Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center

pregnant belly
September 8, 2020

Fibroids and birth outcomes

Women with three or more uterine fibroids — non-cancerous growths — during pregnancy are more likely to have infants with reduced birthweight and may need additional surveillance.

By Leigh MacMillan
August 10, 2020

A step toward cancer prevention

A computational technique that combines the effect of multiple genomic variants has the potential to identify high-risk individuals for cancer prevention.

By Bill Snyder
August 6, 2020

Appendix cancer survival in young patients varies by race: study

The first study of appendiceal cancer patterns and survival by race/ethnicity among patients younger than 50 in the U.S. showed survival disparities.

By Leigh MacMillan
April 23, 2020

Polygenic scores identify those at high cancer risk

A team of Vanderbilt researchers constructed polygenic risk scores (PRS) based on genomic variants associated with eight common cancers and concluded they could potentially be used for personalized risk assessments.

By Tom Wilemon
March 9, 2020

Meat intake and colorectal polyps

Red and processed meat intakes are strongly associated with increased risk of sessile serrated polyps, which are not as well studied as conventional adenomas.

By Leigh MacMillan
January 23, 2020

HDL-cholesterol and breast cancer risk

Genetic analyses suggest that high circulating HDL-cholesterol levels may increase breast cancer risk — a surprising finding since increased HDL-cholesterol is thought to be healthy.

By Leigh MacMillan
September 19, 2019

Potential prostate cancer biomarkers

An analysis of more than 140,000 people of European ancestry has identified blood protein biomarkers associated with prostate cancer risk.
By Leigh MacMillan
August 1, 2019

Shu, Zheng receive Vietnam’s top honor for foreign scientists

The Vietnamese Ministry of Health has awarded two Vanderbilt epidemiologists the Memorabilia Medal “For the People’s Health” in appreciation for their contributions in helping the nation establish a population-based research program for cancer, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases.
By Tom Wilemon
April 22, 2019

Asia’s diabetes epidemic preferentially kills women, the middle-aged: study

Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in Asia and has dramatically increased the risk of premature death, especially among women and middle-aged people, a multinational study led by Vanderbilt University researchers has found.
By Bill Snyder
April 18, 2019

Asian nations in early tobacco epidemic: study

Asian countries are in the early stages of a tobacco smoking epidemic with habits mirroring those of the United States from past decades, setting the stage for a spike in future deaths from smoking-related diseases.
By Tom Wilemon
June 28, 2018

Team identifies new gene candidates for breast cancer risk

Jun. 28, 2018—An international coalition led by scientists at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Herston, Australia, has identified 48 candidate susceptibility genes for breast cancer risk, including 14 genes at loci (chromosome regions) not yet reported for breast cancer.
By Bill Snyder
January 18, 2018

Study finds higher death rates in poor neighborhoods

Living in an economically disadvantaged neighborhood is likely to lead to death at an earlier age, especially among African-Americans, new research shows. The death rate is even more pronounced among disadvantaged individuals with unhealthy lifestyle habits.
By VUMC News and Communications
December 7, 2017

Searching out pancreatic cancer risk

Vanderbilt researchers have identified a biomarker that could be used to predict pancreatic cancer risk.
By Paul Govern