In the 25 years of cancer prevention research, few interventions have been identified that have effects on more than one type of cancer. Chronic inflammation contributes to carcinogenesis in multiple organs, thus anti-inflammatory agents have the potential to reduce the risk of cancer at several sites. In 1999, Dr. Emily White was awarded funding for the VITamins And Lifestyle (VITAL) study, a prospective cohort study of dietary supplement use and cancer risk. 77,738 men and women in western Washington State, age 50-76, entered the cohort, by completing a detailed questionnaire on use of 38 supplements over the past 10 years, diet, and lifestyle factors. Over 54,000 participants also provided buccal cell specimens for DNA. The strongest and most consistent findings to date are that only the anti-inflammatory supplements (in particular glucosamine, chondroitin and fish oil/n-3 fatty acids) appear to reduce the risk of several cancers. This proposed Established Investigator Award (K05) for Dr. White would provide protected time for mentoring and research in the area of anti-inflammatory exposures and cancer risk, and other topics of interest to her trainees. The applicant has an extensive history of mentoring and directing training programs, is currently mentoring 1 pre-doctoral, 4 post-doctoral and 7 junior faculty members from a range of fields, and has a strong commitment to continue mentoring in the future. The availability of the data and specimens from the large VITAL cohort, the increasing numbers of cancers as the study matures (over 10,300 cancers expected by 2011), and the range of cancers that can be studied (prostate, breast, lung, colorectal, melanoma, bladder, blood/lymph) attract young investigators to work with her. In addition to providing ideas, guidance and the research platform for publishing research papers to her trainees, the applicant endeavors to provide guidance in developing their independent research as well. This award would provide additional time for Dr. White to expand her and her trainees'research to other anti-inflammatory supplements (e.g., grapeseed, MSM) which have not been ascertained by other cohorts, to anti-inflammatory drugs, and to pro- and anti-inflammatory dietary factors (e.g., n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) in relation to incidence of multiple types of cancer, total cancer incidence and cancer mortality. In addition, the award would provide pilot data to allow her and her trainees to branch out into short-term randomized trials of the effects of potential chemopreventive agents on biomarkers of inflammation, and to studies of the anti-inflammatory exposures of interest and survival from cancer. Dr. White is also author of the book """"""""Principles of Exposure Measurement in Epidemiology"""""""", and this award would provide dedicated time for her to pursue additional methodologic research in this area. To accomplish this, the applicant will reduce her large administrative responsibilities, including stepping down from her role as Associate Dean for Research in the University of Washington School of Public Health.

Public Health Relevance

The proposed studies would provide information to help guide the American public about the benefits and risks of taking certain anti-inflammatory supplements. In addition, if any observed protective associations of anti-inflammatory supplements or anti-inflammatory dietary factors with cancer risk are found to be of reasonable magnitude, then they may deserve further investigation as cancer prevention interventions. This award would also provide training to young epidemiologists, nutrition scientists and physician-researchers who will become the next generation of cancer prevention scientists.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
Research Scientist Award (K05)
Project #
5K05CA154337-04
Application #
8677785
Study Section
Subcommittee B - Comprehensiveness (NCI)
Program Officer
Perkins, Susan N
Project Start
2011-07-01
Project End
2016-06-30
Budget Start
2014-07-01
Budget End
2015-06-30
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2014
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Washington
Department
Public Health & Prev Medicine
Type
Schools of Public Health
DUNS #
City
Seattle
State
WA
Country
United States
Zip Code
98195
Pande, Mala; Joon, Aron; Brewster, Abenaa M et al. (2018) Genetic susceptibility markers for a breast-colorectal cancer phenotype: Exploratory results from genome-wide association studies. PLoS One 13:e0196245
Lu, Yingchang; Beeghly-Fadiel, Alicia; Wu, Lang et al. (2018) A Transcriptome-Wide Association Study Among 97,898 Women to Identify Candidate Susceptibility Genes for Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Risk. Cancer Res 78:5419-5430
Neumeyer, Sonja; Banbury, Barbara L; Arndt, Volker et al. (2018) Mendelian randomisation study of age at menarche and age at menopause and the risk of colorectal cancer. Br J Cancer 118:1639-1647
Citronberg, Jessica S; Curtis, Keith R; White, Emily et al. (2018) Association of gut microbial communities with plasma lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP) in premenopausal women. ISME J 12:1631-1641
Jeon, Jihyoun; Du, Mengmeng; Schoen, Robert E et al. (2018) Determining Risk of Colorectal Cancer and Starting Age of Screening Based on Lifestyle, Environmental, and Genetic Factors. Gastroenterology 154:2152-2164.e19
Wang, Xiaoliang; Chan, Andrew T; Slattery, Martha L et al. (2018) Influence of Smoking, Body Mass Index, and Other Factors on the Preventive Effect of Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs on Colorectal Cancer Risk. Cancer Res 78:4790-4799
Citronberg, Jessica S; Wilkens, Lynne R; Le Marchand, Loic et al. (2018) Plasma lipopolysaccharide-binding protein and colorectal cancer risk: a nested case-control study in the Multiethnic Cohort. Cancer Causes Control 29:115-123
Gaudet, Mia M; Carter, Brian D; Brinton, Louise A et al. (2017) Pooled analysis of active cigarette smoking and invasive breast cancer risk in 14 cohort studies. Int J Epidemiol 46:881-893
Brasky, Theodore M; White, Emily; Chen, Chi-Ling (2017) Long-Term, Supplemental, One-Carbon Metabolism-Related Vitamin B Use in Relation to Lung Cancer Risk in the Vitamins and Lifestyle (VITAL) Cohort. J Clin Oncol 35:3440-3448
Gu, Fangyi; Zhang, Han; Hyland, Paula L et al. (2017) Inherited variation in circadian rhythm genes and risks of prostate cancer and three other cancer sites in combined cancer consortia. Int J Cancer 141:1794-1802

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