Environmental Exposures and Cancer Risks
News from the CEECR 2024 annual meeting
The 10,000 Families Study is funded from 2021 - 2027 to study cancer risks posed by environmental exposures like radon and PFAS in Minnesota. We attended the most recent annual meeting of the Cohorts for Environmental Exposures and Cancer Risk (CEECR) at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences on November 7th and 8th in Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina. Experts from all four funded studies came together to share updates on their groundbreaking programs. Community partners also discussed the work they’ve done with the studies to join efforts in this discovery. Additionally, there were brainstorming sessions to learn from each other's successes and challenges.
Understanding the causes of cancer is a significant question that necessitates collaboration among teams across universities, government agencies, and communities. In pursuit of this objective, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) jointly established the Cohorts for Environmental Exposures and Cancer Risk (CEECR) in 2021. The 10,000 Families Study (10KFS) submitted a request for funding and was chosen as one of five new research studies that are part of this new initiative.
Cancer, a devastating disease that affects people worldwide, transcends age, gender, race, origin, and economic background. Its impact extends beyond individuals with the illness to include caregivers, families, friends, and communities, making it a collective concern. That is why a unified effort is imperative to comprehend its root causes.
Each study within the CEECR program is funded to investigate specific cancer problems, exploring environmental exposures and their correlation with liver cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, and other conditions. While some studies focus on individuals, the 10,000 Families Study examines the family as a whole, researching families in Minnesota as well as relatives in neighboring states.
To build synergy across research programs a coordinating center was established at the University of Wisconsin to host collaborative infrastructure, facilitating the integration of scientific research. This coordinating center is dedicated to enhancing the understanding of environmental exposures influencing cancer risks across diverse populations. It provides leadership, logistical support, fosters collaboration, and disseminates research findings.
In November, NCI leadership staff, the CEECR coordinating center, and funded research groups convened in Raleigh, NC, for the second in-person annual meeting. During this gathering, research teams shared updates, presented ideas, exchanged information, and collectively addressed challenges. Community partners also contributed valuable insights on working with the community.
On November 7th, the focus was on updates from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) leadership and the studies: The Southern Liver Health Study (STRIVE), Southern Environmental Health Study (SEHS), The Michigan Cancer and Research on the Environment Study (MI-CARES), and the 10,000 Families Study (10KFS). Dr. Jen Poynter provided an update on 10KFS, including details on family recruitment. At the time of the meeting, 10KFS had recruited approximately 3,200 participants from nearly 1,500 families, with almost 20% residing in rural areas. Additionally, she highlighted efforts to engage Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) populations to reflect recent population trends in Minnesota, including the availability of all study participation materials in Spanish.
On November 8th, the meeting centered on the importance of community collaboration in research studies. Dr. Lauren McCullough from Voices of Black Women provided insights on representation, challenges in working with diverse communities, incentives, and collaborating with diverse media. She also described ongoing efforts by the American Cancer Society to establish a new health study of 100,000 Black women.
Following Dr. McCullough’s presentation, Dr. Alexandra (Lexie) White, a Stadtman Investigator from the Sister Study, spoke about the history of the study, which began in 2003, their work with celebrity endorsements, and their retention programs.
Some common concerns across the cohorts included the lack of male participation, strategies for garnering media attention for this crucial research, ways to encourage individuals to share our information with their peers and how to attract the attention of influencers to help communicate our studies' goals. Various ideas were also proposed, such as reaching out to specific organizations that work with BIPOC populations, disseminating information through newsletters, and collaborating with professional associations.
A crucial aspect of the annual CEECR meeting involved brainstorming to identify new project ideas for collective pursuit. Goals included harmonizing information collection, sharing community feedback, building collaborations, and exploring opportunities for future grants. In addition, we spoke about idea sharing, diverse expertise, and long-term cancer outcomes.
A continue direction was identified and combine information on PFAS exposures, understanding how different groups across the country are exposed to these chemicals and their implications for future cancer risk. Lastly, there was an emphasis on reporting back information to participants, informing policymakers of our findings, and prioritizing collaboration across cohorts.
For more information on this and to learn more about the 10,000 Families Study, please contact us at: [email protected].
