Significant health inequalities exist within ancestry-diverse communities including higher rates of certain cancers compared to the wider population. It is now widely accepted that there are differences in the genetics, tumour biology, and immune environment of certain cancers in ancestry groups. These differences may contribute to differences in prevalence, aggressiveness, and treatment response. Our recent study showed that women of non-white ancestry develop breast cancer earlier, have distinct mutational landscapes, and respond differently to therapies (Nature Communications; PMID:40394000). Our study also suggested that ancestry-specific markers of risk will help support more equitable, population-specific approaches.
Here, we aim to expand our findings for a better understanding of the spectrum of cancers affecting populations from different ancestral background, particularly focusing on non-European ancestries compared to Europeans, through the lens of their inherited risk and lifetime clinical trajectory. For those with cancer, we will derive information on observable demographic, lifestyle and health indicators, and integrate the learning with individuals’ hereditary traits in order to identify ancestry-specific similarities and differences in cancer risk and prognosis. The project is designed to be developed in 3 years and involves initial analysis at pan-cancer level and subsequent analysis of single cancer types with sufficient sample size.
By utilising the repertoire of UK Biobank’s clinical and genomic data, the project ultimately aims to identify key cancer risk and prognostic factors specifically related to the unique demographics of populations from different ancestries.! We expect to contribute towards the benefit of populations at-risk across different ancestry groups and improving cancer outcomes.!
