I am a professor of the epidemiology Program at LSU Health Sciences Center. Additionally, I am the Director of the Louisiana Tumor Registry (LTR). I serve as the LSU Principal Investigator (PI) for the NCI-SEER and CDC-NPCR funding. With over 20 years of experience with LTR, I possess extensive expertise in registry operations and using registry data and the infrastructure for cancer research. I have taken on the role of LSU PI for multiple research studies, including the NCI-, AHRQ-, or PCORI-funded AYA-HOPE MY-Health Study, CEASARstudy, RESPOND study, and the SEER-Linked Virtual Tissue Repository study. These studies have focused on patient-reported data on lifetime experiences,health-related quality of life, and cancer outcomes and patterns and quality of cancer care and have contributed significantly to the field. Throughout my career, I have authored or co-authored over 214 manuscripts covering diverse topics such as health disparities in cancer, socioeconomic determinants ofcancer care quality, and auto-extraction of cancer data from clinical files using data mining and natural language processing techniques. Actively engaging with various committees and workgroups associated with NCI-SEER, CDC-NPCR, and NAACCR, I have consistently advocated for the utilization of cancer registry data. Notable contributions include my involvement with the NAACCR Research and Data Use Committee, where I also served as the chairperson of the Research Application Workgroup and participated in the Data Assessment Workgroup. In addition, I serve as the co-chair for the Data Committee of the Taking at Cancer in Louisiana organization.
Research:
1. Cancer disparities and etiology studies. As an epidemiologist specializing in cancer research and collaborating with a cancer registry and registry community, I leverage population-based cancer registry data to analyze cancer incidence patterns across diverse populations. Through my research, I derive hypotheses for etiology studies and contribute to the development of targeted strategies to reduce the burden of cancer and address disparities. For instance, utilizing cancer registry data, my research was the first to reveal significantly higher incidence rates of gastric non-cardia adenocarcinoma among American Asians/Pacific Islanders (APIs) and Hispanics compared to whites. In contrast, APIs and Hispanics exhibited lower rates of gastric cardia cancer compared to whites, indicating distinct etiological factors contributing to this malignancy across different racial and ethnic groups.
2. Cancer screening policy and evaluation of screening effectiveness. My research has delved into important issues surrounding cancer screening policy and the evaluation of screening effectiveness. Notably, during the late 1990s, I conducted a pioneering study utilizing data from US population-based cancer registries. This study revealed a significant disparity in the stage of diagnosis between proximal colon cancers and distal colon and rectal cancers, even within the same age, race, and gender groups. The findings of this study made a substantial impact on the existing literature, ultimately supporting a policy change that led to the reimbursement of colonoscopy screening for colorectal cancer.
3. Patterns of care and quality of care. Leveraging data derived from population-based patterns of care studies, I have authored multiple articles primarily focusing on disseminating guideline-recommended treatment and examining factors associated with non-guideline concordant care. Through my research, I have identified significant disparities in the receipt of guideline treatment. Notably, patients from lower sociodemographic backgrounds were found to be less likely than their counterparts to receive high-quality treatment.
4. Health-related quality of life. In addition to my contributions in the realm of cancer screening and treatment, I have fostered collaborative partnerships with cancer investigators from various institutions and cancer registries leveraging patient outcome studies. Through these collaborations, I have authored multiple articles that shed light on the factors influencing disparities in health-related quality of life among cancer patients.
5. Disparities in cancer outcomes. In an effort to facilitate the utilization of cancer registry data, I have collaborated with many oncologists to the sociodemographic and clinical predictors of cancer survival. For instance, our research found that 10-yearsurvival after breast-conserving therapy (BCT) is better than mastectomy (MST),providing compelling evidence to encourage patients to consider a BCT rather than an MST for ESBC, when appropriate. This has important implication, given that healthcare professional can inform and thereby influence the patient to decide to undergo either a BCT or an MST. Through the research on the risk of cancer death by comorbidity severity among early-state breast cancer patients, we found that compared to women with no comorbidity, patients with breast cancer age 70 and older with severe comorbidity are at increased risk of dying from breast cancer, even after adjustment for adjuvant chemotherapy and othert umor and treatment differences. This information adds to risk–benefit discussions and emphasizes the need for further study of the role for adjuvant chemotherapy in these patient groups.
6. Positive impact of the Medicaid expansion. I have also collaborated with oncologists to evaluation the impact of the patient protection and affordable care act Medicaid expansion on cancer stage, treatment, and outcome using population-based cancer registry data. Our research found that ACA expansion in Louisiana reduced the uninsured rate, increased the diagnosis of early-stage disease, and increased access to treatment. We also found that MES experienced increased Medicaid insured, increased treatment, and decreased distant-stage disease at diagnosis. Medicaid expansion in the South leads to earlier and more comprehensive treatment of breast cancer.
ORCID identifier: 0000-0003-3663-5027
MyNCBI: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/
Selected Publications from 214 peer-reviewed publications:
1) Laughlin AI, Li TT, Yu QZ, Wu XC, Yi Y, Hsieh MC, Havron W, ShoupM, Chu QD. Impact of Medicaid Expansion on Breast Cancer Diagnosis andTreatment in Southern States. J Am Coll Surg 2023 Feb 1. doi:10.1097/XCS.0000000000000550. PMID:36722711
2) ZhouMJ, Thompson TD, Lin HY, Chen VW, Karliz JJ, Fontham ETH, Theall KP, Zhang L,Hsieh MC, Pollack LA, Wu XC. Impactof Relative Dose Intensity of FOLFOX Adjuvant Chemotherapy on Risk of DeathAmong Stage III Colon Cancer Patients. Clin Colorectal Cancer. 2022Jun;21(2):e62-e75. doi: 10.1016/j.clcc.2021.09.008. Epub 2021 Oct 1. PMID: 34756680
3) Yabroff KR, WuXC, Negoita S, Stevens J, Coyle L, Zhao J, Mumphrey BJ, Jemal A, WardKC. Association of theCOVID-19 Pandemic With Patterns of Statewide Cancer Services. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2022 Jun 13;114(6):907-909. doi:10.1093/jnci/djab122. PubMed PMID: 34181001;
4) HsiehMC, Zhang L, Velasco-Gonzalez C, Yi Y, Pareti LA, Trapido EJ, Chen VW, Wu XC. Impact of diabetes andmodifiable risk factors on pancreatic cancer survival in a population-basedstudy after adjusting for clinical factors. Cancer Causes Control. 2022 Jan;33(1):37-48.doi: 10.1007/s10552-021-01497-z. Epub 2021 Oct 11. PubMed PMID: 34633573.
5) Danos D, Leonardi C, Wu XC. Geographic determinants ofcolorectal cancer in Louisiana. Cancer Causes Control. 2022 Apr;33(4):525-532.doi: 10.1007/s10552-021-01546-7. Epub 2022 Jan 7. PubMed PMID: 34994869.
6) Pratibha Shrestha,Quyen D Chu, Mei-Chin Hsieh, Yong Yi, Edward S Peters, Edward Trapido, QingzhaoYu, Tekeda Ferguson, Xiao-Cheng Wu. Distance to radiation therapy facility influences surgerytype among older with early-stage breast cancer, not young women. Cancer Med2022 Dec 9. doi: 10.1002/cam4.5474. PMID: 36495041.
7) ZhangL, Hsieh MC, Allison C, Devane M, Hicks C, Yu Q, Shi L, Wu J, Wu XC. Racial differences in the riskof second primary bladder cancer following radiation therapy among localizedprostate cancer patients. Cancer Epidemiol. 2021 Aug;73:101967. doi:10.1016/j.canep.2021.101967. PubMed PMID: 34146916; PubMed Central PMCID:PMC8357014.
8) ChuQD, Hsieh MC, Gibbs JF, Wu XC.Treatment at a high-volume academic research program mitigates racial disparitiesin pancreatic adenocarcinoma. J Gastrointest Oncol. 2021 Dec;12(6):2579-2590.doi: 10.21037/jgo-20-584. PubMed PMID:35070389;
9) Zhang L, Hsieh MC, Petkov V, Yu QZ,Chiu YW, Wu XC. Trend and survivalbenefit of Oncotype DX use among female hormone receptor positive breast cancerpatients in 17 SEER registries, 2004-2015. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2020Apr;180(2):491-501.doi: 10.1007/s10549-020-05557-x. Epub 2020 Feb 14; PMID: 32060781
10)Chu QD, Hsieh MC,Lyons JM, Wu XC. 10-Year Survival after Breast-Conserving SurgeryCompared with Mastectomy in Louisiana Women with Early-Stage Breast Cancer: APopulation-Based Study. J Am Coll Surg. 2021 Apr;232(4):607-621. Epub 2020 Dec7. PubMed PMID: 33301909.
11)ZhangL, Hsieh MC, Petkov V, Yu QZ, Chiu YW, WuXC. Trend and survival benefit of Oncotype DX use among female hormonereceptor positive breast cancer patients in 17 SEER registries, 2004-2015.Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2020 Apr;180(2):491-501.doi:10.1007/s10549-020-05557-x. Epub 2020 Feb 14; PMID: 32060781
12)ChuQD, Zhou M, Peddi P, Medeiros KL, Wu XC.Outcomes in real-world practice are different than cooperative trial forelderly patients with early breast cancer treated with adjuvant radiationtherapy. Surgery. 2018 Jun;163(6):1213-1219. doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2018.01.018.Epub 2018 Mar 7. PMID: 29368311
13)Wu XC, Prasad PK, Landry I,Harlan LC, Parsons HM, Lynch CF, Smith AW, Hamilton AS, Keegan THM. Impact ofthe AYA HOPE comorbidity index on assessing health care service needs andhealth status among adolescents and young adults with cancer. Cancer Epidemiol BiomarkersPrev. 2015 Dec;24(12):1844-9. PMID:26420768.
14)Wu XC, Lund MJ, Kimmick GG,et al. Influence of Race, SocioeconomicStatus, Insurance, and Hospital Type on Receipt of Guideline-ConcordantAdjuvant Systemic Therapy for Locoregional Breast Cancers. J Clin Oncology.2012Jan;30(2):121-4. PMID:22147735
15)Wu XC, Richardson LC, KahnAR, et al. Survival difference between non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanicwhite women with localized breast cancer: the impact of guideline-concordanttherapy. J Natl Med Assoc. 2008;100(5):490-8. PMID: 18507201.
16)Wu XC, Chen VW, Andrews PA,Ruiz B, Correa P. Incidence of esophageal and gastric cancers among Hispanics,non-Hispanic whites, and non-Hispanic blacks in the United States: subsite andhistology differences. Cancer Causes Control. 2007;18(6):585-93. Epub 2007 Apr4. PMID: 17406989.
17)Wu XC, Cokkinides V, ChenWV, Nadel M, Ren Y, Martin J, Ellison GL. Associations of subsite-specificcolorectal cancer incidence rates and stage of disease at diagnosis withcounty-level poverty, by race and sex. Cancer. 2006;107(5 Suppl):1121-7. PMID:16802324.
18)Wu XC, Chen VW, Andrews PA,Ruiz B, Correa P. Incidence of esophageal and gastric cancers among Hispanics,non-Hispanic whites, and non-Hispanic blacks in the United States: subsite andhistology differences. Cancer Causes Control. 2007;18(6):585-93. Epub 2007 Apr4. PMID: 17406989.
19)Wu XC, Chen VW, Ruiz B,Andrews PA, Su JL, Correa P. Incidence of esophageal and gastric carcinomasamong American Asians/Pacific Islanders, whites, and blacks: subsite andhistology differences. Cancer. 2006;106(3):683-92. PMID: 16388522. Feb 2006.
20)Wu XC, Chen VW, Ruiz B, Andrews PA, Su JL, Correa P. Incidence of esophageal and gastric carcinomas among American Asians/Pacific Islanders, whites, and blacks: subsite and histology differences. Cancer. 2006;106(3):683-92. PMID: 16388522. Feb 2006
Topics (key words): Cancer Epidemiology, cancer disparities, quality of cancer care, health-related quality of life, cancer outcomes, social determinants, cancer surveillance studies, cancer preventions.
