Tim Carver

Dr. Tim Carver

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

7Years (2020-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

View All Publications
17 December 2020 in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
TCTim Carver
Tim Carver
SHSimon Hartley
Simon Hartley
ALAndrew Lee
Andrew Lee
ACAlex P. Cunningham
Alex P. Cunningham
SAStephanie Archer
Stephanie Archer
AAAntonis C. Antoniou
Antonis C. Antoniou
Background: The CanRisk Tool (https://canrisk.org) is the next-generation web interface for the latest version of the BOADICEA (Breast and Ovarian Analysis of Disease Incidence and Carrier Estimation Algorithm) state-of-the-art risk model and a forthcoming ovarian cancer risk model. Methods: The tool captures information on family history, rare pathogenic variants in cancer susceptibility genes, polygenic risk scores, lifestyle/hormonal/clinical features, and imaging risk factors to predict breast and ovarian cancer risks and estimate the probabilities of carrying pathogenic variants in certain genes. It was implemented using modern web frameworks, technologies, and web services to make it extensible and increase accessibility to researchers and third-party applications. The design of the graphical user interface was informed by feedback from health care professionals and a formal evaluation. Results: This freely accessible tool was designed to be user friendly for clinicians and to boost acceptability in clinical settings. The tool incorporates a novel graphical pedigree builder to facilitate collection of the family history data required by risk calculations. Conclusions: The CanRisk Tool provides health care professionals and researchers with a user-friendly interface to carry out multifactorial breast and ovarian cancer risk predictions. It is the first freely accessible cancer risk prediction program to carry the CE marking. Impact: There have been over 3,100 account registrations, and 98,000 breast and ovarian cancer risk calculations have been run within the first 9 months of the CanRisk Tool launch.

13 January 2023 in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
NMNasim Mavaddat
Nasim Mavaddat
LFLorenzo Ficorella
Lorenzo Ficorella
TCTim Carver
Tim Carver
ALAndrew Lee
Andrew Lee
ACAlex P. Cunningham
Alex P. Cunningham
DEDouglas F. Easton
Douglas F. Easton
Background: The multifactorial risk prediction model BOADICEA enables identification of women at higher or lower risk of developing breast cancer. BOADICEA models genetic susceptibility in terms of the effects of rare variants in breast cancer susceptibility genes and a polygenic component, decomposed into an unmeasured and a measured component - the polygenic risk score (PRS). The current version was developed using a 313 SNP PRS. Here, we evaluated approaches to incorporating this PRS and alternative PRS in BOADICEA. Methods: The mean, SD, and proportion of the overall polygenic component explained by the PRS (α2) need to be estimated. α was estimated using logistic regression, where the age-specific log-OR is constrained to be a function of the age-dependent polygenic relative risk in BOADICEA; and using a retrospective likelihood (RL) approach that models, in addition, the unmeasured polygenic component. Results: Parameters were computed for 11 PRS, including 6 variations of the 313 SNP PRS used in clinical trials and implementation studies. The logistic regression approach underestimates α, as compared with the RL estimates. The RL α estimates were very close to those obtained by assuming proportionality to the OR per 1 SD, with the constant of proportionality estimated using the 313 SNP PRS. Small variations in the SNPs included in the PRS can lead to large differences in the mean. Conclusions: BOADICEA can be readily adapted to different PRS in a manner that maintains consistency of the model. Impact: The methods described facilitate comprehensive breast cancer risk assessment.

31 May 2024 in Cancers
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
MWMeghan J Walker
Meghan J Walker
KBKristina Maria Blackmore
Kristina Maria Blackmore
ACAmy Chang
Amy Chang
LLLaurence Lambert-Côté
Laurence Lambert-Côté
ATAnnie Turgeon
Annie Turgeon
ACAnna M. Chiarelli
Anna M. Chiarelli
Risk-stratified breast screening has been proposed as a strategy to overcome the limitations of age-based screening. A prospective cohort study was undertaken within the PERSPECTIVE I&I project, which will generate the first Canadian evidence on multifactorial breast cancer risk assessment in the population setting to inform the implementation of risk-stratified screening. Recruited females aged 40–69 unaffected by breast cancer, with a previous mammogram, underwent multifactorial breast cancer risk assessment. The adoption of multifactorial risk assessment, the effectiveness of methods for collecting risk factor information and the costs of risk assessment were examined. Associations between participant characteristics and study sites, as well as data collection methods, were assessed using logistic regression; all p-values are two-sided. Of the 4246 participants recruited, 88.4% completed a risk assessment, with 79.8%, 15.7% and 4.4% estimated at average, higher than average and high risk, respectively. The total per-participant cost for risk assessment was CAD 315. Participants who chose to provide risk factor information on paper/telephone (27.2%) vs. online were more likely to be older (p = 0.021), not born in Canada (p = 0.043), visible minorities (p = 0.01) and have a lower attained education (p < 0.0001) and perceived fair/poor health (p < 0.001). The 34.4% of participants requiring risk factor verification for missing/unusual values were more likely to be visible minorities (p = 0.009) and have a lower attained education (p ≤ 0.006). This study demonstrates the feasibility of risk assessment for risk-stratified screening at the population level. Implementation should incorporate an equity lens to ensure cancer-screening disparities are not widened.

10 March 2025 in Current Oncology
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
MWMeghan J Walker
Meghan J Walker
ANAnna Neely
Anna Neely
AAAntonis C. Antoniou
Antonis C. Antoniou
MBMireille Broeders
Mireille Broeders
JBJennifer Brooks
Jennifer Brooks
ACAnna M. Chiarelli
Anna M. Chiarelli
Many jurisdictions are considering a shift to risk-stratified breast cancer screening; however, evidence on the feasibility of implementing it on a population scale is needed. We conducted a prospective cohort study in the PERSPECTIVE I&I project to produce evidence on risk-stratified breast screening and recruited 3753 participants to undergo multifactorial risk assessment from 2019–2021. This qualitative study explored the perspectives of study personnel on barriers and facilitators to delivering multifactorial risk assessment and risk communication. One focus group and three one-on-one interviews were conducted and a thematic analysis conducted which identified five themes: (1) barriers and facilitators to recruitment for multifactorial risk assessment, (2) barriers and facilitators to completion of the risk factor questionnaire, (3) additional resources required to implement multifactorial risk assessment, (4) the need for a person-centered approach, and (5) and risk literacy. While risk assessment and communication processes were successful overall, key barriers were identified including challenges with collecting comprehensive breast cancer risk factor information and limited resources to execute data collection and risk communication activities on a large scale. Risk assessment and communication processes will need to be optimized for large-scale implementation to ensure they are efficient but robust and person-centered.

7 December 2020 in medRxiv
Verified
Preprint
Open access
PDF file
ALAndrew Lee
Andrew Lee
XYXin Yang
Xin Yang
JTJonathan Tyrer
Jonathan Tyrer
AGAleksandra Gentry-Maharaj
Aleksandra Gentry-Maharaj
ARAndy Ryan
Andy Ryan
AAAntonis C. Antoniou
Antonis C. Antoniou
Background: Epithelial tubo-ovarian cancer (EOC) has high mortality partly due to late diagnosis. Prevention is available but may be associated with adverse effects. A multifactorial risk model based on known genetic and epidemiological risk factors (RFs) for EOC can help identify females at higher risk who could benefit from targeted screening and prevention. Methods: We developed a multifactorial EOC risk model for females of European ancestry incorporating the effects of pathogenic variants (PVs) in BRCA1, BRCA2, RAD51C, RAD51D and BRIP1 , a polygenic risk score (PRS) of arbitrary size, the effects of RFs and explicit family history (FH) using a synthetic model approach. The PRS, PV and RFs were assumed to act multiplicatively. Results: Based on a currently available PRS for EOC that explains 5% of the EOC polygenic variance, the estimated lifetime risks under the multifactorial model in the general population vary from 0.5% to 4.6% for the 1 st to 99 th percentiles of the EOC risk-distribution. The corresponding range for females with an affected first-degree relative is 1.9% to 10.3%. Based on the combined risk distribution, 33% of RAD51D PV carriers are expected to have a lifetime EOC risk of less than 10%. RFs provided the widest distribution, followed by the PRS. In an independent partial model validation, absolute and relative 5-year risks were well-calibrated in quintiles of predicted risk. Conclusion: This multifactorial risk model can facilitate stratification, in particular among females with FH of cancer and/or moderate- and high-risk PVs. The model is available via the CanRisk Tool ( www.canrisk.org ).

1 October 2025 in JCO Precision Oncology
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
LFLorenzo Ficorella
Lorenzo Ficorella
Mikael ErikssonMikael Eriksson
Mikael Eriksson
KCKamila Czene
Kamila Czene
GLGoska Leslie
Goska Leslie
XYXin Yang
Xin Yang
AAAntonis C. Antoniou
Antonis C. Antoniou
PURPOSE: Breast and Ovarian Analysis of Disease Incidence and Carrier Estimation Algorithm (BOADICEA v7) predicts future breast cancer (BC) risk using data on cancer family history (FH), genetic markers, questionnaire-based risk factors, and mammographic density (MD) measured using the four-category Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BIRADS) classification. However, BIRADS requires manual reading, which is impractical on a large scale and may cause information loss. We extended BOADICEA to incorporate continuous MD measurements, calculated using the automated Volpara and STRATUS tools. METHODS: We used data from the Karolinska Mammography Project for Risk Prediction of Breast Cancer cohort (60,276 participants; 1,167 incident BC). Associations between MD measurements and BC risk were estimated in a randomly selected training subset (two thirds of the data set). Percent MD residuals were calculated after regressing on age at mammography and BMI. Hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated using a Cox proportional hazards model, adjusting for FH and BOADICEA risk factors, and were incorporated into BOADICEA. The remaining one third of the cohort was used to assess the performance of the extended BOADICEA (v7.2) in predicting 5-year risks. RESULTS: The BC HRs per standard deviation of residual STRATUS density were estimated to be 1.48 (95% CI, 1.33 to 1.64) and 1.41 (95% CI, 1.27 to 1.56) for pre- and postmenopausal women, respectively. The corresponding estimates for Volpara density were 1.27 (95% CI, 1.15 to 1.40) and 1.38 (95% CI, 1.25 to 1.54). The extended BOADICEA showed improved discrimination in the testing data set over using BIRADS, with a 1%-4% increase in AUC across different combinations of risk factors. On the basis of 5-year BC risk with MD as the sole input, approximately 11% of the women were reclassified into lower risk categories and 18% into higher risk categories using the extended model. CONCLUSION: Incorporating continuous MD measurements into BOADICEA enhances BC risk stratification and facilitates the use of automated MD measures for risk prediction.