Social Disparities and Cancer – Biologic Fingerprint of Stress

Social Disparities and Cancer – Biologic Fingerprint of Stress

Presented by Dr. Jennifer Knight. Low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with increased mortality in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), through up-regulation of the stress-related gene expression termed the ‘conserved transcriptional response to adversity’ (CTRA). In a follow up of 2,005 donor-recipient HCT pairs, low donor SES was associated with increased mortality, an effect potentially mediated by the pro-inflammatory component of the CTRA. Low SES has a biologic impact at either the stem or immune cell level that persists even when transplanted into a new host, highlighting the need to reduce social health disparities and improve outcomes in these high-risk cancer patients.