Identifying and mitigating the biological effectors of the social determinants of health in cancer

Monica Wagner; Christopher L Benson 2nd; Samilia Obeng-Gyasi; Suzanne Conzen; Lauren E Mccullough; Chanita Hughes Halbert; Stanton L Gerson

doi:10.1093/jnci/djaf141

Identifying and mitigating the biological effectors of the social determinants of health in cancer

J Natl Cancer Inst. 2025 Jun 13:djaf141. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djaf141. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Monica Wagner^{1

2}, Christopher L Benson 2nd^{3

2}, Samilia Obeng-Gyasi⁴, Suzanne Conzen⁵, Lauren E Mccullough⁶, Chanita Hughes Halbert⁷, Stanton L Gerson⁸

Affiliations

¹ Case Western Reserve University Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Cleveland, OH, USA.
² Case Western Reserve University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cleveland, OH, USA.
³ Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA.
⁴ Department of Surgery, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
⁵ Division of Hematology & Oncology, Simmons Cancer Center, University of Texas-Southwestern at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA.
⁶ Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
⁷ Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁸ Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA.

PMID: 40511610
DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djaf141

Abstract

Recognizing the interconnectedness between social determinants of health (SDOH) and biological factors associated with cancer, the research community is working to identify and refine biological markers of SDOH that can help us better understand this complex interaction. The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine convened a workshop with the intent of exploring this interaction and how these factors affect cancer onset and cancer-related health outcomes1. Workshop presentations and discussions provided an overview of biological effectors and SDOH; emerging research in these areas, including the development and validation of biomarkers and strategies to improve the evidence base for monitoring, diagnosing, policy, research, and clinical practice opportunities to improve health and address the impact of SDOH on cancer risk, diagnosis and outcomes.