Wang E, Li S. Annotation of metabolites in stable isotope tracing untargeted metabolomics via Khipu-web. J Am Soc Mass Spectrom. 2024;35(12):2824-2835.
PFAS levels, early life factors, and mammographic breast density in premenopausal women
Ning YS, Getz KR, Kyeyune JK, et al. PFAS levels, early life factors, and mammographic breast density in premenopausal women. Environ Health Perspect. 2024;132(9):97008.
Genome-wide interaction study of dietary intake of fibre, fruits, and vegetables with risk of colorectal cancer
Papadimitriou N, Kim A, Kawaguchi ES, et al. Genome-wide interaction study of dietary intake of fibre, fruits, and vegetables with risk of colorectal cancer. EBioMedicine. 2024;104:105146.
Using genome and transcriptome data from African-ancestry female participants to identify putative breast cancer susceptibility genes
Ping J, Jia G, Cai Q, et al. Using genome and transcriptome data from African-ancestry female participants to identify putative breast cancer susceptibility genes. Nat Commun. 2024;15(1):3718.
Integrated germline and somatic features reveal divergent immune pathways driving response to immune checkpoint blockade
Sears TJ, Pagadala MS, Castro A, et al. Integrated germline and somatic features reveal divergent immune pathways driving response to immune checkpoint blockade. Cancer Immunol Res. 2024;12(12):1780-1795.
Epidemiologic factors in relation to colorectal cancer risk and survival by genotoxic colibactin mutational signature
Thomas CE, Georgeson P, Qu C, et al. Epidemiologic factors in relation to colorectal cancer risk and survival by genotoxic colibactin mutational signature. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2024;33(4):534-546.
Characterization of additive gene-environment interactions for colorectal cancer risk
Thomas CE, Lin Y, Kim M, et al. Characterization of additive gene-environment interactions for colorectal cancer risk. Epidemiology. 2025;36(1):126-138. Epub 2024 Sep 24.
Emergency department involvement in the diagnosis of cancer among older adults: a SEER-Medicare study
Thompson CA, Sheridan P, Metwally E, et al. Emergency department involvement in the diagnosis of cancer among older adults: a SEER-Medicare study. JNCI Cancer Spectr. 2024;8(3):pkae039.
Sleep health and quality of life in the Detroit Research on Cancer Survivors cohort
Trendowski MR, Ruterbusch JJ, Baird T, et al. Sleep health and quality of life in the Detroit Research on Cancer Survivors cohort. J Cancer Surviv. Published online March 20, 2024.
An empirical dietary pattern associated with the gut microbial features in relation to colorectal cancer risk
Wang K, Lo CH, Mehta RS, et al. An empirical dietary pattern associated with the gut microbial features in relation to colorectal cancer risk. Gastroenterology. 2024;167(7):1371-1383.e4.
Air pollution and breast cancer incidence in the Multiethnic Cohort Study
Wu AH, Wu J, Tseng C, et al. Air pollution and breast cancer incidence in the Multiethnic Cohort Study. J Clin Oncol. Published online October 8, 2024.
Associations of stem cell markers CD44, CD24 and ALDH1A1 with mammographic breast density in women with benign breast biopsies
Yaghjyan L, Heng YJ, Baker GM, et al. Associations of stem cell markers CD44, CD24 and ALDH1A1 with mammographic breast density in women with benign breast biopsies. Br J Cancer. 2024;131(2):325-333.
Risk of colorectal cancer and adenoma after an appendectomy: results from three large prospective cohort studies and meta-analysis
Zhang Y, Khil J, Feng X, Ugai T, Ogino S, Giovannucci E. Risk of colorectal cancer and adenoma after an appendectomy: results from three large prospective cohort studies and meta-analysis. Cancer Causes Control. 2024;35(11):1457-1466.
Novel recruitment approaches and operational results for a statewide population cohort for cancer research: The Healthy Oregon Project
Zhang Z, Shafer A, Johnson-Camacho K, et al. Novel recruitment approaches and operational results for a statewide population cohort for cancer research: The Healthy Oregon Project. J Clin Transl Sci. 2024;8(1):e32.
Addition of polygenic risk score to a risk calculator for prediction of breast cancer in US Black women
Zirpoli GR, Pfeiffer RM, Bertrand KA, Huo D, Lunetta KL, Palmer JR. Addition of polygenic risk score to a risk calculator for prediction of breast cancer in US Black women. Breast Cancer Res. 2024;26(1):2.