Asian Americans have become the first racial/ethnic group for whom cancer is the leading cause of death. Yet, Asian Americans are often underrepresented in clinical trials and cancer research. There is much to uncover in the cause of cancer in Asian American populations because they are not monolithic; they include people from various countries with distinct genetic backgrounds and environmental exposures. Understanding cancer patterns within these diverse groups can help identify unique risk factors and susceptibilities that might not be evident in broader population studies.
To address this widening gap of knowledge, the National Cancer Institute has awarded $12.45 million dollars to create a national cohort called ASPIRE, or Asian American Prospective Research, that will conduct a longitudinal study on cancer risks in our diverse Asian American communities.
I not only look forward to harnessing my expertise and experience as a community-based participatory researcher to help recruit eligible Asian American participants but also on a personal note as an Asian American person to see an investment in reducing the burden of cancer on my community.”
– Sora Tanjasiri, DrPH
The initial cohort lead by researchers from UC San Francisco will be supported by a national network of partners across about 20 academic institutions, 40 community organizations, and two policy groups committed to Asian American health. UC Irvine serves as one of the partner academic institutions to assist with the culturally and linguistically appropriate recruitment of Asian Americans. Sora Park Tanjasiri, DrPH, professor of health, society, and behavior at UC Irvine Public Health, joins the UC Irvine team as a community engagement expert.
“To be part of the first national cohort to study cancer risks in our diverse Asian American community is so exciting,” Tanjasiri emphasized. “I not only look forward to harnessing my expertise and experience as a community-based participatory researcher to help recruit eligible Asian American participants but also on a personal note as an Asian American person to see an investment in reducing the burden of cancer on my community.”
In the coming years, Tanjasiri will work closely with the UC Irvine lead, Sunmin Lee, ScD, professor at UC Irvine School of Medicine, to help recruit towards the goal of 20,000 men and women between the ages of 40 and 75 years old from all Asian American ethnic groups with diverse socioeconomic levels and lifestyles across the nation. Researchers plan to study the increasing rates of breast cancer, especially among young Asian American women; and the relatively high rates of nasopharyngeal cancer, a type of head-and-neck cancer, in Chinese Americans; as well as liver cancer in Southeast Asian Americans; gastric cancer in Korean and Japanese Americans; and thyroid cancer in Filipino Americans.
