Ancestry and the Prevalence of Cancer-Associated Genetic Alterations
Study of genetics has become increasingly more targeted over time – revealing vital information about health conditions and cancer. What have researchers learned about ancestry and the prevalence of cancer-associated genetic alterations? As part of DHH's continued commitment and efforts to help increase awareness for underserved patients, here’s a look at some recent findings from the AACR Cancer Disparities Progress Report 2022.
Genetic Alterations and Impact on Cancer
The human body sometimes adapts to specific altitudes, climates, food sources, infections, and other environmental factors by creating a genetic variation. Biologic qualities that develop from genetic variations can be positive, negative, or even a combination of both positive and negative. Sickled cells in the blood have developed in some individuals who live in areas with high malaria rates as a genetic protection against malaria. Unfortunately, sickle cell disease (SCD) can develop in those children who inherit two abnormal copies of the β-globin gene (HBB) from their parents.
Another genetic phenomenon can also put individuals with a lot of genetic differences at higher risk of developing genetic diseases, for example, cancer. Comparative studies of tumors look at genetic mixtures, which make ancestry a key factor in unlocking some of the mysteries of cancer.
Changes that take place in DNA sequence bases are genetic mutations and can involve swapping, dropping, or adding a base. More extensive mutations can involve a higher quantity of bases, which might involve amplifications, deletions, and trade either among or within chromosomes. Examining an individual tumor, cancer cells have been shown to escape cancer-fighting therapies when an occurrence of intratumor heterogeneity – or mixture within a tumor – happens.
Examination of Cancer Mutations and BIPOC Populations
Looking closer at mutations, there are two types of cancer-causing mutations – somatic mutations and pathogenic mutations. Somatic mutations comprise the majority of mutations and arise from cell duplication errors, lifestyle factors, environmental exposure, and chronic inflammation. While pathogenic mutations are those that are inherited from the various genetic lines of our ancestors and make up about 10 percent of genetic mutations.
With increased focus to help serve underserved patients in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) populations, there are two factors working against fighting cancer in these groups. First, historically research of genetic predispositions to cancer have centered on individuals of European ancestry with limited study of other population groups. Secondly, underserved patients who are often in BIPOC groups are often exposed to risk factors that can result in epigenetic changes in DNA that can be passed on to children. Some of these risk factors include things like pollution exposure, stress, and diet.
Dr. Leanne Burnham took her research further to look at the effects of the stress hormone cortisol on prostate cancer cells in the laboratory. According to Dr. Burnham, “I was growing cancer cells in the lab that were from Black patients and white patients, and I would expose them to stress hormones in the flask, or maybe you like to think of it as kind of like a petri dish, but in the flask where the prostate cancer cells were growing. I would treat them with stress hormones, and then I would look and see do the cells grow differently, do they express genes and proteins differently based on race? And what I found very surprisingly, disturbingly, whichever adverb you want to use, that the African American prostate cancer cells, when they were exposed to stress hormones, the tumor cells became more aggressive, and they up-regulated genes that we know prime a patient to resist therapy.”
Genetic research has also revealed some deeper understanding about the people of Africa and those with African ancestry. The continent of Africa has the most genetically diverse population among all the continents of the world. This is due to the fact that human migration originated about 100,000 years ago and started from Africa. Migration then moved into Asia and then traveled to Europe, present-day Russia into Alaska, and then through North America and down to Central America and South America.
Future of Genetic Research on Cancer
Genetic research on cancer continues to make progress, but there is still a lot of progress that must be made to discover more to help in prevention and treatment for underserved BIPOC patients. To help with research advancements for these patients, some actions that can be taken include:
More BIPOC patients can participate in clinical trials to improve current and future cancer treatments for these patient groups.
Increased funding from U.S. federal agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) must be earmarked to research cancer prevention in BIPOC populations.
Patient advocates and medical researchers can speak on behalf of underserved patients.
We will continue to provide more genetics research updates as study findings come through. Stay tuned for reports about advancements and improving cancer research and treatments for underserved patients.
Sources
Achieving the Bold Vision of Health Equity for Racial and Ethnic Minorities and Other Underserved Populations. AACR Cancer Disparities Progress Report 2022. Accessed June 16, 2022. https://cancerprogressreport.aacr.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/AACR_CDPR_2022.pdf
How Does Stress Correlate With Your Prostate Cancer Diagnosis? Patient Empowerment Network website. Accessed June 16, 2022. https://powerfulpatients.org/2021/05/13/how-does-stress-correlate-with-your-prostate-cancer-diagnosis/
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