The mediating role of health behaviors in the association between depression, anxiety and cancer incidence: An individual participant data meta-analysis
Researchers investigated how various health behaviors might mediate the relationships between depression, anxiety, and the onset of different types of cancer. They conducted individual participant data meta-analyses using participants from 18 cohorts from the Psychosocial Factors and Cancer Incidence consortium.The cohorts analyzed included the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health, Ontario Health Study, and CARTaGENE. The findings suggested that smoking serves as a mediating factor that connects depression and anxiety with lung cancer and other cancers related to smoking.
Psychosocial factors, health behaviors and risk of cancer incidence: Testing interaction and effect modification in an individual participant data meta-analysis
Researchers determined whether psychosocial factors interact with or modify the effects of health behaviors, such as smoking and alcohol use, in relation to cancer incidence. Data were used from 22 cohorts, including the Ontario Health Study, Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health, and CARTaGENE. After exploring 744 combinations of psychosocial factors, the researchers found no evidence that psychosocial factors interacted with or modified health behaviors related to cancer incidence.
The evolution of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Canada: a time-series study, 2020-2023
This study used data from the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force, which includes CanPath data, to track the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the Canadian population over the pre-vaccination period, the vaccine rollout, and the emergence of the Omicron variant. By March 2023, over three-quarters of the population had detectable antibodies, with the most substantial increases seen after the arrival of the Omicron variant. However, variations in immunity by age and geography highlight the importance of tailoring public health policies and clinical decisions to local patterns of population immunity, considering factors like potential antibody decline and the emergence of new variants that might evade immunity.
Depression, anxiety, and the risk of cancer: An individual participant data meta-analysis
Researchers performed meta-analyses within the Psychosocial Factors and Cancer Incidence (PSY-CA) consortium to develop a stronger foundation for addressing associations between depression, anxiety, and the incidence of various cancer types. They found that depression and anxiety are not related to increased risk for most cancer outcomes, except for lung and smoking-related cancers.
Association of infertility with type and timing of menopause: a prospective cohort study
This study sought to uncover the association between past infertility and type and timing of menopause among midlife women. Using data from 13,243 midlife females from Alberta’s Tomorrow Project, the researchers found that women with past infertility were more likely to experience surgical menopause and had greater risk of earlier surgical menopause until age 43 years but experienced no differences in the timing of natural menopause.
Provincial variation in colorectal cancer screening adherence in Canada; evidence from the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health
The researchers sought to assess regional variation in screening uptake, identify factors to non-adherence to screening, and estimate adherence to screening in those with differing risk profiles. Using national CanPath data, they found adherence suboptimal amongst Canadians and noticed variation by region.
Genetic analyses of DNA repair pathway associated genes implicate new candidate cancer predisposing genes in ancestrally defined ovarian cancer cases
Researchers investigated families with a history of ovarian cancer that couldn’t be explained by known genetic risk factors. Using healthy controls from CARTaGENE, they applied a targeted gene approach and found rare genetic variants in DNA repair pathway genes, particularly in ERCC5, EXO1, FANCC, NEIL1, and NTHL1, in a significant portion of these families.
Global Biobank Meta-analysis Initiative: Powering genetic discovery across human disease
The Global Biobank Meta-analysis Initiative is a collaborative network of 23 biobanks, representing more than 2.2M consented participants with genetic data linked to electronic health records. This collaborative effort will improve genome-wide association studies’ power for diseases, benefit understudied diseases, and improve risk prediction.
Population-Based Recalibration of the Framingham Risk Score and Pooled Cohort Equations
The Framingham Risk Score (FRS) and Pooled Cohort Equations (PCEs) overestimate risk in many contemporary cohorts. This study sought to determine if the recalibration of these scores using contemporary population-level data improves risk stratification for statin therapy.
Cohort Profile: The Ontario Health Study (OHS)
OHS’s cohort profile outlines its research platform’s history and value for the broader scientific community. OHS follows 225,000 over their lifetime, actively and passively, making de-identified genomic, environmental, lifestyle, and electronic health data available to cancer and chronic disease researchers.