How long-term social stress affects breast cancer outcomes
Chronic Social Stressors and Biological Embodiment of Risk in Breast Cancer Mortality
This project looks at whether long-term social stress helps explain higher breast cancer death rates, especially among Black and low-income adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Duke University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durham, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11166485 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, researchers will combine people from two large U.S. groups (REGARDS and SCCS) to create a prospective cohort including about 2,498 people with new breast cancer and a 2,678-person random sub-cohort. They will collect information about long-term social stressors—like neighborhood resources, housing, and interpersonal conflict—and measure biological stress markers tied to the HPA axis and allostatic load. The team will follow participants over time to link these social and biological measures to cancer outcomes and mortality. The focus is on adults from diverse socio-economic and racial backgrounds, with particular attention to Black people and participants in southern U.S. regions.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults aged 21 or older from the REGARDS or SCCS cohorts—particularly Black or lower-income adults and people living in southern U.S. regions, including those with a recent breast cancer diagnosis.
Not a fit: People under 21, non-U.S. residents, or those not represented in the parent cohorts are unlikely to be included or directly benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal social and biological pathways behind breast cancer survival gaps and point to ways to reduce deaths in high-risk groups.
How similar studies have performed: Previous research links chronic stress to poorer health, but no single cohort has directly tied long-term social stress and related biological markers to breast cancer mortality, so this approach is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Durham, United States
- Duke University — Durham, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Akinyemiju, Tomi F — Duke University
- Study coordinator: Akinyemiju, Tomi F
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.