Global epidemiology and prevention of colorectal cancer.
Song M.
Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2022 07. 7(7):588-590. PMID: 35397797
Faculty Affiliate in the Department of Nutrition
Nutrition
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Medicine-Massachusetts General Hospital
Harvard Medical School
My research focuses on clinical and translational epidemiology of cancer. One aspect of my work is to integrate large-scale observational studies with biomarker-based randomized clinical trials to identify novel nutritional and gut microbiota-targeted strategies for cancer prevention and treatment. Another part of my work involves integration of electronic health record (EHR) data with molecular profiling for developing cost-effective risk assessment tools for precision cancer screening and surveillance. I was awarded the NextGen Star by the American Association for Cancer Research. My current research is supported by the National Cancer Institute and American Cancer Society. The ultimate goal of my research is to translate epidemiologic advances into the clinic for improved cancer prevention and treatment.
Diet/Lifestyle, Gut Microbiome, and Cancer Prevention and Treatment
Over the past few years, I have studied the role of diet and lifestyle factors, in conjunction with host immune factors and the gut microbiota, in colorectal cancer development and survivorship. Much of my work has been based on three large prospective cohort studies, the Nurses’ Health Study I and II, and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, in which diet, lifestyle and colorectal cancer diagnosis and mortality have been assessed over decades with blood, stool, and tumor tissue specimens collected in a subset of participants. Building on the findings from observational studies, I am leading two biomarker-based clinical trials of omega-3 fatty acid treatment in colon cancer patients (supported by the American Cancer Society) and individuals with a history of colorectal adenoma resection (supported by the National Cancer Institute) at Massachusetts General Hospital to investigate causality and explore the potential for future clinical translation. I am also chairing the Microbiome Epidemiology Working Group (MEWG) at Harvard Chan School, and serving as a co-investigator of the Microbiome among Nurses Study (MICRO-N), which aims to establish the world’s largest prospective collection of microbiome specimens from 25,000 individuals.
Integration of EHR and Molecular Data for Precision Cancer Screening and Surveillance
While substantial advances have been made in epidemiology to identify environmental and genetic risk factors, this knowledge has not yet been effectively translated into the clinic for better patient care. A particular example is the age-based or “one-size-fits-all” colonoscopy screening approach that does not take into account the individual variation in colorectal cancer risk. Similar issue occurs to colonoscopy surveillance after polypectomy, where histopathologic features of polyps that are being used in clinical guidelines demonstrate poor sensitivity in predicting subsequent risk of colorectal neoplasia. As result, lower-risk patients can undergo unnecessary excess testing, whereas higher-risk patients may receive delayed or no testing. To address these gaps, I am building a longitudinal cohort of patients who had undergone repeated colonoscopy exams in the Partners HealthCare. Detailed clinical and epidemiologic data are being extracted from the EHR systems supplemented by use of validated natural language processing algorithms; and then linked to the state cancer registry for cancer incidence and to the Partners Biobank for genomic information. Tissue specimens will be collected from the pathology departments for tumor profiling. This integrated cohort will allow us to identify novel biomarkers for early detection, validate prediction models in the real clinical setting, and develop and evaluate clinically applicable risk assessment tools for precision screening and surveillance.
Sc.D., 05/2015, Nutrition and Epidemiology
Harvard University, Boston, MA
Scholar-in-Training Award
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Distinction in Teaching
Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Teaching Assistant Award
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Scholar-in-Training Award
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Scholar-in-Training Award
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
NextGen Star Award
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Song M.
Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2022 07. 7(7):588-590. PMID: 35397797
Wang L, Lo CH, He X, Hang D, Wang M, Wu K, Chan AT, Ogino S, Giovannucci EL, Song M.
Gastroenterology. 2020 07. 159(1):241-256.e13. PMID: 32247020
Song M, Emilsson L, Bozorg SR, Nguyen LH, Joshi AD, Staller K, Nayor J, Chan AT, Ludvigsson JF.
Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2020 06. 5(6):537-547. PMID: 32192628
Song M, Lee IM, Manson JE, Buring JE, Dushkes R, Gordon D, Walter J, Wu K, Chan AT, Ogino S, Fuchs CS, Meyerhardt JA, Giovannucci EL.
JAMA Oncol. 2020 Jan 01. 6(1):108-115. PMID: 31750855
Song M, Chan AT, Sun J.
Gastroenterology. 2020 01. 158(2):322-340. PMID: 31586566
Song M, Vogelstein B, Giovannucci EL, Willett WC, Tomasetti C.
Science. 2018 09 28. 361(6409):1317-1318. PMID: 30262488
Song M, Wu K, Meyerhardt JA, Ogino S, Wang M, Fuchs CS, Giovannucci EL, Chan AT.
JAMA Oncol. 2018 Jan 01. 4(1):71-79. PMID: 29098294
Hu Y, Ding M, Yuan C, Wu K, Smith-Warner SA, Hu FB, Chan AT, Meyerhardt JA, Ogino S, Fuchs CS, Giovannucci EL, Song M.
Gastroenterology. 2018 03. 154(4):916-926.e9. PMID: 29158191
Mehta RS, Nishihara R, Cao Y, Song M, Mima K, Qian ZR, Nowak JA, Kosumi K, Hamada T, Masugi Y, Bullman S, Drew DA, Kostic AD, Fung TT, Garrett WS, Huttenhower C, Wu K, Meyerhardt JA, Zhang X, Willett WC, Giovannucci EL, Fuchs CS, Chan AT, Ogino S.
JAMA Oncol. 2017 Jul 01. 3(7):921-927. PMID: 28125762
Song M, Fung TT, Hu FB, Willett WC, Longo VD, Chan AT, Giovannucci EL.
JAMA Intern Med. 2016 Oct 01. 176(10):1453-1463. PMID: 27479196
People who tend to stay up late have a higher risk of developing diabetes than those who rise early, a new study found.
People who have a history of gum disease or who have lost two or more teeth face increased risk of gastrointestinal cancers, a study found.
The risk of colorectal cancer may increase with any type of polyp in the colon, according to new research led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study examined data from 178,377 patients with colorectal polyps…
Adding a fish oil supplement containing omega-3 fatty acid to a healthy diet did not lower the risk of developing colon polyps—considered a precursor to colon cancer.
We cannot treat our way out of the rising trend in cancer cases. The only solution is a full-scale defense, so that nobody suffers the disease in the first place.