The goal of this project is to systematically investigate how lifestyle factors, environmental exposures, and circulating biomarkers contribute to cancer risk, progression, and therapeutic outcomes. Specifically, we will address:
How do modifiable lifestyle factors and environmental exposures interact with circulating biomarkers (e.g., inflammatory cytokines, metabolic profiles) to influence cancer incidence and patient survival?
What roles do blood biomarkers play in mediating the impact of environmental exposures on various organs, and why do some exposures (e.g., alcohol) predispose individuals to specific cancers (e.g., liver vs. breast)?
To what extent do biomarker-driven treatment strategies improve patient outcomes, and can these findings guide more personalized management protocols?
Research objectives include:
Assess how lifestyle/environmental exposures, clinical history (comorbidities, medications), and blood-based biomarkers (metabolites, proteins) together affect cancer risk, prognosis, and survival in major cancer types, focusing on head and neck, breast, lung, liver, colorectal, and prostate cancers.
Utilize advanced statistical and bioinformatic approaches to identify key biomarkers and molecular pathways underlying individual-environment interactions.
Investigate the effectiveness of biomarker-guided treatment strategies, like monitoring tumor markers post-surgery, to evaluate their impact on patient outcomes and inform clinical guidelines.
Scientific Rationale
Advancements in cancer research have revealed many genetic and environmental risk factors. However, gaps remain in understanding how lifestyle factors and environmental exposures synergize with circulating biomarkers to influence cancer risk and outcomes. Current risk models often focus on isolated components, overlooking the combined effects of these factors. For example tobacco use is linked to lung cancer but the biomarker pathways explaining this risk are poorly defined.
