PHILADELPHIA (May 15, 2019) — Camille Ragin, PhD, an associate professor in the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center, has received a grant from the National Cancer Institute for her research on a possible genetic explanation for racial disparities in oral cavity and laryngeal cancer survival rates.
Ragin’s lab will receive $667,865 during the current year, and may receive an additional $2.5 million over the next four years.
Ragin’s research will test the hypothesis that genetic ancestry contributes to differences in expression of the DNA damage response gene called POLB, resulting in differences in survival between African American and white patients treated with standard therapies. Her lab will collect tissue from oral cancer patients of African-American and European-American descent to look for disparities in POLB modulation that enhances DNA repair.
“For decades we have seen a consistent disparity between African Americans and European Americans when it comes to survival rates for oral cavity and laryngeal cancers,” Ragin said. “The literature suggests it may be related to lower screening rates, socioeconomic status, and other barriers to care. However our preliminary data suggest that host factors such as genetics may also contribute to survival disparities.”
In 2006, Ragin founded the African Caribbean Cancer Consortium, whose purpose is to investigate and respond to increasing cancer vulnerability African-descended populations worldwide. She has also done extensive work toward building a cancer research infrastructure in the Caribbean.