The Pre2 CaP Lab is getting ready for another busy year! Some research and publication highlights from the past few months:
Agent Orange and Prostate Cancer in Veterans
Dr. Iyer served as co-senior author on the largest study to date of Agent Orange exposure in U.S. Veterans. Agent Orange, used during the Vietnam War, contained dioxin, a chemical known to cause cancer. Using health records from over 2 million Veterans, the study found that those exposed to Agent Orange had higher risks of developing prostate cancer, having the cancer spread, and dying from the disease.
Although the study could not measure each Veteran’s exact level of exposure, the findings confirm that Agent Orange may increase prostate cancer risk. This work highlights the need for careful screening and treatment among Veterans who may have been exposed.
Read the paper here.
Neighborhood Context and Telomere Length
Dr. Iyer led a study to determine whether neighborhood social and environmental factors (such as socioeconomic status, air pollution, green space, and temperature) are linked to telomere length, a marker of biological aging that has been proposed as a pathway connecting stress and cancer risk.
Using blood samples from over 13,000 male and female health professionals across the United States, we linked participants’ addresses to detailed neighborhood-level data and detailed data on clinical, behavioral, and dietary factors. After accounting for these other factors, we found no significant associations between neighborhood conditions and telomere length.
These findings suggest that telomere length may not serve as a strong mediator of how neighborhood environments influence cancer risk. Future research using repeated measurements over time may be better suited to explore this potential pathway.
Read the paper here.
Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status, Genetic Ancestry, and Mortality in Black Adults
Dr. Iyer led this study, which examined whether neighborhood income levels and socioeconomic conditions predict mortality in Black adults, independent of genetic ancestry. The interpretation of genetic ancestry has been debated in the biomedical and social science fields, with different conceptualization of the role of genetic and non-genetic factors in producing disease varying across fields. Studying genetic ancestry, a measure of genetic similarity between individuals in a population, when racial groups are also being compared is particularly fraught because of the many other social, behavioral, and clinical factors that also vary across these groups and are correlated with genetic ancestry.
Using data from nearly 10,000 participants in the Multiethnic Cohort Study, researchers linked census-based measures of neighborhood income and socioeconomic status with genetic estimates of African ancestry. Both neighborhood income and socioeconomic advantage were strongly associated with lower risk of death. In contrast, percentage African genetic ancestry was not associated with mortality once social factors were considered.
These findings underscore that social factors, rather than genetic ancestry, are the key drivers of health disparities in Black populations.
Read the paper here.