Citations

Abstract INTRODUCTION: The centrosome is the primary microtubule organizing center of the cell. Numerical or functional defects of the centrosome can result in improper chromosome segregation, leading to aneuploidy and polyploidy. Because many cancer cells have aberrant numbers of chromosomes, many have suggested a link between centrosomes and cancer. We conducted an association study to determine whether common genetic variations in 100 genes involved in maintaining and regulating centrosome structure and function account in part for the contribution of the pathway to breast cancer risk. METHODS: Incident cases of BC were identified at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN from 2001 through 2005. Controls (N=843) were frequency matched to cases (N=798) on age and region of residence. Seven hundred-eighty-two tagging and candidate functional SNPs were selected from 100 genes involved in the structure and/or function of the centrosome. Genotyping was performed on an Illumina BeadLab using the Illumina GoldenGate genotyping assay. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for BC. Women having two copies of the most common allele were defined as the referent category. Linear regression was used to estimate mean and 95% CI for PD for each additional copy of the variant allele. All models were adjusted for age, residence, and confounding factors. RESULTS: Forty-eight SNPs from 29 genes (out of 782 SNPs examined) showed evidence of significant associations with breast cancer risk in our population in the log-additive (1 degree of freedom (d.f.)) model (Ptrend< 0.05). One SNP, rs1374468 SNP in TACC3, displayed the most significant association with risk in the overall analyses (Ptrend = 0.001). Two SNPs from each of seven genes (AJUBA, CHUK, MCPH1, NEK7, PAK1, PIK3CB, and PINS) were significantly associated with risk of breast cancer (Ptrend < 0.05). Three genes, AXIN2, NIN, NUMA1, had four or more SNPs that were significantly associated with breast cancer risk (Ptrend < 0.05). All of the SNPs in these four genes were in strong linkage disequilibrium (r2>0.6). No single SNP association was significant after adjustment for multiple comparisons via permutation testing. Haplotype analyses showed 20 genes for which global haplotypes were significantly associated with breast cancer risk. Of these, haplotype blocks in six genes (14-3-3 Epsilon, CDC16, CD-TOG, KIF2, NEK9, NPM2) were significantly associated with risk (global P<0.05), although none of the individual SNPs in these six genes displayed significant associations. This suggests that the associations of these specific combinations of alleles with risk were not due to the effects of individual SNPs. CONCLUSION: These analyses provide some evidence to support an association between genetic variation in centrosomal genes and risk of breast cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2852.

Abstract Background. MBL is defined as a monoclonal expansion of B lymphocytes (< 5 × 109/L) in the blood without associated lymphadenopathy or organomegaly; MBLs with a chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) immunophenotype have been termed as CLL-like MBL. The prevalence of CLL-like MBL in the general population is 3.5-12% but increases with age; however, the frequency is even higher (∼13-18%) among unaffected relatives from CLL families (i.e., families with two or more CLL members). We and others have found that a small proportion of individuals with CLL-like MBL individuals and lymphocytosis will progress to CLL requiring treatment (∼1.1% per year). Because CLL and NHL have been shown to aggregate together within families, suggesting a shared pathogenesis, we evaluated the frequency of MBL in NHL families. Methods. Individuals were obtained from an ongoing study of NHL families (i.e., families with 2 or more NHL members). However, we limited to NHL families with at most 1 individual with CLL due to the known increased frequency of MBL in CLL families. Multi-color flow cytometry was performed on fresh peripheral blood samples. A CBC and differential count was simultaneously obtained using an automated blood cell counter. Five possible flow diagnoses were defined as: CLL-like MBL (CD5+CD20dim), atypical MBL (CD5+CD20bright), non-CLL like MBL (CD5−), and normal immunophenotype (NIPT). Medical records of NHL cases were reviewed to confirm disease. Results. A total of 30 individuals from 16 NHL families had available flow cytometry results. The mean age at flow analysis was 56 years (range 37− 83 years). We identified 5 individuals with MBL from 4 families: 3 of the 6 had CLL-like MBL, 1 had atypical MBL, and 1 had non-CLL like MBL. The remaining 25 individuals had a NIPT. Thus, the MBL rate in NHL families is 17% (5/30). Among the CD5+ MBL (both CLL-like and atypical MBL) individuals, all were female and the mean absolute lymphocyte count was 1.4 × 109/L. Of interest, 1 of the CLL-like MBL individuals is from a family where two members had monoclonal gammopathy of uncertain significance (MGUS). Conclusion: Our data show that MBLs of various phenotypes can be found at a higher prevalence in NHL families than that of the general population. Further, the frequency of MBL in NHL families is comparable to that of CLL families. Although more work is needed, our results suggest that MBL may be clustering within NHL families, and thus support a possible common inherited predisposition of NHL and CLL, with MBL signifying a shared early pathogenetic step. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1853.

Abstract Introduction: Mammographic breast density is one of the strongest risk factors for breast cancer and appears to be modifiable. However, whether longitudinal changes in density are associated with breast cancer risk is unknown. We hypothesize that decreases in breast density are associated with reduced breast cancer risk. Methods: The Mayo Mammography Health Study cohort enrolled 19,924 women having a screening mammogram (mgm) at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, between 2003 and 2006. Participants were 35 years and older, had no prior breast cancer and lived in the tri-state area (MN, IA and WI). Risk factor data were collected through self-administered questionnaire and clinic databases. Incident breast cancers were identified through tumor registries (Mayo Clinic, MN, IA, WI). The BI-RADS, 4-category clinical density measure (fatty, scattered density, heterogeneous density and extreme density) was available on all mgms performed after 1996. A case-cohort design consisting of incident cases (n=241) and a random selection of the cohort (n=2300, 28 developed cancer) was used to examine the association between change in BI-RADS density and breast cancer. BI-RADS densities measured from the earliest available, and enrollment mgms (average 6 years apart) were used to assess density change. Proportional hazards regression was performed to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) associated with a change in one or more BI-RADS density categories over time, relative to staying within the same category. Age was used as the time scale, and the subcohort was weighted by the inverse of the sampling proportion. Analyses were adjusted for age, years between mgms, BI-RADS density at earliest mgm, and changes in BMI, postmenopausal hormone use, and menopausal status. Results: Longitudinal analyses were conducted on the 219 cases and 1900 non-cases in the subcohort with at least one mgm available prior to enrollment mgm. Compared to the subcohort, cases were older (56.8 vs. 52.9 years), more likely postmenopausal (73.4% vs. 61.6%), had higher BMI (29.0 vs 28.1) and were more frequently screened (8.0 vs. 6.9 pre-enrollment mgms). As expected, cases were more likely to have extreme density (BI-RADS=4) at earliest mgm than non-cases (16.2% vs 14.3%). Cases were less likely than non-cases to experience a reduction of one density category or more (37.0% vs 38.6%) following earliest mgm. Adjusting for potential confounders, women who decreased one BI-RADS category or more over an average 6 years were at reduced risk of breast cancer (HR=0.72, 95%CI: 0.50-0.99) compared to those whose density was unchanged. However, women who increased one or more BI-RADS categories had suggestion of increased risk (HR=1.52, 95%CI: 0.97-2.4). Conclusion: Women with a decrease in BI-RADS density category over 6 years may have decreased breast cancer risk relative to women whose breast density category remains stable. Two measures of breast density may inform women's risk beyond a measure at one point in time. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4828.

Abstract Introduction: Alterations in components of the stromal tissue that underlie the epithelium can initiate, promote or inhibit epithelial tumorigenesis. Decorin (DCN) and lumican (LUM) are stromal genes with reduced expression in serous ovarian cancer. We hypothesized that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in these genes may influence susceptibility to serous ovarian cancer. Methods: To test this hypothesis, we compared genotype frequencies of 11 tagSNPs in DCN and LUM between 397 Caucasian cases with primary serous ovarian cancer and 920 Caucasian controls in two studies conducted at Mayo Clinic and Duke University (discovery set). Associations were evaluated further in a third Caucasian population of 436 cases and 1,098 controls in Australia (replication set). TagSNPs were selected from unrelated Caucasian samples within HapMap based on the following criteria: (i) minor allele frequency ≥ 0.05, (ii) pairwise linkage disequilibrium (LD) of r2 ≥ 0.8, and (iii) location within, and 5kb upstream and downstream of, each gene region. Genotyping was performed using the Illumina GoldenGate™ assay and associations between SNPs and serous cancer were evaluated using unconditional logistic regression to estimate per allele odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). Untyped genotypes for DCN rs13312816 in the discovery set, and for DCN rs3138165 and LUM rs17018765 in the replication set, were imputed using the MACH software. Results: In the discovery set, we observed inverse associations between DCN rs3138165 (OR=0.7; 95%CI=0.5-1.0), DCN rs13312816 (OR=0.7; 95%CI=0.5-1.0), DCN rs516115 (OR=0.8; 95%CI=0.7-1.0) and LUM rs17018765 (OR=0.7; 95%CI=0.5-1.0) and risk of serous ovarian cancers (all Ptrend=0.06). Associations were confirmed in the replication set for DCN rs3138165 (OR=0.6; 95%CI=0.4-0.9; Ptrend=0.009), DCN rs13312816 (OR=0.7; 95%CI=0.5-0.9; Ptrend=0.01) and LUM rs17018765 (OR=0.6; 95%CI=0.4-0.9; Ptrend=0.008), but not for DCN rs516115 (Ptrend=0.20). To increase statistical power, data from the discovery and replication sets were combined (833 cases and 2,013 controls) following confirmation of no statistical heterogeneity in the ORs between study sites. In the combined sample, associations were strengthened for DCN rs3138165 (OR=0.7; 95%CI=0.5-0.9; Ptrend=0.002), DCN rs13312816 (OR=0.7; 95%CI=0.5-0.9; Ptrend=0.002), DCN rs516115 (OR=0.9; 95%CI=0.8-1.0; Ptrend=0.03) and LUM rs17018765 (OR=0.6; 95%CI=0.5-0.8; Ptrend=0.001). All four SNPs were in the same LD block on chromosome 12, suggesting that serous ovarian cancer susceptibility may be driven by a single, correlated variant in the region. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that genetic variation in DCN and LUM may influence susceptibility to serous ovarian cancer and contribute to the mounting evidence that supports the role of the stroma in epithelial ovarian cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2854.

Abstract Background. Breast density assessed from mammography is a strong predictor of breast cancer risk, but the strength of the association may vary with adiposity. To examine effect modification by adiposity, we combined data from four case-control studies on breast density that represented an ethnically diverse population with a wide variation in level of adiposity as measured by body mass index (BMI, kg/m2). Methods. We combined data from four case-control studies representing different locations: California, Hawaii and Minnesota in the United States, and Gifu in Japan. All studies included incident breast cancer cases diagnosed between 1994 and 2002 and matched controls representing the underlying case population. One mammographic image per subject was selected, specifically the mammogram at diagnosis for the studies from California, Minnesota, and Japan and the closest prediagnostic mammogram for Hawaii. Percent density was measured by one reader, who was blinded to case status, using a computer-assisted method. Self-reported anthropometric measures were used to classify women as normal, overweight, and obese according to ethnic-specific BMI cut points (<23, 23-27.4, and ≥27.5 for Asian women and <25, 25-29.9, and ≥30 for other ethnic groups). Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) and to evaluate interactions using the likelihood ratio while adjusting for potential confounders, including age and ethnicity. Heterogeneity across studies was marginally significant as assessed by examining density-by-study interaction (P = 0.09) and, therefore, we also adjusted for study-site. Results. The study included 1,699 cases and 2,422 controls of diverse ethnicity: 45% Caucasian, 40% Asian, 9% African-American, and 7% Other. Of these women, we classified 34% as overweight and19% as obese. Age-adjusted mean percent density was significantly greater for cases than for controls: 31.7% versus 28.9%, respectively (P < 0.001). BMI was inversely associated with breast density; the estimated age-adjusted mean percent density was 36.5%, 26.8%, and 19.3% for normal, overweight, and obese, respectively (Ptrend < 0.001). The overall OR for a 10% higher percent density was 1.15 (95% CI: 1.05, 1.18) with higher estimates in overweight (OR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.29) and obese (OR: 1.25, 95% CI: 1.11, 1.41) than normal BMI (OR: 1.11, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.18). The effect modification by BMI was statistically significant (Pinteraction = 0.01). Conclusions. Our findings confirm that the elevated risk of breast cancer associated with breast density differs by level of adiposity, with a higher risk for overweight and obese than normal BMI. Further research is needed to understand the underlying biological reasons for these noted differences in association by adiposity. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2010;3(12 Suppl):B25.

Abstract Background: Women with benign breast disease are at elevated breast cancer risk. In order to accurately predict a woman's individual risk of breast cancer, a breast cancer risk-prediction model is needed that incorporates significant breast cancer risk factors. This report describes two factors: tissue based assessment of lobular involution, and radiological marker- mammographic density (MD). Lobular involution, or physiologic atrophy of the breast glandular epithelium, is inversely associated with breast cancer risk. MD is a strong positive risk factor for breast cancer. With increasing age, the extent of lobular involution increases while MD decreases. However, it is unclear whether involution and MD represent independent breast cancer risk factors. We examined breast cancer risk associated with lobular involution and MD in women with benign breast disease (BBD) to determine whether these features are independently associated with breast cancer risk.Methods: Using the Mayo Clinic Surgical and Pathology Indices, 9376 women ages 18 to 85 with benign excisional breast biopsy between January 1, 1967 and December 31, 1991 were identified and formed the Mayo BBD cohort. We studied a sub-cohort of women diagnosed with BBD between 1985 and 1991 (when MD was clinically assessed and recorded) who had a mammogram within 6 months of the BBD diagnosis. Breast cancer outcomes were determined through the Mayo medical records and a study-specific questionnaire. Lobular involution extent was assessed in background tissue as 'none' (0% lobules involuted), 'partial' (1-74% lobules involuted) or 'complete' (≥75% lobules involuted). MD was classified as Wolfe's parenchymal pattern (PP) as N1/ fatty; P1; P2; and DY/ homogenously dense. Hazard ratios and confidence intervals were calculated using Cox regression analyses, adjusting for confounders: age, parity, BMI, BBD histology, menopausal status, family history, PP and involution extent.Results: A total of 2666 women in the Mayo BBD cohort, with biopsies between 1985 and 1991, had a mammogram within 6 months of the breast biopsy. The mean age at biopsy was 54.6 years. After a mean follow-up of 13.3 years, 172 (6.5%) women developed breast cancer. After adjustment for PP and other confounders, women with no or partial involution had elevated risk compared to women with complete involution (HR 2.62 [95% CI 1.39, 4.94] for no involution and 1.61 [95% CI 1.03, 2.53] for partial involution; complete involution as reference group; p for trend 0.003). Moreover, women with dense breasts were at greater risk compared to women with nondense breasts (HR 1.67 [95% CI 1.0, 2.73] for DY pattern, 1.96 [95% CI 1.2 – 3.21] for P2, 1.23 [95% CI 0.67, 2.26] for P1; N1 category as reference group; p for trend 0.02). Multivariate analyses also showed that women with the combination of no involution and dense breasts had greater risk compared to those with complete involution and nondense breasts (HR 4.08 [95% CI 1.72, 9.68]).Conclusion: Lobular involution and MD are both risk factors for breast cancer; this report is the first to demonstrate that each provides unique information about breast cancer risk. These findings emphasize the potential for inclusion of both these factors in future breast cancer risk-prediction models. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 6064.

Abstract Abstract #62 Background: Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in younger women (25 to 49 years of age). Young women with breast cancer also have worse overall survival and increased risk of recurrence compared to older women with breast cancer. Innovative approaches to understanding risk factors and tissue characteristics for the younger population can improve understanding of breast cancer etiology and enhance risk-stratification for these women. This study was aimed at examining breast cancer risk factors among young women (<50 years) with BBD. Materials and Methods: Utilizing the Mayo Clinic Surgical and Pathology Indices, women ages 18 to 85 who had benign excisional breast biopsy between January 1, 1967 and December 31, 1991 were identified. The diagnosis of breast cancer served as the study endpoint and was determined using the Mayo medical record and questionnaire information from study participants. The breast pathologist, blinded to the initial diagnosis and clinical outcome, performed pathology review. BBD was classified as non-proliferative disease (NPD), proliferative disease without atypia (PDWA), or atypical hyperplasia (AH). Age-related lobular involution (reduction in number and size of acini per lobule) was classified as none-0%, partial- 1 to74%, or complete- >75% involution. Relative risk (RR) was estimated by comparing the number of observed breast cancers with the number expected, based on breast cancer rates in the Iowa Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry. Results: Of the 9376 women in the Mayo BBD cohort, 4460 women were aged <50 years at BBD diagnosis and formed the study cohort. The mean age at BBD diagnosis was 39.4 (+ 8.3) years. With a median follow-up of 20 years, 326 breast cancer cases were identified. The histologic findings were NPD in 72% of women, PDWA in 26%, and AH in 2%. The relative risk of breast cancer for the overall cohort of young women with BBD was 1.5 (95% CI [1.4, 1.7]). The relative risk among those with AH was 6.9 (95% CI [4.6, 10.1), compared with a RR of 2.0 (95% CI [1.7, 2.4]) for PDWA, and RR of 1.2 (95% CI [1.0, 1.4]) for NPD. Risk was associated with extent of lobular involution (RR for no involution was 1.7 (95%CI [1.4, 2.1]); partial involution 1.4 (95%CI [1.2, 1.7]); complete involution 0.7 (95%CI [0.3, 1.4]). Family history was available for 83% of the cohort and RR was 2.2 (95% CI [1.7, 2.8]) for women with strong family history and was 1.3 (95% CI [1.1, 1.6]) for women with no family history. Discussion: Young women with BBD are at increased risk of breast cancer. Risk is high in women with atypical hyperplasia, and those with a family history of breast cancer. Lobular involution is associated with reduced breast cancer risk in this population, suggesting a role in modifying breast cancer risk. These findings suggest the need for further research in this population, along with tissue-based studies to examine the processes leading to breast cancer, and enable identification of those women at highest risk. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 62.

Abstract Abstract #4037 Background: Mammographic breast density is a strong and consistent risk factor for breast cancer. Women with dense tissue in over 60 to 75% of the breast are at 4 to 6 times greater risk than women with little or no density. However, the biology of breast density is not well understood and studies at the tissue level are limited. We present the first report of a tissue-based study of breast density, sampling mammographically dense and non-dense areas of the breast of healthy women with the goal of examining histologic correlates.
 Materials and Methods: Healthy women volunteers aged 40 to 85 years, with no breast symptoms, normal screening mammogram within 6 months, and no personal history of breast cancer were considered eligible. Women with breast-related symptoms, those on endocrine therapy, or with bleeding tendencies were excluded from participation. Sixty consecutive eligible women were enrolled in the study- results are based on the first 34 participants. Eligible women underwent an ultrasound-guided, core-needle breast biopsy of mammographically dense and non-dense areas of the breast, performed by a single experienced radiologist. Quantitative assessment of breast tissue from dense and non-dense areas was performed for epithelium, stroma, and fat. In addition, we assessed the difference in the extent of lobular involution (complete, partial and none) between dense and non-dense areas. We used means and SD to describe distributions in each tissue type. Signed rank test was used to assess within woman differences between dense and non-dense tissue.
 Results: The mean age of the participants was 50.1 years (range 40 to 79 years). The histological findings are outlined below.
 
 Dense tissue is comprised of increased stroma and epithelium and decreased fat, consistent with prior reports on breast density. The finding of 'no involution' was greater in dense tissue compared to non-dense tissue (24% versus 8.8%); non-dense tissue had greater proportion of complete involution compared to dense tissue (82.5% versus 35.2%).
 Discussion: This report is the first to quantify histology in tissue sampled from dense and non-dense regions of the healthy breast. We find a dramatic difference in tissue composition between dense and non-dense tissue in the breast. Future studies using this tissue to assess molecular markers will further help to characterize pathways through which density may increase breast cancer risk. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 4037.

Abstract Abstract #4033 Background: Aromatase activity within the breast is a source of estrogen that may cause breast cancer. Mammographic density (MD) is a risk factor for breast cancer whose biologic basis is unknown. Our study compared aromatase expression in tissue from dense and non-dense areas of the breasts of healthy volunteers.
 Methods: Participants were 40+ yrs, had a screening mammogram with visible MD, no history of cancer and were not on endocrine therapy. Ultrasound-guided core biopsies were done within 6 months of mammography to obtain three paired cores from mammographically dense and non-dense regions of the breast. Immunostaining for aromatase expression employed the streptavidin-biotin amplification method using the recently developed 677 mouse monoclonal antibody. Immunoreactivity (IR) was scored in terms of proportion of cells staining positive for aromatase (PPC) (0=<1%, 1=1-25%, 2=26-50%, 3=51+% (and 4=75%+ for adipocytes)) and relative immunointensity (0=none, 1=weak, 2=moderate, 3=intense) for each cell type (stroma, normal ductal epithelium, adipocytes). A composite score weighting the PPC by their relative intensity (range 0-9; 0-12 for adipocytes) was also calculated. The sum of the composite score across the three cell types provided a global assessment of aromatase IR. Repeated measures analyses evaluated differences in aromatase IR for dense compared to non-dense tissue within and across cell types. Parameter estimates (β) indicated the average difference between dense and non-dense IR.
 Results: 18 (37%) of the 49 participants were premenopausal (median age 46 yrs). Summing across cell types, the global composite score showed increased aromatase IR on sections sampled from dense vs. non-dense regions (β=5.3,p<0.001). This global difference reflected increased aromatase IR in the stroma and normal ductal epithelium from dense sections (vs. non-dense). For 42 women with >1% stromal cells on each section, there was evidence for increased IR on dense sections as indicated by the greater PPCs (β=0.9), relative intensity (β=0.7) and composite score (β=2.7)(p's<0.001). Similarly, for 20 women with >1% normal ductal epithelium in both dense and non-dense sections, there was a greater composite score (β=1.4,p=0.004) for cells on dense sections although differences for PPC (β=0.3,p=0.11) and relative intensity (β=0.3,p=0.09) did not reach statistical significance. No differences were seen in IR for adipocytes from the two density regions (46 women). Findings were unchanged with adjustment for covariates, including proportions of each cell type per section.
 Conclusions: There is strong evidence for increased aromatase expression in the stromal and normal ductal epithelium of dense vs. non-dense tissue. These results support ongoing research into mammographic density as a biomarker of effect of aromatase inhibitors. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 4033.

Abstract Background: African Americans are underrepresented in cancer research trials. We propose that a collaborative effort with African American churches that brings cancer education events and a translational research project to the community with a mobile research unit will facilitate cancer awareness education and increase participation in translational research protocols among African Americans. Methods: From February 2010 through April 2010, Mayo Clinic partnered with predominantly African American Jacksonville churches, with the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic for the working uninsured, and with the local chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, to provide 12 education programs focused on five behaviors that reduce cancer risk: proper nutrition, adequate fitness, tobacco cessation, breastfeeding, and limited alcohol consumption. Also offered during these programs was on site access to a translational cancer research pilot project evaluating the prevalence of t(14,18) and monoclonal proteins in African Americans and other racial/ethnic minorities. Translational research participation was facilitated by a mobile research unit (MRU), a converted RV that has sample collection, processing, and storage capabilities. Participants were surveyed on health knowledge and their willingness to participate in research. Results: A total of 236 of 318 participants (74%) returned written questionnaires provided during the education events. Forty-three percent resided in a health zone of Jacksonville that has worse health outcomes compared with any other sections of the city. Eighty-three percent responded that they had some type of health insurance and 88% had a primary care provider. Sixty-seven percent had never received any information on multiple myeloma, and 57% had never received information about clinical research studies. Sixty percent responded that they would participate in research studies and 61 % indicated that they would participate if the research focused on health issues that impacted African Americans. A total of 175 of 318 participants (55%) were enrolled in the translational research feasibility study. Seventy-two percent of the research study participants were female and 77% were African American, 19% Caucasians, and 4% Hispanic or of other racial/ethnic group. Ninety-three percent agreed to have their samples used for research of other health conditions and 85% agreed to have their samples shared with other research institutions. Conclusions: A high rate of participation in a blood collection translational research project was observed among this predominantly African American population. Most participants expressed a positive attitude towards research participation. Partnerships with African American churches in projects that provide community education and bring research to church venues with a mobile research unit are effective in improving health literacy related to a targeted topic, and in increasing translational research participation among African Americans. Funded by Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center (NCI grant number P50-CA01508), Mayo Clinic CTSA (NCRR/NIH Grant Number 1 UL1 RR024150) and Active SPORE CA 90297052. Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2010;19(10 Suppl):A38.