Abstract B075: Developing a population-based study of South Asian American breast cancer survivors in New Jersey
Authors: Dharamdasani Tina , Trivedi Prachi , Zeinomar Nur , Qin Bo , Paddock Lisa , Stroup Antoinette , Riedlinger Gregory , Ganesan Shridar , Liu Hao , Kinney Anita Y. , Bandera Elisa V. , Satagopan Jaya M. 
Published: December 2023

Background: South Asian Americans (SAA) are the largest Asian American subgroup in New Jersey (NJ). Breast cancer is a growing health concern among SAA women, who tend to have young age at onset, regional or distant stage disease, and triple negative subtype. However, there is limited health and genetic data from these women to gain fruitful insights into the drivers of their adverse disease characteristics. Purpose: To address the breast cancer-related data gap among SAA women, we recently launched the Cancer Analytics and South Asian Health – Breast Cancer (CANSAH-BC) Study at Rutgers University. This ongoing study is designed to evaluate the impact of lifestyle, reproductive, medical, and germline genetic factors on tumor characteristics and health-related quality-of-life among SAA women. Here, we describe our recruitment and data collection methods, and summarize the characteristics of participants who have completed the study. Methods: We are partnering with the NJ State Cancer Registry (NJSCR) to recruit SAA breast cancer survivors. Eligible women are those identified as SAA by NJSCR, diagnosed with malignant breast cancer in 2018-2020, and age 18-80 years at diagnosis. We are using a validated structured questionnaire to collect data on lifestyle, reproductive, family history, and medical factors, breast cancer treatment history, and health-related quality of life. We are sending saliva sampling kits with a return postage pre-paid envelope to participants, who return their saliva samples to be stored for future genetic studies. To demonstrate feasibility of recruitment and data collection, we are conducting the pilot phase of the CANSAH-BC study with a target sample size of 100 participants. We started the pilot phase in English language and are currently expanding to other South Asian languages. Results: As of May 2023, NJSCR identified 375 eligible women, among which 119 (32%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 27.0% - 36.7%) agreed to participate. Initial contact by NJSCR began in September 2022 and is continuing. Data collection began in December 2022 and has been completed from 26 (22%) of 119 women. Data collection from the remaining participants is underway. Of the 26 participants, 25 (96%, 95% CI: 80.4% - 99.9%) provided a saliva sample. The average age at diagnosis of breast cancer in the 26 participants is 50.9 (SD = 11.8) years, 10 (38%) have at least one family member with breast cancer, 23 (88%) were born in a South Asian country and moved to the U.S. at an average age of 29 years, 7 (27%) have a history of hypertension, and 21 (81%) are either overweight or obese. Conclusion: Our preliminary study showed a relatively high participation rate in the saliva sample component of the CANSAH-BC study. The data suggest evidence of family history of breast cancer, hypertension, overweight or obesity among SAA women with a high percentage first-generation immigrants. This ongoing study represents a unique resource to better understand the drivers of adverse prognosis among South Asian American women diagnosed with breast cancer.  

Citation Format: Tina Dharamdasani, Prachi Trivedi, Nur Zeinomar, Bo Qin, Lisa Paddock, Antoinette Stroup, Gregory Riedlinger, Shridar Ganesan, Hao Liu, Anita Y. Kinney, Elisa V. Bandera, Jaya M. Satagopan. Developing a population-based study of South Asian American breast cancer survivors in New Jersey [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 16th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2023 Sep 29-Oct 2;Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(12 Suppl):Abstract nr B075.