Browsing by Author "Graham, Deena M. A."

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    Epigenetic Aging in Older Breast Cancer Survivors and Non-Cancer Controls: Preliminary Findings from the Thinking and Living with Cancer (TLC) Study
    (Wiley, 2023) Rentscher, Kelly E.; Bethea, Traci N.; Zhai, Wanting; Small, Brent J.; Zhou, Xingtao; Ahles, Tim A.; Ahn, Jaeil; Breen, Elizabeth C.; Cohen, Harvey Jay; Extermann, Martine; Graham, Deena M. A.; Jim, Heather S. L.; McDonald, Brenna C.; Nakamura, Zev M.; Patel, Sunita K.; Root, James C.; Saykin, Andrew J.; Van Dyk, Kathleen; Mandelblatt, Jeanne S.; Carroll, Judith E.; Radiology and Imaging Sciences, School of Medicine
    Background: Cancer and its treatments may accelerate aging in survivors; however, research has not examined epigenetic markers of aging in longer term breast cancer survivors. This study examined whether older breast cancer survivors showed greater epigenetic aging than noncancer controls and whether epigenetic aging related to functional outcomes. Methods: Nonmetastatic breast cancer survivors (n = 89) enrolled prior to systemic therapy and frequency-matched controls (n = 101) ages 62 to 84 years provided two blood samples to derive epigenetic aging measures (Horvath, Extrinsic Epigenetic Age [EEA], PhenoAge, GrimAge, Dunedin Pace of Aging) and completed cognitive (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function) and physical (Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-12) function assessments at approximately 24 to 36 and 60 months after enrollment. Mixed-effects models tested survivor-control differences in epigenetic aging, adjusting for age and comorbidities; models for functional outcomes also adjusted for racial group, site, and cognitive reserve. Results: Survivors were 1.04 to 2.22 years biologically older than controls on Horvath, EEA, GrimAge, and DunedinPACE measures (p = .001-.04) at approximately 24 to 36 months after enrollment. Survivors exposed to chemotherapy were 1.97 to 2.71 years older (p = .001-.04), and among this group, an older EEA related to worse self-reported cognition (p = .047) relative to controls. An older epigenetic age related to worse physical function in all women (p < .001-.01). Survivors and controls showed similar epigenetic aging over time, but Black survivors showed accelerated aging over time relative to non-Hispanic White survivors. Conclusion: Older breast cancer survivors, particularly those exposed to chemotherapy, showed greater epigenetic aging than controls that may relate to worse outcomes. If replicated, measurement of biological aging could complement geriatric assessments to guide cancer care for older women.
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    Genetic Variants Associated with Longitudinal Cognitive Performance in Older Breast Cancer Patients and Controls
    (MDPI, 2023-05-23) Nudelman, Kelly; Nho, Kwangsik; Zhang, Michael; McDonald, Brenna C.; Zhai, Wanting; Small, Brent J.; Wegel, Claire E.; Jacobsen, Paul B.; Jim, Heather S. L.; Patel, Sunita K.; Graham, Deena M. A.; Ahles, Tim A.; Root, James C.; Foroud, Tatiana; Breen, Elizabeth C.; Carroll, Judith E.; Mandelblatt, Jeanne S.; Saykin, Andrew J.; Medical and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine
    Background: There have been no published genome-wide studies of the genetics of cancer- and treatment-related cognitive decline (CRCD); the purpose of this study is to identify genetic variants associated with CRCD in older female breast cancer survivors. Methods: Analyses included white non-Hispanic women with non-metastatic breast cancer aged 60+ (N = 325) and age-, racial/ethnic group-, and education-matched controls (N = 340) with pre-systemic treatment and one-year follow-up cognitive assessment. CRCD was evaluated using longitudinal domain scores on cognitive tests of attention, processing speed, and executive function (APE), and learning and memory (LM). Linear regression models of one-year cognition included an interaction term for SNP or gene SNP enrichment*cancer case/control status, controlling for demographic variables and baseline cognition. Results: Cancer patients carrying minor alleles for two SNPs, rs76859653 (chromosome 1) in the hemicentin 1 (HMCN1) gene (p = 1.624 × 10-8), and rs78786199 (chromosome 2, p = 1.925 × 10-8) in an intergenic region had lower one-year APE scores than non-carriers and controls. Gene-level analyses showed the POC5 centriolar protein gene was enriched for SNPs associated with differences in longitudinal LM performance between patients and controls. Conclusions: The SNPs associated with cognition in survivors, but not controls, were members of the cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase family, that play important roles in cell signaling, cancer risk, and neurodegeneration. These findings provide preliminary evidence that novel genetic loci may contribute to susceptibility to CRCD.