Researchers at the University of Chicago are examining how environmental factors influence cancer risk. Their studies aim to identify which environmental elements contribute to cancer development and how these risks vary among different populations.
Brisa Aschebrook-Kilfoy, an Associate Professor of Family Medicine at UChicago, is leading research on the urban "exposome"—a measure of lifetime exposure to various factors—and its impact on health. Her team recently published a study analyzing air pollution data from the National Institute of Health's All of Us research program, which includes over 500,000 individuals from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. The study found a significant link between higher levels of airborne pollutants in certain ZIP codes and increased risks for several cancers, including breast, ovarian, blood, and endometrial cancers. It also noted that these risks varied by race and ethnicity.
"Our hope is this work supports further consideration of the role of the environment on cancer disparities both in Chicago and nationally," Aschebrook-Kilfoy stated.
Anand A. Patel, a medical oncologist at UChicago Medicine, focuses on how environmental factors affect cancer outcomes. His research revealed poorer leukemia-related outcomes among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic patients compared to non-Hispanic white patients with acute myeloid leukemia. Patel's new study shows that non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic patients in Chicago face higher exposure to pollutants linked with leukemia than their white counterparts.
Yu-Ying He and Muhammed Kibriya are investigating cellular and genetic impacts of environmental carcinogens using molecular genomic approaches. He's group examines interactions between carcinogens and the epitranscriptome—chemical modifications affecting gene expression without changing DNA sequences. "Genetics and epigenetics are known to play critical roles in gene-environment interactions in health and diseases," He explained.
Kibriya has studied arsenic exposure in Bangladesh for years, identifying mutations associated with non-melanoma skin cancer due to arsenic-laden drinking water. "These gene-environment interactions may have implications on precision medicine for patients who need medical therapy in addition to surgical removal of the tumor," Kibriya said.
Habibul Ahsan leads efforts in building large-scale cohorts for studying environmental health globally. He emphasizes combining environmental, nutritional, lifestyle factors with molecular genomics for understanding disease causes and prevention strategies.
Ahsan's work has influenced policy decisions such as lowering legal limits for arsenic in U.S. drinking water after his findings linked it with pre-cancerous skin lesions.
The ongoing research at UChicago holds significant public health implications amid changing global conditions related to air quality, climate patterns, and chemical exposures.