Pilot Project 1: Mexican immigrants' biological and behavioral cancer risk based on stress

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Despite the 11.4 million Mexican immigrants living in the U.S., the biological and behavioral determinants that contribute to cancer disparities among them are vastly understudied. While research has indicated that adverse childhood experiences (ACE) influence cancer in adulthood, this association has not been investigated among Mexican immigrants. In addition, exposure to minority stress is associated with poor physical adult health outcomes. This association is particularly important for Mexican immigrants, as they are exposed to a disproportionate number of stressors associated with their minority status that are stigmatizing and discriminatory. It is believed that minority-related stressors are unique (i.e., not experienced by non- stigmatized populations), additive, chronic, and socially based. The repeated or chronic stress of ACE, such as living in poverty, or ongoing adult experiences associated with minority stress, such as pressure to acculturate, can lead to dysregulation of biological systems and harmful health behaviors. Biological and behavioral stress responses, such as the presence of pro-inflammatory cytokines, elevated adiposity, alcoholism, and risky sexual activity are associated with cancer development in adulthood. The goal of this study is to evaluate the association of ACE, minority stress and their combination with cancer risk factors among Mexican immigrants. This study will pursue three primary aims: (1) Evaluate cancer risk factors in relation to the adversity that occurred in childhood; (2) Evaluate cancer risk factors in adulthood in relation to minority stress; and (3) Determine the extent to which biological and behavioral cancer risk factors increase as a result of the additive effect of ACE and minority stress in adulthood. This proof-of-concept study will enroll 50 Mexican immigrants (aged 19-49 years) who reside in the Houston area. The ACE survey will be used to retrospectively measure stress during childhood, and the Multidimensional Acculturative Stress Inventory (MASI) will be used to measure minority stress. Direct assessment will be used to measure 11 pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-6, IL-8, and TNFα) and three adiposity measures (body mass index, body fat percentage, and waist circumference).This study is highly innovative for three primary reasons: (1) It focuses on a population that experiences cancer disparities but is rarely included in interdisciplinary research; (2) It uses an interdisciplinary framework that embeds Cumulative Risk Theory and Minority Stress Theory into a Life Course Perspective to understand the impact of social stress on cancer risk; and (3) It uses multiple biological and behavioral measurements to provide a more complete understanding of how stress influences cancer risk. It is envisioned that this study will expand an interdisciplinary research program aimed at investigating biological and behavioral influences on cancer risk factors. The findings from the proof-of-concept study will be used to help design a larger scale study that will advance research and modify cancer prevention strategies.