First Workshop on Cancer Epidemiology and Genomics Variation in Hispanic/Latino Populations within the American Continents

May 4-5, 2006, North Bethesda, Maryland

To better understand the possible relationship between genetics and disease among Latin American populations, researchers should be aware of the diversity that exists, both genetically and culturally within these populations. To estimate the amount of diversity in present day admixed populations, individuals may be classified based on the expression of carefully chosen ancestry informative markers (AIMs). Ancestry estimates can then be used to control for heterogeneity in admixed populations.

The different proportions of admixture observed in Latin American populations are a challenge for genetic studies. However, the presence of admixture also provides a valuable epidemiologic opportunity to examine how genetic diversity interfaces with environmental and socioeconomic factors as well as perceptions of race and ethnicity. Technological advances in genetic studies, together with an interest in defining the heterogeneity of ethnic and racial populations, can lead to improved design of integrated studies of cancer within Latin American populations.

Workshop Objectives:

• Develop an understanding of the genetic variation, or admixture, in Latin American populations, thus allowing researchers to better identify possible relationships between genetic and ethnic variations is disease risk.
• Facilitate the development of standard panels of ancestry informative markers for cancer disease genotype characterization in Hispanic population studies.
• Develop an admixture mapping resource of Latin American populations that can be utilized by multiple studies.
• To allow the development and support of a platform to facilitate epidemiologic research into the effects of population stratification within Latin American populations.

Accomplishing workshop objectives will allow researchers to develop more efficient study designs and sample size estimates for future studies which include admixed populations, and may reduce confounding due to genetic variability within these populations.

For more information about this meeting, see a list of workshop participants and presentation summaries.