University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center researchers have launched a $3 million, five-year study to uncover why early-stage breast cancer becomes invasive in some patients—with a special focus on Hawaiʻi’s diverse communities.
Led by Lenora Loo, a researcher in the Cancer Biology Program, and Brenda Hernandez, a researcher in Cancer Epidemiology and Principal Investigator for the Hawaiʻi Tumor Registry, the project will examine ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).
Accounting for 20% of new U.S. breast cancer diagnoses, DCIS can progress to invasive cancer, but a subset of cases never does. This unpredictability makes it challenging for clinicians to determine who needs aggressive treatment versus less intensive care. To address this, the team will evaluate lifestyle, health, social factors, and tumor biology, comparing DCIS and invasive tumors from the same patients.
By identifying the biological mechanisms behind progression, researchers hope to improve risk identification and enable tailored treatment plans so patients receive care appropriate to their specific risk level.
Focus on diverse patient populations
In Hawaiʻi, breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer among women and the second leading cause of female cancer deaths, averaging 172 deaths and thousands of invasive diagnoses annually.
Prior research by Loo and Hernandez using data from the UH Cancer Center’s Multiethnic Cohort Study revealed that Native Hawaiian, Filipino, and Japanese DCIS patients face a higher risk of developing invasive breast cancer in the same breast compared to White patients.
