Anna Wu, PhD

Professor Emerita

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Overview

Dr. Wu’s research focuses on the epidemiology of cancer with emphasis on understanding the increase of various (e.g., breast, ovarian, colon) cancers among Asian migrants to the US. A unifying theme of my research is to identify modifiable lifestyle and environmental factors to reduce the risk of specific cancers and to improve outcomes among those diagnosed with cancer. In addition to observational epidemiologic studies, I have conducted a series of controlled intervention studies to investigate the short-term effects of dietary (e.g., soy, green tea) and hormonal (e.g., oral contraceptives) agents on breast-tissue (e.g., mammographic density) and circulating sex hormones and other biomarkers.
Since 2014, I began to use the well-established Multiethnic Cohort (MEC) to address research questions on environmental exposures (e.g., air pollution, endocrine disrupting chemicals) that have been challenging to study. In addition, I am participating in two multicenter survivorship studies on breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

Education and Training

  • University of California, Los Angeles — PhD — 1983 — Epidemiology

Publications

  • Determinants of prolactin in postmenopausal Chinese women in Singapore. Cancer Causes Control. 2018 01; 29(1):51-62.. View in PubMed
  • Reproductive profiles and risk of breast cancer subtypes: a multi-center case-only study. Breast Cancer Res. 2017 Nov 07; 19(1):119.. View in PubMed
  • Identification of ten variants associated with risk of estrogen-receptor-negative breast cancer. Nat Genet. 2017 Dec; 49(12):1767-1778.. View in PubMed
  • Association analysis identifies 65 new breast cancer risk loci. Nature. 2017 11 02; 551(7678):92-94.. View in PubMed
  • Menstrual pain and risk of epithelial ovarian cancer: Results from the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium. Int J Cancer. 2018 02 01; 142(3):460-469.. View in PubMed
  • A Randomized Controlled Trial of Green Tea Extract Supplementation and Mammographic Density in Postmenopausal Women at Increased Risk of Breast Cancer. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2017 Dec; 10(12):710-718.. View in PubMed
  • Timing of births and oral contraceptive use influences ovarian cancer risk. Int J Cancer. 2017 12 15; 141(12):2392-2399.. View in PubMed
  • Metabolic conditions and breast cancer risk among Los Angeles County Filipina Americans compared with Chinese and Japanese Americans. Int J Cancer. 2017 12 15; 141(12):2450-2461.. View in PubMed
  • History of Comorbidities and Survival of Ovarian Cancer Patients, Results from the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2017 09; 26(9):1470-1473.. View in PubMed
  • Effect of Green Tea Supplements on Liver Enzyme Elevation: Results from a Randomized Intervention Study in the United States. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2017 Oct; 10(10):571-579.. View in PubMed