Abstract ED02-01: Overview on genetic ancestry and its use in cancer disparities research.

Given the current attention on health disparities and mounting findings showing genetic variants associated with heightened disease risk or a particular treatment response that differ significantly in frequency among ethnic groups, identifying the influence of genetic ancestry on complex phenotypes may allow for the de-construction of race in most study designs. Ancestry informative markers (AIMs) and the use of genetic ancestry have been instrumental in understanding disparate disease risk and poor health outcomes. Several statistical methods are currently used to infer population structure, individual genetic ancestry, and admixture mapping. Here we provide an overview on AIMs and the use of genetic ancestry in cancer disparities studies. Examples are provided which reveal that the study of genetic ancestry and health outcomes may strongly entail both biologic and sociological factors.

Citation Format: Rick A. Kittles. Overview on genetic ancestry and its use in cancer disparities research. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fifth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2012 Oct 27-30; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2012;21(10 Suppl):Abstract nr ED02-01.