Yin Cao, ScD, MPH

Dr. Yin Cao received a Young Investigator Award from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. This two-year award will support Dr. Cao in her work addressing colorectal cancer survival disparities among patients diagnosed under age 50 through integrating patients, treatment, and tumor molecular characteristics.

About 11% of colon cancers (CRC) and 18% of rectal cancers occur in adults younger than 50 years. In contrast to the recent population decline in CRC incidence in adults aged 50 and above, CRC incidence has increased in all 5-year age groups between 20 and 49 years. The majority of young-onset CRCs are diagnosed symptomatically with more advanced tumors. Dr. Cao is leading research to discover the genomic landscape of young-onset CRCs and the underlying lifestyle factors that may drive the rising incidence.

Yin Cao, ScD, MPH, and colleagues will analyze the efficacy of aspirin for chemoprevention in colorectal cancer cases.

Dr. Yin Cao is leading efforts surround aspirin-based chemoprevention to inform future  multi-level interventions to improve the implementation of precision aspirin primary prevention strategies across systems, providers, and patients.