Carolina Breast Cancer Study: Linking Tumor Biology to Social Determinants
UNC Breast SPORE Research Project 1
Black women experience worse breast cancer outcomes, with tumor biology, individual exposures, community-level, and structural determinants all contributing to this disparity.
In the Carolina Breast Cancer Study phase 4, we are evaluating tumor biology in context of a multi-level cells-to-society model to identify predictors of recurrence and survival and to identify new interventions allowing precision medicine in breast cancer.
Specifically, our focus is on developing better understanding of multilevel determinants of breast cancer outcome disparities and interventions to increase health equity in the context of precision medicine.
Project Aims
Aim 1
Identify biological tumor features (proliferation, p53 status, DNA repair, immune response, and stromal reactivity) that vary according to individual- and community-level factors under a cells-to-society framework for health equity.
Aim 2
Identify relationships between tumor biology, access to care, and community-level variables (exposures) with breast cancer recurrence/survival (outcomes) in a diverse study population (Carolina Breast Cancer Study 3 & 4).