Background: We investigated the associations of oral contraceptives (OC) with percent breast density (PD), absolute dense area (DA), nondense area (NDA), and a novel image intensity variation (V) measure in premenopausal women. Methods: This study included 1,233 controls from a nested case–control study within Nurses' Health Study II cohort. Information on OCs was collected in 1989 and updated biennially. OC use was defined from the questionnaire closest to the mammogram date. PD, DA, and NDA were measured from digitized film mammograms using a computer-assisted thresholding technique; the V m ..read more

Background: An increased familial risk of breast cancer may be due to both shared genetics and environment. Women with a breast cancer family history may have a higher prevalence of breast cancer–related gene variants and thus increased susceptibility to environmental exposures. We evaluated whether air pollutant and breast cancer associations varied by familial risk. Methods: Sister Study participants living in the contiguous United States at enrollment (2003–2009; N = 48,453), all of whom had at least one first-degree relative with breast cancer, were followed for breast cancer. Annual NO2 a ..read more

Background: Though inconsistent, there is evidence that sun exposure is associated with reduced breast cancer risk. Previous studies have been conducted in geographical regions with seasonal variation in UV radiation, including periods of low to no exposure, and among participants mostly of European descent. Puerto Rico has no significant seasonal fluctuation, with continuous exposure to very high UV radiation. Methods: We conducted a population-based case–control study of breast cancer among women in metropolitan San Juan, Puerto Rico, examining a cumulative sun exposure index (SEI) based on ..read more

Background: Colorectal cancer screening programs with fecal sample collection may provide a platform for population-based gut microbiome disease research. We investigated sample collection and storage method impact on the accuracy and stability of the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA genes and bacterial quantity across seven different collection methods [i.e., no solution, two specimen collection cards, and four types of fecal immunochemical test (FIT) used in four countries] among 19 healthy volunteers. Methods: Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated for the relative abundance ..read more

Background: Our objective was to determine the association between racialized economic segregation and the hazard of breast cancer mortality in Maryland. Methods: Among 35,066 women (24,540 White; 10,526 Black) diagnosed with incident invasive breast cancer in Maryland during 2007 to 2017, exposure to racialized economic segregation was measured at the census tract level using Index of Concentration at the Extremes metrics. HRs and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression for the association between racialized economic segregation and the hazard of ..read more

Background: Vaccinations have been hypothesized to play a role in lymphoma etiology, but there are few studies, mixed results, and limited data on lymphoma subtypes. Herein, we investigate the association of vaccinations with risk of major lymphoma subtypes. Methods: We studied 2,461 lymphoma cases and 2,253 controls enrolled from 2002 to 2014. Participants self-reported history of vaccinations against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, yellow fever, and influenza. Polytomous logistic regression was used to estimate OR and 95% confidence intervals (CI), adjusting for potential confounders. Results: Aft ..read more

Background: Inflammation is important in multiple myeloma pathogenesis, and regular aspirin use has been shown to confer a reduced risk of multiple myeloma. The influence of aspirin on survival after multiple myeloma diagnosis is unknown. Methods: We identified 436 men and women diagnosed with multiple myeloma between 1980 and 2016 in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and the Nurses' Health Study who reported aspirin intake biennially on follow-up questionnaires. Using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models, we estimated HRs and 95% confidence intervals (CI) associated ..read more

Background: Cancer survivors are developing more subsequent tumors. We sought to characterize patients with multiple (≥2) primary cancers (MPC) to assess associations and genetic mechanisms. Methods: Patients were prospectively consented (01/2013–02/2019) to tumor-normal sequencing via a custom targeted panel (MSK-IMPACT). A subset consented to return of results of ≥76 cancer predisposition genes. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) 2004 rules for defining MPC were applied. Tumor pairs were created to assess relationships between cancers. Age-adjusted, sex-specific, standardized ..read more

Background: ABO blood group is associated with pancreatic cancer risk. Whether ABO blood group alone or when combined with inherited mutation status of index pancreatic cancer cases (probands) can enhance pancreatic cancer risk estimation in first-degree relatives (FDR) is unclear. We examined FDRs' risk for pancreatic cancer based on probands' ABO blood group and probands' cancer susceptibility gene mutation status. Methods: Data on 23,739 FDRs, identified through 3,268 pancreatic cancer probands, were analyzed. Probands' ABO blood groups were determined serologically or genetically, and 20 c ..read more

Background: Patients with right-sided colon cancer (RCC) and left-sided colon cancer (LCC) differ clinically and molecularly. The main objective was to investigate stage-stratified survival and recurrence of RCC and LCC across four 10-year periods. Methods: Patients diagnosed from 1977 to 2016 with colon adenocarcinoma were included from the Cancer Registry of Norway. Primary tumor location (PTL) was defined as RCC if proximal and LCC if distal to the splenic flexure. Multivariable regressions were used to estimate HRs for overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), survival after r ..read more