Publications

These publications are examples of research made possible with data from CanPath and its regional cohorts.

2022

Harnessing the power of data linkage to enrich the cancer research ecosystem in Canada

Authors: Robin Urquhart, Philip Awadalla, Parveen Bhatti, Trevor Dummer, Simon Gravel, Jennifer Vena, Riaz Alvi, Philippe Broet, Cynthia Kendell, Victoria Kirsh, Guillaume Lettre, Kimberly Skead, Grace Shen-Tu, Ellen Sweeney, Donna Turner

This abstract discusses a project aimed at linking cancer registry and administrative health data to Canada’s largest population health study, the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (CanPath). The project seeks to enrich the cancer research ecosystem in Canada by providing researchers with a comprehensive dataset that includes genetics, environment, lifestyle, and behaviour data. The linked data will be made available through a cloud-based solution called the CanPath Data Safe Haven, which is accessible to researchers through secure access. The project will address concerns related to the accessibility of cancer data in Canada, bring more value to existing data, and support an enhanced understanding of the impacts of cancer on marginalized populations.

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2022

Arsenic Speciation and Metallomics Profiling of Human Toenails as a Biomarker to Assess Prostate Cancer Cases: Atlantic PATH Cohort Study

Authors: Erin Keltie, Kalli M Hood, Yunsong Cui, Ellen Sweeney, Gabriela Ilie, Anil Adisesh, Trevor Dummer, Veni Bharti, Jong Sung Kim

This study aimed to characterize arsenic species and metallome profiles in toenails and urine samples, compare these profiles between prostate cancer cases and controls, and evaluate the utility of toenail and urine biomarkers. Toenails were found to be viable biomarkers for altered arsenic speciation in prostate cancer cases.

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2022

Substituting bouts of sedentary behavior with physical activity: adopting positive lifestyle choices in people with a history of cancer

Authors: Lee Ingle, Samantha Ruilova, Yunsung Cui, Vanessa DeClercq, Ellen Sweeney, Zhijie Michael Yu, Cynthia C Forbes

This study aimed to determine the association between substituting sitting time with other daily activities and changes in waist circumference amongst people with cancer history. The researchers found that small changes to minimize their sitting time help reduce waist circumference, possibly offsetting other adverse health outcomes.

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2022

Applying Machine Learning to Arsenic Species and Metallomics Profiles of Toenails to Evaluate Associations of Environmental Arsenic with Incident Cancer Cases

Authors: Sheida Majouni, Jong Sung Kim, Ellen Sweeney, Erin Keltie, Syed Sibte Raza Abidi

This preliminary study aimed to understand the association between environmental metal pathogenicity and carcinogenicity and prostate cancer. Researchers used toenails to capture arsenic exposure!

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2022

Analysis of human serum and urine for tentative identification of potentially carcinogenic pesticide-associated N-nitroso compounds using high-resolution mass spectrometry

Authors: Crystal L. Sweeney, Nathan K. Smith, Ellen Sweeney, Alejandro M. Cohen, Jong Sung Kim

Using data from 64 Atlantic PATH participants, this study marks the first biomonitoring investigation of PANN compounds in human serum and urine. A majority of the participants were found to have been exposed to some nitrosatable pesticides and potentially carcinogenic PANN compounds.

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2022

Lifestyle factors and lung cancer risk among never smokers in the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (CanPath)

Authors: Rachel Murphy, Maryam Darvishian, Jia Qi, Yixian Chen, Quincy Chu, Jennifer Vena, Trevor J B Dummer, Nhu Le, Ellen Sweeney, Vanessa DeClercq, Scott A Grandy, Melanie R Keats, Yunsong Cui, Philip Awadalla, Darren R Brenner, Parveen Bhatti

Data from 950 CanPath participants were analyzed to understand why 15-25% of lung cancers occur in never smokers. Researchers found a link between lung cancer risk, sleep, and fruit and vegetable intake amongst never smokers.

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2022

Toenail speciation biomarkers in arsenic-related disease: a feasibility study for investigating the association between arsenic exposure and chronic disease

Authors: Nathan Kyle Smith, Erin Keltie, Ellen Sweeney, Swarna Weerasignhe, Kathleen MacPherson, Jong Sung Kim

With data from 60 Atlantic PATH participants, this study aimed to develop a method to analyze arsenic in toenails, distinguish arsenic speciation profiles in those with chronic diseases, and assess the novel method’s feasibility to find speciation pattern differences between the disease groups. This is the first study to describe arsenic speciation patterns in those with arsenic-related diseases using toenails!

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2022

Evaluation of Adiposity and Cognitive Function in Adults

Authors: Sonia S. Anand, Matthias G. Friedrich, Douglas S. Lee, Phillip Awadalla, J. P. Després, Dipika Desai, Russell J. de Souza, Trevor Dummer, Grace Parraga, Eric Larose, Scott A. Lear, Koon K. Teo, Paul Poirier, Karleen M. Schulze, Dorota Szczesniak, Jean-Claude Tardif, Jennifer Vena, Katarzyna Zatonska, Salim Yusuf, Eric E. Smith, the Canadian Alliance of Healthy Hearts and Minds (CAHHM), the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological (PURE) Study Investigators

Researchers sought to undercover the association between adipose tissue (amount and distribution) and cognitive scores. Using data from 9,189 participants, they found that higher visceral adipose tissue and body fat percentage correlated with increased vascular brain injuries and cardiovascular risk factors, as well as lower cognitive scores.

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2021

Investigation of the impact of commonly used medications on the oral microbiome of individuals living without major chronic conditions

Authors: Vanessa DeClercq, Jacob T. Nearing, Morgan G. I. Langille

Saliva samples from 1,214 Atlantic PATH participants were analyzed for gene sequencing and microbial community composition differences, particularly between non-, single-, and multi-drug users. Researchers found a minimal influence of the analyzed medications on the salivary microbiome for those with chronic conditions.

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2021

A large Canadian cohort provides insights into the genetic architecture of human hair colour

Authors: Frida Lona-Durazo, Marla Mendes, Rohit Thakur, Karen Funderburk, Tongwu Zhang, Michael A. Kovacs, Jiyeon Choi, Kevin M. Brown, Esteban J. Parra 

Researchers performed genome-wide association studies and meta-analyses to garner insight on regulatory mechanisms of hair colour variation and pigmentation biology. 12,996 genotyped CanPath participants were included in this study, along with their self-reported natural hair colour. The researchers fine-mapped significant loci throughout the genome, identifying multiple novel causal variants for hair colour.

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