This report aims to determine and identify interactions between environmental, biological, genetic, socio-economic and lifestyle factors that may be driving the high cancer incidence and poor health outcomes in the African Nova Scotian community in the south end of Shelburne.

This community has been close to a dump that was used for industrial, medical and residential waste for over 75 years. This mixed-method study involved biospecimen sampling, genomic sequencing, focus groups, interviews, and qualitative surveys. The report provides findings from the focus groups and interviews we held in 2023. The focus groups and interviews explored the experiences of Shelburne residents and their perceptions of living close to the dump. The objectives of the larger study were to:

• Determine the demographic and socio-economic profile of Shelburne residents with a cancer history.
• Conduct a “historical geography” of the Shelburne Dump.
• Characterize the toxic metals (metallomes) and carcinogen profiles of biospecimens from Shelburne residents.
• Identify genetic/epigenetic changes in Shelburne residents’ genomes that may explain cancer susceptibility.

Genes and Geography: Disparities in Cancer Incidence and Outcomes in a Black Canadian Community

Authors:

• Maria Belen Miguel, Research Assistant
• Louise Delisle, Community Collaborator
• Juliet M. Daniel, Ph.D., Principal Investigator, McMaster University
• Ingrid Waldron, Ph.D., Principal Investigator, McMaster University
• Paola A. Marignani, Ph.D. Co-Investigator, Dalhousie University
• Sheila Boamah, Ph.D. Co-Investigator, McMaster University
• Lawrence Mbuagbaw, Ph.D. Co-Investigator, McMaster University
• Vanessa Hartley, Research Assistant

Funding Agency:

New Frontiers in Research Fund: Exploration