Global Oncology at LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center
A Global Focus: the Connection Between HIV/AIDS and Kaposi Sarcoma
Research and Training Programs
Cancer Moonshot Initiatives at LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center
Global Viral Oncology Research and Training Programs
Our Research (Institutional Repository)
Cancer is a global issue. It can affect anyone, no matter where they call home. Around the world, 1 in 5 people develop cancer during their lifetime, and 1 in 9 men and 1 in 12 women die from the disease. Cancer cases are on the rise globally, and they’re expected to double by 2050.
At LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center, our researchers have bridged the gap between Louisiana and other parts of the world to further knowledge surrounding the cause, progression, and treatment of cancer. By conducting research and providing care for populations that are geographically distant but face similar obstacles, we can join together to reduce the burden of cancer in Louisiana and globally.
Two Continents, One Disease: Cancer in Louisiana and Africa
In Louisiana, cancer rates and cancer deaths are higher than the national average. Thousands of miles across the Atlantic, Africa is expected to experience the highest percentage increase in cancer cases by 2050, with a predicted rise of almost 140%.
Researchers, including Dr. Charles Wood, Associate Director of Basic Research, and Dr. John T. West, Professor of Interdisciplinary Oncology, have extended LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center’s reach to Zambia and Tanzania. Though Louisiana is 8,000 miles from these African countries, they face similarities in the causes and possible approaches to preventing and treating cancer.
A Global Increase in Cancer Risk Factors
The expected rise of cancer globally is largely due to an increase in risk factors, including alcohol use, tobacco use, and obesity.
In Louisiana, 10% of residents have a diagnosable alcohol use disorder, over 20% smoke cigarettes, and nearly 25% of adults are considered obese. In Africa, alcohol consumption and tobacco use are on the rise, particularly in the Sub-Saharan region. The rate of obesity is also increasing, including among children.
Limited Access to Care
Quality healthcare is a critical part of preventing and treating cancer. Limited access to care can lead to delayed diagnoses, making treatment less effective. Just a one-month delay in treatment can increase a person’s risk of dying from cancer by up to 13%. A three-month delay can raise the risk by over 25%.
In Louisiana, over 26% of people live in a rural area, making access to care more challenging. Black Louisianians are also more likely to have inadequate healthcare compared to white Louisianians.
In Tanzania, only 15% of the population has health insurance. Zambians face similar concerns, as half of those who live in rural Zambia don’t have access to a healthcare facility.
High HIV Rates
People with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have a significantly higher risk of developing and dying from certain types of cancer, including Kaposi sarcoma, cervical cancer, and aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Louisiana is ranked number four in the nation for HIV cases. Sub-Saharan Africa, including Tanzania and Zambia, has a disproportionate amount of HIV cases making up more than 70% of the global burden of this disease.
Eradicating Cancer – Together
Cancer does not discriminate, and it can affect anyone around the world. By bringing together the brightest minds in cancer research and training the next generation of researchers, we can make strides in eliminating the burden of this disease. Global oncology centers around sharing knowledge, advancing research, and making real progress in preventing and treating cancer to improve the lives of Louisianians and people everywhere.
Bennett S, Dicle Yalcin D, Privatt S, Ngalamika O, Lidenge S, West J and Wood C. (2024). Antibody profiling and predictive modeling discriminate between Kaposi sarcoma and asymptomatic KSHV infection. PloS Pathogen 20(2):e1012023. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. ppat.1012023.
Lidenge, S.J.; Yalcin, D.; Bennett, S.J.; Ngalamika, O.; Kweyamba, B.B.; Mwita, C.J.; Tso, F.Y.; Mwaiselage, J.; West, J.T.; Wood, C. Viral Epitope Scanning Reveals Correlation between Seasonal HCoVs and SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Responses among Cancer and Non-Cancer Patients. Viruses 2024, 16, 448. https://doi.org/10.3390/v16030448.
Liu Z, Julius P, Himwaze C, Mucheleng’anga LA, Chapple AG, West JT, and Wood C. (2024) Cannabis Use Associates With Reduced Proviral Burden and Inflammatory Cytokine in Tissues From Men With Clade C HIV-1 on Suppressive Antiretroviral Therapy, The Journal of Infectious Diseases, jiad575, https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiad575
Privatt SR, Braga CP, Johnson A, Lidenge SJ, Berry L, Ngowi JR, Ngalamika O, Chapple AG, Mwaiselage J, Wood C, West JT, Adamec J. (2003). Comparative polar and lipid plasma metabolomics differentiate KSHV infection and disease states. Cancer Metab. Aug 31;11(1):13. doi: 10.1186/s40170-023-00316-0. PMID: 37653396; PMCID: PMC10470137.
Julius P, Siyumbwa SN, Maate F, Moonga P, Kang G, Kaile T, West JT, Wood C, Angeletti PC. (2023). Yes-associated protein-1 overexpression in ocular surface squamous neoplasia; a potential diagnostic marker and therapeutic target. Front Oncol. Jul 5;13:1213426. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1213426. PMID: 37476371; PMCID: PMC10354641.
Julius P, Kang G, Siyumbwa S, Musumali J, Tso FY, Ngalamika O, Kaile T, Maate F, Moonga P, West JT, Angeletti P and Wood C. (2023) Co-infection and co-localization of Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus and Epstein-Barr virus in HIV-associated Kaposi sarcoma: a case report. Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol. 13:1270935. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1270935
Mrema AS, Ngoma M, Josiah C, Lugina E, Mvungi N, Paul M, Mkuchika E, Nundu E, Iddy SK, Rugengamanzi E, Vuhahula YM, Kiwanga FC, Wood C and Mwaiselage J. (2003). HIV and Early Treatment Outcomes Among Women With Cervical Cancer Treated With Concurrent Chemoradiation in Tanzania. JCO Glob Oncol. Sep;9:e2200441. doi: 10.1200/GO.22.00441. PMID: 37738537; PMCID: PMC10581651.
Bennett, S., Davila, C., Reyes, Z., Valentín-Acevedo, A., Carrasco, K., Abadie, R., Marlin, C., Marci Beel M., Chapple, A., Fernando, S., Guthridge, J., Chiou, K., Dombrowski, K., West, J. and Wood, C. (2023). Immune profiling in Puerto Rican injection drug users with and without HIV-1 infection. J Leu Bio. 2023 Apr 12:qiad045. doi: 10.1093/jleuko/qiad045. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37042743.
Vladimirova O, Soldan S, Su C, Kossenkov A, Ngalamika O, Tso FY, West JT, Wood C, Lieberman PM. (2023). Elevated iNOS and 3'-nitrotyrosine in Kaposi's Sarcoma tumors and mouse model. Tumour Virus Res. Mar 1;15:200259. doi: 10.1016/j.tvr.2023.200259. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36863485; PMCID: PMC10009278.
Yalcin, D.; Bennett, S.J.; Sheehan, J.; Trauth, A.J.; Tso, F.Y.; West, J.T.; Hagensee,
M.E.; Ramsay, A.J.; Wood, C. (2023). Longitudinal Variations in Antibody Responses
against SARS-CoV-2 Spike Epitopes upon Serial Vaccinations. Int. J. Mol.
Sci. 24, 7292. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24087292.
Privatt, S.R.; Ngalamika, O.; Zhang, J.; Li, Q.; Wood, C.; West, J.T. (2023). Upregulation
of Cell Surface Glycoproteins in Correlation with KSHV LANA in the Kaposi Sarcoma
Tumor Microenvironment. Cancers, 15, 2171. https://doi.org/
10.3390/cancers15072171.
Bennett SJ, Yalcin D, Privatt SR, Ngalamika O, Lidenge SJ, West JT, Wood C. (2022). Antibody epitope profiling of the KSHV LANA protein using VirScan. PLoS Pathog. Dec 19;18(12):e1011033. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011033. PMID: 36534707; PMCID: PMC9810164.
Casper C, Corey C, Cohen J, Damania B, Gershon A, Kaslow D, Krug L, Martin J, Mbulaiteye S, Mocarski E, Moore P, Ogembo J, Phipps W, Whitby D and Wood C. 2022. KSHV (HHV8) vaccine: promises and potential pitfalls for a new anti-cancer vaccine. npj Vaccines 7, 108 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41541-022-00535-4. PMCID: PMC9488886; PMID: 36127367
Liu Z, Julius P, Kang G, West J and Wood C. (2022). Subtype C HIV-1 Reservoirs Throughout the Body in ART-suppressed Individuals. J Clinical Investigation Insight J Clin Invest Insight. 2022;7(20):e162604. https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.162604. PMCID: PMC9714794; PMID: 36278485
Abadie R, Habecker P, Carrasco KG, Chiou KS, Fernando S, Bennett SJ, Valentin-Acevedo A, Dombrowski K, West JT and Wood C. (2022). Employing Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS) to recruit people who inject drugs (PWID) and other hard-to-reach populations during COVID-19: Lessons learned. Front. Psychiatry 13:990055.doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.990055. PubMed PMID: 36262631; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9574048.
Musamali J, Julius P, Siyumbwa S, Yalcin D, Kang G, Munsaka G, West J and Wood C. 2022. Systematic post-mortem analysis of brain tissue from an HIV-1 Subtype C viremic decedent revealed a paucity of infection and pathology. J Neurovirolgy. Oct 5. doi: 10.1007/s13365-022-01099-8. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36198990.
Julius P, Siyumbwa SN, Moonga P, Maate F, Kaile T, Haynatski G, Minhas V, Snow J, Peterson K, Gihozo P, Streeter S, Kaur S, Evans A, Gonzalez D, Samwel K, Kang G, West JT, Wood C, Angeletti PC. 2002. Epstein-Barr Virus, But Not Human Papillomavirus, Is Associated With Preinvasive and Invasive Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasias in Zambian Patients. Front Oncol. 2022 Apr 14;12:864066. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2022.864066. PMID: 35494029; PMCID: PMC9047892.
Tso FY, Lidenge SJ, Ngowi JR, Peña PB, Clegg AA, Ngalamika O, Mwita CJ, Mwaiselage J, Wood C. 2022. Lower SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence among Cancer Patients in Sub-Saharan Africa. J. Clin. Med. 2022, 11, 4428. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11154428
Kong X, Li D, Mansouri A, Kang G, Sayood K, West J, and Wood C. 2021. Bone Marrow Derived SH-SY5Y Neuroblastoma Cells Infected by Kaposi’s Sarcoma Herpes Virus (KSHV) Display Unique Infection Phenotype and Growth Properties. J Virol. Apr 14:JVI.00003-21. doi: 10:1128/JVI.00003-21. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33853962. PMCID: PMC8315978
Julius P, Siyumbwa SN, Moonga P, Maate F, Kaile T, Kang G, West JT, Wood C, Angeletti PC. 2021. Clinical and Pathologic Presentation of Primary Ocular Surface Tumors among Zambians. Ocul Oncol Pathol. Mar;7 (2):108-120. doi: 10.1159/000511610. Epub 2021 Jan 21. PMID: 33869164; PMCID: PMC8024974.
Tso FY, Lidenge SJ, Poppe LK, Peña PB, Privatt SR, Bennett SJ, Ngowi JR, Mwaiselage J, Belshan M, Siedlik JA, Raine MA, Ochoa JB, Garcia-Diaz J, Nossaman B, Buckner L, Roberts WM, Dean MJ, Ochoa AC, West JT and Wood C. 2021. Presence of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) against SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 plasma. PloS One. Mar 4;16(3):e0247640. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247640. PMID: 33661923; PMCID: PMC7932539.
Tso FY, Lidenge SJ, Peña PB, Clegg AA, Ngowi JR, Mwaiselage J, Ngalamika O, Julius P, West JT, Wood C. 2021. High prevalence of pre-existing serological cross-reactivity against SARS-CoV-2 in sub-Sahara Africa. Int J Infect Dis. 102: 577–583. PMID: 33176202.
Ngalamika O, Munsaka S, Lidenge SJ, West J and Wood C. 2021. Antiretroviral Therapy for HIV-Associated Cutaneous Kaposi’s Sarcoma: Clinical, HIV-related, and Sociodemographic Predictors of Outcome. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses. 2021. May; 37(5):368-372. PMID: 33386064; PMCID: PMC8112720.