A University of Arizona Cancer Center researcher was awarded a $1.3 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to check the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions in American Indian patients with obesity-related solid tumor cancers who’re preparing for surgery.
In response to principal investigator Jennifer Erdrich, MD, MPH, there are 13 cancer subtypes linked to obesity that account for 40% of all cancers diagnosed annually in the US.
American Indian and Alaska Native populations are greater than 1.5 times more more likely to be obese than the final population and have among the lowest cancer survival rates within the nation. Many aspects influence this elevated risk including poverty, nontraditional foods, related antagonistic social determinants of health and physical inactivity.
Dr. Erdrich, UArizona Cancer Center member, assistant professor within the UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson’s Department of Surgery and surgical oncologist within the Division of General Surgery said, “There has recently been a paradigm shift where we’re involved in how we will improve the health of patients prior to surgery so the shock of recovery will not be as great.”
Earlier studies have shown that using preoperative time to enhance patients’ health has shown significant ends in cancer patients with obesity-related inflammation. This will likely be the primary study to give attention to American Indian populations.
“There’s a brief window of opportunity, about three weeks, when these preoperative measures could improve inflammatory biomarkers in American Indian cancer patients and potentially improve patient outcomes,” said Dr. Erdrich, who provides general surgical oncology care to tribal populations throughout southern Arizona and focuses on melanoma, sarcoma and breast cancers.
Her project, “Nutrition and Exercise Prehabilitation Intervention on Inflammatory Biomarkers in American Indian Cancer Patients,” will finalize, adapt and implement a prehabilitation translational clinical trial for American Indian patients with obesity-related solid tumor cancers who’re preparing for surgery. She said that the majority importantly, the study doesn’t delay take care of patients.
Dr. Erdrich, a descendant of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, developed a clinical and research interest in serving tribal populations after witnessing disparities in Native American health care, especially within the areas of surgical care and cancer treatment.
The research being done on the Cancer Center has the potential to assist Indigenous people living not only in southern Arizona, but everywhere in the United States. We’re fortunate to have such a talented scientist as Dr. Erdrich on our team; it is important to speculate in researchers like her. They’re the innovators that may lead the subsequent generation.”
Joann Sweasy, PhD, UArizona Cancer Center Director
The NCI Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Profession Development Award (K08) given to Dr. Erdrich provides support and guarded time to postdoctoral and non-tenured junior clinician-scientists who’re practicing clinicians in the US for intensive mentored research and profession development activities in basic, translational and patient-oriented cancer-focused research.
Source:
University of Arizona Health Sciences