Medical Genetics Commons^™

The Molecular Landscape Of Early-Stage Breast Cancer With Lymph Node Metastasis, Farhad Ghasemi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Axillary lymph nodes (ALNs) are the primary site of metastasis in breast cancer, and their involvement has implications in disease staging, prognostication, and treatment decisions. A non-invasive modality of assessing the risk of ALN metastasis can improve care in patients with early-stage breast cancer by omitting the morbidity and costs associated with axillary surgery.

This thesis explores the molecular landscape of early-stage breast cancers with ALN metastasis and shows the potential of tumour molecular signatures in predicting ALN involvement. After a systematic review of the literature, we use data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to develop molecular signatures correlated …

Lower Sars-Cov-2 Seroprevalence Among Cancer Patients In Sub-Saharan Africa, For Yue Tso, Salum J. Lidenge, John R. Ngowi, Phoebe B. Peña, Ashley A. Clegg, Owen Ngalamika, Chacha J. Mwita, Julius Mwaiselage, Charles Wood

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: Despite the high COVID-19 morbidity and mortality rates across the world, the reported rates in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), which has a higher burden of other infectious diseases and overwhelmed healthcare systems, remain relatively low. This study aims to better understand the potential factors that contribute to this phenomenon, especially among cancer patients who are considered as a high-risk group for developing severe COVID-19. Methods: Plasma samples collected during the COVID-19 pandemic from SARS-CoV-2 unvaccinated cancer and potential blood donor populations were analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 (spike and nucleocapsid proteins) antibodies by an immunofluorescence assay. The relationships between SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalences and …

The Experiences And Needs Of Individuals With A Variant Of Uncertain Significance (Vus) On Genetic Tests For Hereditary Cancer Syndromes: A Grounded Theory Study, Danielle Gould

Doctoral Dissertations

Background: The use of multigene panel testing for identifying individuals with hereditary cancer susceptibility has expanded in recent years. The number of individuals who have a variant of unknown significance (VUS) result is increasing. However, little is known about the experiences and needs of this group. This study’s purpose was to describe the experiences and needs of individuals with a VUS result by focusing on their experiences in communicating with healthcare providers and family members. Methods: A constructivist grounded theory approach was used. Recruitment took place from January–July 2021 through social media: the Prospective Registry of Multiplex Testing (PROMPT), and …

Plasmonic-Based Biosensor For The Early Diagnosis Of Prostate Cancer, Thakshila Liyanage, Bayan Alharbi, Linh Quan, Aurora Esquela-Kerscher, Gymama Slaughter

Bioelectrics Publications

A tapered optical fiber (TOF) plasmonic biosensor was fabricated and used for the sensitive detection of a panel of microRNAs (miRNAs) in human serum obtained from noncancer and prostate cancer (PCa) patients. Oncogenic and tumor suppressor miRNAs let7a, let-7c, miR-200b, miR-141, and miR-21 were tested as predictive cancer biomarkers since multianalyte detection minimizes false-positive and false-negative rates and establishes a strong foundation for early PCa diagnosis. The biosensing platform integrates metallic gold triangular nanoprisms (AuTNPs) laminated on the TOF to excite surface plasmon waves in the supporting metallic layer and enhance the evanescent mode of the fiber surface. …