Brenda Y. Hernandez, PhD, MPH
	Assistant Professor ( Researcher), Cancer Research Center of Hawai‘i; Director, Hawai‘i Tumor Registry PhD (Epidemiology), University of Hawai‘i at Manoa; MPH, (Epidemiology), Yale University School of Medicine brenda@crch.hawaii.edu

Publication list via PubMed

Dr. Hernandez's major research interest is understanding the relationship between infection and cancer. Viruses and the human cancers with which they are associated include human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical and other anogenital cancers, hepatitis B and C and hepatocellular (liver) cancers, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and nasopharyngeal cancers and certain lymphomas, and human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) and Kaposi's sarcoma.   These infectious agents influence the development of cancer through varied mechanisms including interaction of viral genes with host tumor-suppressor genes, integration of virus into host DNA, and the establishment of persistent or latent infections. Understanding the role of host factors is also key to elucidating the mechanism of viral carcinogenesis.

HPV has been a major research focus for Dr. Hernandez. She has been involved in studies of HPV in both men and women in Hawai‘i.  Dr. Hernandez runs an HPV testing laboratory that uses state-of- the art DNA-based methods to detect the virus. The epidemiology of human papillomavirus (HPV), which is the primary cause of cervical cancer and an etiologic agent in other cancers, has been a major area of her research.  Dr. Hernandez is presently a Co-Investigator in an NCI-funded study of HPV persistence, Cohort Study of Diet and Duration of HPV Infection (Principal Investigator, Dr. Marc Goodman). The first involved over 2,000 women on the island of Oahu.

Dr. Hernandez recently completed a 5-year NIH-funded study, the Molecular Epidemiology and Natural History of HPV infection in Men. Her study was part of the new Pacific Center for Emerging Infectious Disease Research headed by Dr. Richard Yanagihara of the University of Hawai‘i.  This study observed a higher prevalence of HPV in the glans penis of uncircumcised compared to circumcised men.  This may explain the increased risk of penile cancer among uncircumcised men, including the observation that the glans penis is the primary site of penile cancers.  HPV transmission was examined in a sub-study of male-female partners.  Sexual transmission involved 13 different oncogenic and non-oncogenic HPV types. Transmission involved different anogenital sites as well as the hands.  The rate of transmission from females-to-males exceeded that from males-to-females.  Knowledge gained from this investigation may contribute to improved prevention and control of this very common sexually transmitted agent in both men and women and subsequent reduction of HPV-associated sequelae. Dr. Hernandez recently initiated two new studies of HPV including a pilot study of HPV prevalence in American Samoa and an investigation of serologic measures of HPV transmission.

The Hawai‘i Tumor Registry is a part of the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program of the National Cancer Institute. The Registry provides complete cancer reporting for the entire state and monitors trends in cancer incidence and mortality over time. Dr. Hernandez has  been involved in the HTR's efforts to develop a tissue bank consisting of cancer tissue specimens. Archived tissue specimens have been increasingly recognized as a valuable research resource that can be used to evaluate nucleic acid and protein based measures of cancer etiology, progression, and prognosis. Through techniques such as immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, archival tissue can be used to detect genetic polymorphisms and mutations, oncogene expression, as well as environmental and infectious exposures. Dr. Hernandez anticipates that the HTR's tissue bank will provide a rich research resource for local and national investigators.

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Selected Publications

Hernandez BY, Barnholtz-Sloan J, German RR, Giuliano A, Goodman MT, King J, Negoita S, Villalon-Gomez JM. Burden of penile cancer in the United States. Cancer 2008; 113(10 suppl):2883-91.

Hernandez BY, Wilkens LR, Zhu X, Thompson P, McDuffie KE, Shvetsov YB, Kamemoto LB, Killeen J, Ning L, Goodman MT. Transmission of human papillomavirus in heterosexual couples. Emerg Infect Dis. 2008; 14(6):888-894.

Hernandez BY, Wilkens LR, Zhu X, McDuffie K, Thompson P, Shvetsov YB, Ning L, Goodman MT. Circumcision and human papillomavirus infection in men: a site-specific comparison. J Infect Dis 2008; 197(6):787-794.

Hernandez BY, Nguyen TV. Cervical human papillomavirus infection among female sex workers in southern Vietnam. Infect Agent Cancer 2008; 3(1):1-9.

Hernandez BY, McDuffie K, Goodman MT, Wilkens LR, Thompson P, Zhu X, Wong W, Ning L. Comparison of physician- and self-collected genital specimens for the detection of human papillomavirus in men. J Clin Microbiol 2006; 44(2):513-517.

Hernandez BY, Frierson HF, Moskaluk CA, Li YJ, Clegg L, Cote TR, McCusker ME, Hankey BF, Edwards BK, Goodman MT. CK20 and CK7 protein expression in colorectal cancer: Demonstration of the utility of a population-based tissue microarray. Hum Pathol 2005; 36(3):275-281.

Active Grants

G. Ostrander, Principal Investigator
B.Y. Hernandez, Project Leader
G12RR003061 NIH/NCRR
"Research Outcomes Accelerating Discoveries for Medical Applications and Practices"
Clinical and Translational Science Bridging Fund
Project: Role of Infection in the Etiology of Prostate Cancer
August 1, 2008-July 31, 2009

B.Y. Hernandez, Principal Investigator
Merck Investigators Studies Program
Merck & Co.
"Transmission of Human Papillomavirus in Male-Female Couples"
August 1, 2008-July 31, 2009

B.Y. Hernandez, Co-Principal Investigator
CRCH Developmental Funds
"Human Papillomavirus Infection and Barriers to Cervical Cancer Control in American Samoa"
July 15, 2008-July 31, 2009

M.T. Goodman, Principal Investigator
B.Y. Hernandez, Project Director
N01-PC-35137 NIH/NCI
"Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results"
August 1, 2003-July 31,2010

N. Palafox, Principal Investigator
B.Y. Hernandez, Epidemiologist
DF000835-01 CDC
"Pacific Regional Central Cancer Registry"
June 30, 2007-June 29, 2012

M.T. Goodman, Principal Investigator
B.Y. Hernandez, Co-Principal Investigator
2RO1-CA077318-06A2 NIH/NCI
"Diet and Duration of Cervical HPV Infection"
June 3, 2005-March 31, 2010

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