Iona Cheng, PhD, MPH
	Assistant Professor (Researcher), Cancer Research Center of Hawai‘i PhD (Epidemiology), University of Southern California; MPH (Epidemiology), Yale University icheng@crch.hawaii.edu

 

My main research interest is in the area of genetic epidemiology of common cancers. My research focuses primarily on prostate cancer with the aim of identifying genetic and environmental factors that drive cancer susceptibility. In particular, my interests are directed towards understanding the mechanisms that are responsible for the disparities in cancer risk across racial/ethnic groups.

Within the Multiethnic Cohort Study, I have studied the role of genetic variation in the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) family in prostate cancer susceptibility. My research has identified genetic variants in IGF1 that impact the risk of prostate cancer among African American, Native Hawaiian, Japanese American, Latino, and Caucasian men. Recently, a large scale study of the NCI Breast and Prostate Cohort Consortium has shown a similar association between IGF1 genetic variation and prostate cancer risk among Caucasian men. In collaboration with the multi-institutional prostate cancer research program (CaP Genes), I have investigated genetic variants in the innate immunity and inflammation pathway for their role in aggressive prostate cancer, the most clinically relevant form of the disease. Building on this work, we are currently evaluating the influence of genetic variants on the progression of prostate cancer among African American and Caucasian men. The ultimate goal of these studies is to translate our findings into improved tools for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.

 

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Selected Publications

Cheng I, Plummer SJ, Jorgenson E, Liu X, Rybicki BA, Casey G, Witte JS. 8q24 and prostate cancer: associated with advanced disease and meta-analysis. Eur J Hum Genet 16 (4):496-506; 2008.

Cheng I, Henderson KD, Haiman CA, Kolonel LN, Henderson BE, Freedman ML, Le Marchand L. Genetic Determinants of Circulating IGF-I, IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-3 Levels in a Multiethnic Population. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 92 (9):3660-66; 2007.

Cheng I, Liu X, Plummer SJ, Krumroy LM, Casey G, Witte JS. COX2 genetic variation, NSAIDs, and advanced prostate cancer risk. Br J Cancer 97:557-561; 2007.

Cheng I, Plummer SJ, Casey G, Witte JS. Toll-like receptor 4 genetic variation and advanced prostate cancer risk. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 16(2):352-5; 2007.

Cheng I, Stram DO, Penney KL, Pike M, Le Marchand L, Kolonel LN, Hirschhorn J, Altshuler D, Henderson BE, Freedman ML. Common genetic variation in IGF1 and prostate cancer risk in the Multiethnic Cohort. J Natl Cancer Inst 98(2):123-34; 2006.

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