Lung Cancer Health Disparities

该项目使用经典流行病学、分子流行病学和精准医学。由于发病率差异的主要原因尚不清楚，我们正在进行人口研究，以评估潜在原因。我们研究了欧洲裔美国人和非洲裔美国人之间暴露的异质性。了解这些差异可以为病因学，预防和新的治疗方法提供线索。其次，我们正在进行血液蛋白的分子流行病学研究，并检查这些人群中的细胞因子谱。我们正在进行的工作表明，细胞因子谱是有前途的风险，诊断和预后生物标志物。我们目前还在对欧洲裔美国人和非洲裔美国人的肺癌组织进行全面的分子分析，并建立非洲裔美国人肺癌的精准医学图谱。正在分析这些样本的microRNA、编码基因表达、体细胞遗传学（包括突变和拷贝数变化）以及甲基化。这些分析的目的是了解非洲裔美国人和欧洲裔美国人肺癌中是否存在肿瘤生物学差异。我们发现的差异可以用来改善患者的预后。

This project uses classical epidemiology, molecular epidemiology and precision medicine. As the main causes of the disparities in incidence are unknown, we are conducting population studies to assess the potential causes. We examine heterogeneity in exposures between European Americans and African Americans. Understanding such differences could provide clues for etiology, prevention and new treatments. Secondly, we are conducting molecular epidemiology studies of blood-based proteins and examining cytokine profiles in these populations. Our ongoing work shows that cytokine profiles are promising risk, diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. We are also currently undertaking a comprehensive molecular analysis of lung cancer tissues from European Americans and African Americans and building a precision medicine atlas of lung cancer in African Americans. These samples are being analysed for microRNA, coding gene expression, somatic genetics including mutations and copy number changes, and methylation. The goals of these analyses are to understand whether differences in tumor biology exist in lung cancers from African Americans and European Americans. The differences that we have found could be leveraged to improve patient outcomes.