The evolutionarily conserved Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway plays a fundamental role during metazoan development, regulating numerous processes including cell fate specification, cell migration, and stem cell renewal. Wnt ligand binding leads to stabilization of the transcriptional effector β-catenin and upregulation of target gene expression to mediate a cellular response. During larval development of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, Wnt/β-catenin pathways act in fate specification of two hypodermal cell types, the ventral vulval precursor cells (VPCs) and the lateral seam cells. Because little is known about targets of the Wnt signaling pathways acting during larval VPC and seam cell differentiation, we sought to identify genes regulated by Wnt signaling in these two hypodermal cell types. We conditionally activated Wnt signaling in larval animals and performed cell type–specific "mRNA tagging" to enrich for VPC and seam cell–specific mRNAs, and then used microarray analysis to examine gene expression compared to control animals. Two hundred thirty-nine genes activated in response to Wnt signaling were identified, and we characterized 50 genes further. The majority of these genes are expressed in seam and/or vulval lineages during normal development, and reduction of function for nine genes caused defects in the proper division, fate specification, fate execution, or differentiation of seam cells and vulval cells. Therefore, the combination of these techniques was successful at identifying potential cell type–specific Wnt pathway target genes from a small number of cells and at increasing our knowledge of the specification and behavior of these C. elegans larval hypodermal cells.

There remains a need to synthesize linkages between social determinants of health (SDOH) and cancer screening to reduce persistent inequities contributing to the US cancer burden. The authors conducted a systematic review of US‐based breast, cervical, colorectal, and lung cancer screening intervention studies to summarize how SDOH have been considered in interventions and relationships between SDOH and screening. Five databases were searched for peer‐reviewed research articles published in English between 2010 and 2021. The Covidence software platform was used to screen articles and extract data using a standardized template. Data items included study and intervention characteristics, SDOH intervention components and measures, and screening outcomes. The findings were summarized using descriptive statistics and narratives. The review included 144 studies among diverse population groups. SDOH interventions increased screening rates overall by a median of 8.4 percentage points (interquartile interval, 1.8–18.8 percentage points). The objective of most interventions was to increase community demand (90.3%) and access (84.0%) to screening. SDOH interventions related to health care access and quality were most prevalent (227 unique intervention components). Other SDOH, including educational, social/community, environmental, and economic factors, were less common (90, 52, 21, and zero intervention components, respectively). Studies that included analyses of health policy, access to care, and lower costs yielded the largest proportions of favorable associations with screening outcomes. SDOH were predominantly measured at the individual level. This review describes how SDOH have been considered in the design and evaluation of cancer screening interventions and effect sizes for SDOH interventions. Findings may guide future intervention and implementation research aiming to reduce US screening inequities.

PURPOSE Cervical cancer is the second cause of death among Peruvian women. In Iquitos, Proyecto Precancer engages key stakeholders to develop interventions that address women's needs and prevent cervical cancer. Successful prevention programs rely on behavior change interventions that must be supported by a theoretical understanding of the behavior. The Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behavior (COM-B) model informs what must be modified for a behavior change intervention to be effective. METHODS A cervical cancer prevention focused Knowledge-Attitudes-Practices (KAP) survey was administered in 2017 to women ages 18-65 years living in Iquitos, Peru using census-based random sampling. To identify context-specific barriers and facilitators for cervical cancer screening in Iquitos, we mapped KAP survey data onto key themes in the COM-B model. RESULTS Out of 619 women, 67.9% had been screened for cervical cancer at least once. Facilitators to screening-seeking behaviors were having the knowledge about cervical cancer (80.5% of women), partner support (74.8%), attending a health post (79.5%) and receiving information from a health post (63.6%). Among women not previously screened, fear was the primary barrier (41.7%). Perceived risk of cervical cancer was high (79.1%) but experiencing symptoms as a reason to seek screening remains a common misconception (36%). CONCLUSION Behavior change interventions must address the sources of fear and raise awareness about seeking cervical cancer screening prior to symptom development. Focusing on health posts and partners as key facilitators could help improve the outcomes of programs implemented by Proyecto Precancer in Iquitos.