![DCEG Internet Portals](jul05/portals.gif) |
Epidemiologists lead and participate in studies
that involve multiple disciplines, centers, and investigators, making
it a challenge just to coordinate communication between individuals,
let alone conduct research. To ease this burden, Patricia Hartge,
Sc.D., and Geoffrey Tobias in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Program ar e
working with contractors at Information Management Services (IMS) to
make communication portals the norm for DCEG researchers.
Portals are already up and running for two different projects on non-Hodgkin
lymphomaone is a cooperative case-control study between NCI and
SEER, and the other is a consortium of which the NCI-SEER study is a
member. The portals contain features such as group distribution lists,
a message board, and a calendar with the capacity to embed meeting agendas
and minutes. The portals also serve as repositories for many essential
documents, such as Institutional Review Board protocols and published
papers. Dr. Hartge, principal investigator (PI) on the NCI-SEER study,
remarks that "we just have to use this type of technology for
intra-study communication. This way, everyone has access to the same
information. We can all look at the same data at the same time."
The portals can be tailored to each study's specific needs; however,
much time has been spent to create a template that will work generally
for all studies across the Division. The use of a portal can eliminate
the need for e-mailing multiple drafts or datasets to colleagues and
streamline maintenance of contact information. All the information is
stored in one central location to which the necessary researchers have
access and can update as needed.
Dr. Hartge is so satisfied with how the portals are working for her
that she wants everyone who struggles in similar large studies to benefit
as well. At first she casually mentioned the idea to co-workers. Now
she invites them to presentations of her portals and discusses with
the PIs their needs and how portals can benefit them. Mr. Dave Hacker
and other computer experts from IMS are usually on hand to discuss how
each study's needs can be met. Mr. Tobias, who helps to maintain
and update the two current portals, adds, "We're the template.
We're laying the groundwork to make creation and use of study-specific
portals as easy as possible for others. Every study can benefit from
a portal."
Cari Kornblit |
FIRST
LADY OF UKRAINE VISITS NIH
Ihor
J. Masnyk, Ph.D., and Alina Brenner, M.D., Ph.D., members
of the Radiation Epidemiology Branch, represented NCI at a meeting with
the First Lady of Ukraine, Mrs. Kateryna Yushchenko, held in April at
the office of the DHHS Special Assistant to the Secretary for International
Affairs, Dr. William R. Steiger. Opening comments were made by Dr. Steiger
and Dr. Sharon Hrynkow, Acting Director, Fogarty International Center,
NIH, followed by presentations from NIH scientists. Dr. Masnyk reported
on the Ukrainian-American Thyroid Cancer Project, which recently completed
its third cycle of thyroid disease screening among a cohort of 13,000
individuals who lived in the Chornobyl area at the time of the nuclear
reactor accident in 1986. The subjects were between 0 and 18 years old
at the time of the incident, and their radiation doses to the thyroid
were measured. Participation in the screening program has been maintained
at over 90 percent, and a fourth two-year screening cycle is planned.
Dr. Brenner then presented the perspective of a junior Ukrainian scientist
working at NIH. In addition to the NCI scientists, Dr. Faye Calhoun
(NIAAA) and Dr. Nora Volkov (NIDA) also briefed the First Lady. In closing,
Mrs. Yushchenko shared her thoughts and plans for a dynamic program
in health research and education, scientific exchange, and modernization
of the Ukrainian health care system. |
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![Radiologic Technologists Cohort](jul05/radtech.gif) |
When Alice Sigurdson, Ph.D., interviewed
at NCI and heard about the U.S. Radiologic Technologists (USRT) study,
she was immediately drawn to it. Since joining the Radiation Epidemiology
Branch (REB) in September of 1999, Dr. Sigurdson has focused her efforts
on developing the genetic components of the study.
The
USRT is a cohort study of more than 146,000 radiologic technologists
from across the country. Begun in 1982, it is a collaborative effort
among NCI, the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, and
the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists. The largest study
of its kind, its primary goal is to determine the risk of cancer from
chronic low-to-moderate doses of ionizing radiation. While most previous
studies of radiation-exposed workers were done in predominantly male
populations, 73 percent of this study's participants are female.
Michele Doody, M.S., an REB staff scientist who has worked on
the USRT study since 1984, stresses, "This study can provide more
definitive risk estimates for breast and other cancers in women and
men exposed long-term to low radiation doses than has been possible
to date."
Dr. Sigurdson's main interests lie in the genes involved in sensing
and repairing DNA damage caused by radiation exposure, particularly
in relation to breast cancer. Dr. Sigurdson explains, "It really
boils down to finding factors that make people more or less susceptible
to damage from radiation. That's what makes me get up in the morningthinking
that I might make a dent in that." Toward making that dent, Dr.
Sigurdson has collected blood samples to study the role of certain inherited
genes in breast cancer. This nested case-control study within the cohort
now has samples from 900 women with breast cancer and 1,100 age-matched
controls.
Among
the many genes that Dr. Sigurdson plans to evaluate are XRCC1 and DNA-PKcs.
XRCC1 is a scaffolding protein in the base excision repair pathway that
helps form multiprotein complexes that repair single-stranded DNA breaks
typical of those induced by ionizing radiation. DNA-PKcs, the catalytic
subunit of a DNA protein kinase, is involved in repairing double-strand
DNA breaks and in telomere stability. Researchers studying a strain
of mouse that is susceptible to radiation-induced mammary tumors found
polymorphisms in the mouse gene equivalent to DNA-PKcs. By studying
this gene in women with breast cancer, Dr. Sigurdson hopes to link basic
science with population science.
Dr. Sigurdson works closely with Dr. Jeffery Struewing in the Center
for Cancer Research and Michael Hauptmann, Ph.D., in the Biostatistics
Branch (BB) to examine the genetic determinants of breast cancer. In
addition to looking for genetic polymorphisms, Dr. Sigurdson hopes to
compare levels and activity of the DNA-PKcs proteins among groups of
people so as to better understand the role this gene plays in causing
a person exposed to radiation to develop cancer. In collaboration with
other DCEG researchers, including Parveen Bhatti, M.S. (REB),
Michal Freedman, Ph.D. (REB), Shih-Chen Chang, Ph.D., Nutritional
Epidemiology Branch, Mina Ha, M.D., Ph.D. (REB), Preetha Rajaraman,
Ph.D. (REB), Beth Brown, Ph.D., Viral Epidemiology Branch,
Martha Linet, M.D., M.P.H. (REB), and Ms. Doody, Dr. Sigurdson
is looking into genetic polymorphisms in a number of other pathways,
including double-strand break repair, nucleotide excision repair, inflammation,
metabolism, oxidative damage, and apoptosis. |
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Since it has nationwide distribution, the USRT study also offers an
opportunity to study nonmelanoma skin cancer as a result of ultraviolet
radiation exposure. Few registries collect skin cancer data. Dr. Sigurdson
points out that this cohort "is strongly positioned to describe,
characterize, and quantify basal and squamous cell carcinoma risk."
Under the leadership of Dr. Linet, Chief of REB, Dr. Freedman, Ruth
Kleinerman, M.P.H. (REB), Kiyohiko Mabuchi, M.D., Dr.P.H.
(REB), and Thomas Fears, Ph.D. (BB), have been pursuing their
interests in skin cancer within the USRT study. To accomplish this task,
detailed questions on lifetime sun exposure were included in a third
survey that has recently been distributed to the whole cohort.
Another
series of sun-exposure questions is also being distributed as part of
a smaller study to test their reliability and accuracy as an epidemiologic
tool. Dr. Linet explains, "These are the same types of questions
used by many studies. We want to make sure that from the answers we
receive, we can estimate true sun exposure." The small pilot study
will compare responses provided on questionnaires to UV dosimetry readings
taken daily over a weeklong period. This will test how accurately respondents
estimate their sun exposure during the week measured, as compared to
the dosimetry readings. By sending questionnaires out in six-month intervals
and asking the same questions about lifetime exposure twice, researchers
will be able to tell how dependable and reproducible the respondents'
answers are.
The USRT cohort offers the scientists involved immense avenues for
research. As answers from the third wave of questionnaires come pouring
in, and the "pioneers"workers employed at the earliest
time period and thus most highly exposed to radiationget older,
the opportunities grow. Dr. Sigurdson notes that she and other USRT
researchers continue to search for collaboration, adding "We can
look at things other than radiation with this cohort. For example, we
are evaluating risk factors such as obesity, and we can assess a myriad
of outcomes beyond cancer, including osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease,
and other aging-related morbidities."
Cari Kornblit |
RECENT
FINDINGS FROM THE USRT COHORT
- Breast cancer incidence was significantly elevated in women who
had a high index of cumulative radiation exposure.
- Increased incidence of breast cancer, basal cell carcinoma of the
skin, malignant melanoma, non-CLL leukemia, and thyroid cancer was
related to the year work began and the number of years worked in early
calendar years.
- Risks for lung cancer, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, and
other hematopoietic malignancies were not associated with employment
factors.
- Polymorphisms in genes whose proteins interact with BRCA1, ZNF350,
and BRIP1 are unlikely to account for a significant fraction
of inherited breast cancer.
- Kin-cohort analyses of breast cancer in first-degree relatives revealed
a nonsignificant elevated risk with the proto-oncogene HER2 (ERBB2)
variant.
- The cell cycle checkpoint gene mutation CHEK2:1100delC was
more common in breast cancer cases than in controls.
|
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|
![Town Meeting Recognizes Staff Achievements](jul05/town_mtgr.gif) |
In
April, DCEG held its eighth annual town meeting with guest speakers
Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach, NCI Director, and Dr. David J. Hunter,
Vincent J. Gregory Professor in Cancer Prevention, Harvard School of
Public Health, and NCI Eminent Scholar. Led by Joseph F. Fraumeni,
Jr., M.D., Division Director, the meeting also included an awards
ceremony recognizing outstanding service and scientific contributions
during the past year.
Dr. von Eschenbach spoke about the impact of DCEG research on improving
health in this country and the world, and he addressed various challenges
facing the Institute, including conflict-of-interest regulations, ethics
policies, outsourcing, and budget constraints. During an open dialogue,
concerns were aired about the future of the Intramural Research Program
(IRP) in times of fiscal constraints. Dr. von Eschenbach commended DCEG
for its high-impact and high-quality research and encouraged DCEG to
continue leading value-added science within the IRP. Examples of DCEG's
contributions included the ability to forge large-scale intramural/extramural
partnerships to accelerate progress, such as the NCI Consortium of Cohorts
and various case-control and family-based consortia.
The
NCI Challenge Goal to eliminate the suffering and death due to cancer
can be furthered through epidemiologic insights into carcinogenesis
that may lead to new preventive strategies including early cancer detection.
Dr. von Eschenbach noted that "there is not a more motivated,
dedicated group of researchers than the one that exists at NCI. Our
workforce exhibits the overarching goal to make a difference that affects
society through a true commitment to public service."
Dr. Hunter discussed the state of epidemiology in 2005, reviewing risk
factors for various forms of cancer and noting DCEG's contributions
to the discovery of etiologic agents, development of risk prediction
models and interventions, and delivery of a preventive vaccine and other
interventions. In the future, progress in epidemiology will continue
to come from well-characterized population-based studies, integration
of technological advances, evaluation of inherited susceptibility to
environmental exposures, and leverage of the human genome project to
understand the causes of cancer. Dr. Hunter discussed the progress and
problems in studying gene-environment interactions through the candidate
gene approach, and he described a new strategic initiative, the Cancer
Genetic Markers of Susceptibility (C-GEMS) project, that will use the
cutting-edge technology of whole-genome single-nucleotide polymorphism
scans to help identify inherited susceptibility genes for breast and
prostate cancer. C-GEMS is an NCI enterprise activity coordinated by
DCEG and the NCI Core Genotyping Facility (CGF), in collaboration with
the Cancer Genome Anatomy Project. The overall project goal is to accelerate
the discovery of susceptibility or modifier genes in these cancers through
a collaborative network, including component studies of the NCI Consortium
of Cohorts, with rapid web-based dissemination of results to the entire
research community. The project will be coordinated by Stephen Chanock,
M.D., Director of CGF, and Robert Hoover, M.D., Sc.D., Director
of the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Program (EBP), along with Dr.
Hunter.
Shelia
Zahm, Sc.D., DCEG Deputy Director, served as emcee of the awards
ceremony, which began with recognizing the Division's contributions
to the 2004 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). Under the leadership of
DCEG coordinator Elyse Wiszneauckas, Office of Division Operations
and Analysis (ODOA), the Division received its seventh consecutive CFC
Presidential Award for meeting 139 percent of its dollar goal, contributing
approximately $35,000, and 111 percent of its participation goal. Branch
key workers were Holly Brown, Biostatistics Branch, Patricia
Chandler (ODOA), Jennifer Connor, Hormonal and Reproductive
Epidemiology Branch (HREB), Mustafa Dosemeci, Ph.D., Occupational
and Environmental Epidemiology Branch (OEEB), Sadie Holmes-Lillie,
Genetic Epidemiology Branch, Sadie Hutson, Ph.D., R.N., C.R.N.P.,
Clinical Genetics Branch, Ursula Leitzmann, M.A., Radiation Epidemiology
Branch, Tawanda Roy, Nutritional Epidemiology Branch (NEB), Julie
Russell-Grey, Viral Epidemiology Branch, and Michelle Wolfe,
DCEG Administrative Resource Center. |
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The
award for the Outstanding Research Paper by a Fellow, which recognizes
a publication during the past calendar year that demonstrated impact,
innovation, and clarity of thought and language, was presented to Jennifer
Rusiecki, Ph.D. (OEEB), for her paper on "Cancer incidence
among pesticide applicators exposed to atrazine in the Agricultural
Health Study," which was published in the Journal of the National
Cancer Institute. Qing Lan, M.D., Ph.D. (OEEB), received
the award for the Outstanding Research Paper by a Staff Scientist, entitled
"Hematotoxicity in workers exposed to low levels of benzene,"
which was published in Science.
Five fellows received DCEG Fellowship Achievement Awards for outstanding
accomplishments: Amanda Cross, Ph.D. (NEB), Marc Gunter, Ph.D.
(NEB), Lifang Hou, M.D., Ph.D. (OEEB), Mark Purdue, Ph.D.
(OEEB), and Margaret Wright, Ph.D. (NEB). The winners will receive
a two-step annual increase in their NCI fellowship stipend.
This
year, two individuals from outside of DCEG received Special Recognition
Awards. The first recipient was Dr. Diane Solomon, Division of Cancer
Prevention, for her sustained contributions over the past decade to
collaborative research projects on the pathogenesis of cervical cancer
and on efforts to translate this knowledge to optimal screening and
prevention strategies. The work has led to profound revisions in U.S.
gynecologic practice and a much better understanding of the relationship
between HPV infection and precancer. Her collaborators in HREB noted
her rare blend of intelligence, kindness, selflessness, and strength.
The second Special Recognition Award was given to Sharon Miller, NCI
Research Contracts Branch, for her exceptional management of DCEG contracts.
Ms. Miller has remarkable skills for identifying innovative, cost-effective
approaches that allow DCEG scientists to proceed with investigations,
many of which involve international field sites and complex arrangements.
One of the Branch Chiefs stated, "Of the many contracting officers
with whom I worked over the years, Sharon Miller stands out as the exception
in understanding our needs, being willing to work closely with us to
overcome difficult arrangements, and minimizing the burden to us so
that we can concentrate on our scientific efforts." Another Branch
Chief noted, "I never leave her office or end an e-mail communication
without receiving sound advice or a useful answer from Sharon."
The
Outstanding Mentor Award honors scientists who demonstrate exceptional
skill in and commitment to training and mentoring. There were two winners
this year based on the votes from fellows across the Division. Ann
Hsing, Ph.D. (HREB), was recognized for being "an excellent
mentor who motivates fellows to succeed by providing direction, encouragement,
and advice. Despite her busy schedule, she meets with fellows on a weekly
basis, teaches them to plan ahead to achieve career and personal goals,
and shares her experience on managing multiple projects in challenging
settings." Patricia Hartge, Sc.D., Deputy Director of EBP,
was recognized for her "fervent support of training and tireless
efforts to provide young investigators with a wide range of opportunities
in all aspects of research. Her success at mentoring is also due to
her personal qualities of carefully listening, respecting others and
their interests, having an 'open door' policy, and selflessly
giving her time and full attention to young investigators."
Finally, the DCEG Exemplary Service Award went to Louise Brinton,
Ph.D. (HREB). She was honored for her outstanding research on the
epidemiology of female cancers and her sustained service to the Division,
Institute, and NIH through skillful management of a large and complex
Branch, leadership of several workshops and committees, and devotion
to mentoring and training.
Sandy Rothschild |
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![Dceg Visiting Scholar Nancy Mueller](jul05/dceg_vs.gif) |
In February, Dr. Nancy Mueller, Professor
of Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health and Associate
Director for Population Sciences at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute,
spent two days at DCEG as a Visiting Scholar. Dr. Mueller has had a
career of distinguished research investigating the role of viruses in
the etiology of cancer. Her work on risk factors for Hodgkin lymphoma
laid the foundation for understanding the origins of this tumor. She
has also published extensively on a wide range of oncogenic viruses,
most notably human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I), as well as
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and hepatitis B and C. During her visit, Dr.
Mueller was warmly greeted by colleagues, former students, and friends
who have worked with and known her for many years.
Dr.
Mueller presented a seminar entitled "Infection and Cancer: What
Do We Know and Where Do We Go?" Her presentation focused on the
impact of infectious agents on cancer etiology. In developed countries,
about 7 percent of cancers are attributed to infections, but in the
developing world, infections cause about 15 percent of cancers. Encapsulating
the characteristics of oncogenic viruses, she stressed the importance
of chronic persistence of infection as being key to development of malignancy.
Viruses capable of persistent infection have evolved mechanisms to drive
their host cells to promote the virus, such as by inducing proliferation
and blocking cell death. These properties can lead, on occasion, to
permanent genetic changes that predispose to cancer. Dr. Mueller stressed
the need to study the early events of viral infection and noted the
high risk of cancer among persons infected early in life.
Special emphasis was given to the lessons learned from HTLV-I, which
causes adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) but, like most oncogenic
viruses, does so rarely. Nonmalignant complications, particularly HTLV-associated
myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), occur at least as
often. Typical of viral-associated malignancies, HTLV-I causes ATL decades
after infection and is usually acquired during infancy.
Dr. Mueller emphasized the role of the HTLV-I tax gene, which contributes
to immortalization and transformation of the infected T lymphocyte.
She particularly noted the striking differences in the natural history
of HTLV-I infection in two endemic populationssouthern Japan,
where she led a prospective cohort study in Miyazaki, and the West Indies,
where the DCEG Viral Epidemiology Branch (VEB) has conducted complementary
research projects. Among HTLV-Iinfected carriers in Japan, ATL
incidence is much higher than HAM/TSP incidence, while the opposite
is true in Jamaica. Furthermore, in Jamaica, the median age at diagnosis
of ATL is about 15 years younger than in Japan. Dr. Mueller concluded
by emphasizing the importance of understanding the determinants of viral
control and other events that occur soon after infection, as these are
likely to determine the eventual risk of cancer and other late complications.
On a broader note, Dr. Mueller advocated increasing efforts by DCEG
and NCI to build consortia of case-control and cohort studies as the
best way to speed advances in cancer epidemiology. Intramural/extramural
team science allows creative and innovative science to move quickly;
provides an intellectually rich environment; can be conducted with relatively
little administrative infrastructure; develops buy-in, respect, and
trust; and most importantly, opens opportunities for young investigators
of the future. |
NCI EMINENT SCHOLAR DAVID HUNTER
Dr.
David J. Hunter has been appointed as a National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Eminent Scholar in the Intramural Research Program (IRP). The scholar
program, part of the initiative to re-engineer and strengthen the IRP,
was established to enhance collaboration between extramural and intramural
scientists at NCI. Scholars have the opportunity to work in the IRP
at NCI and collaborate on key research initiatives, as well as play
a direct role in IRP research programs.
Dr. Hunter is the Vincent L. Gregory Professor of Cancer Prevention
at the Harvard School of Public Health. He will be located at the NCI
Core Genotyping Facility helping NCI scientists develop strategies that
apply new molecular technologies (e.g., whole genome scans) to large-scale
population studies that seek to uncover susceptibility genes in cancer
induction and progression. |
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Following the talk, Joseph F. Fraumeni, Jr., M.D., DCEG Director,
presented Dr. Mueller with a plaque recognizing her distinguished accomplishments
in science as well as her noteworthy contributions to the National Cancer
Institute (NCI) as a member of the NCI Board of Scientific Counselors
and Board of Scientific Advisors; to the field of epidemiology in which
she has worked tirelessly to promote higher standards; and to her students
and colleagues, for whom she has been a mentor, role model, teacher,
and friend.
During
the two-day visit, Dr. Mueller attended meetings with various groups
to provide advice on current DCEG research efforts, including discussions
on EBV-related studies, led by Charles Rabkin, M.D., VEB; on
Hodgkin lymphoma research, moderated by Lynn Goldin, Ph.D., Genetic
Epidemiology Branch; and on non-Hodgkin lymphoma research, facilitated
by Patricia Hartge, Sc.D., Epidemiology and Biostatistics Program.
In addition, separate meetings were held with fellows, with women scientists
(organized by Women Scientist Advisors Dr. Goldin and Debra Silverman,
Sc.D., Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch), and
with VEB staff members, hosted by Branch Chief James Goedert, M.D.
James J. Goedert, M.D.
|
DCEG INTRAMURAL
RESEARCH AWARDS
DCEG
funds several Intramural Research Awards (IRAs) each year. These competitive
awards support innovative and interdisciplinary collaborative research
projects (up to $75,000 per fiscal year, renewable for up to three years)
led by tenure-track investigators or postdoctoral fellows. Recipients
of IRAs are recognized for their creative ideas in advancing the goals
of the NCI. The program was expanded this year to two award competitions
(fall and spring), at each of which up to three proposals are funded.
The winners of the fall 2004 competition are Shih-Chen Chang, Ph.D.,
Nutritional Epidemiology Branch, for his proposal on "Breast cancer
risk and circulating vitamin D metabolites and polymorphisms in the
vitamin D receptor and hydroxylating enzymes"; Michie Hisada,
M.D., Sc.D., Viral Epidemiology Branch, for her project on "Host
factors, population admixture, and risk of T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma
in the Afro-Caribbean"; and Alice Sigurdson, Ph.D., Radiation
Epidemiology Branch, for her proposal entitled "Can functional
assays prospectively predict lung cancer risk?"
Each application is reviewed by a member of the NCI Board of Scientific
Counselors or another scientist outside NIH with appropriate expertise,
as well as senior DCEG scientists. Proposals are judged on their potential
for significant scientific or public health impact, innovative aspects
of the approach or methodology, interdisciplinary and collaborative
nature of the project, potential to achieve the objectives within the
proposed time frame and resources, and programmatic relevance to the
Division and Institute. The award can be combined with funds from other
sources to support a larger project.
Sandy Rothschild |
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![Eric Engels Leads A Team In The Study Of Virus-Related Cancers](jul05/eric_engels.gif) |
Many
physicians are committed to combining research and clinical practice
at least hypothetically. Often, the real-life demands of one
or the other make it impossible to forge a dual career. Eric Engels,
M.D., M.P.H., is doing it, however. Not only is he a tenure-track
investigator in the Viral Epidemiology Branch, but he also sees patients
at Johns Hopkins University Hospital.
At NCI, Dr. Engels' research has several aspects. He studies
HIV-associated cancers as well as cancers in other immunosuppressed
populations, such as transplant recipients. In addition to studies of
non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), Dr. Engels has conducted landmark work on
simian virus 40 (SV40). His series of epidemiologic studies showed that
this virus, a contaminant of the polio vaccine in the 1950s and 1960s,
is not associated with an increased risk of cancer.
Most recently, Dr. Engels has been investigating an apparent excess
of lung cancer in people with HIV/AIDS. Better treatment regimens have
improved the outlook for patients with AIDS but have also raised other
issues, he says. "I'm interested in not just the usual cancers
related to HIV, but also cancers that originally were not thought to
be linked, such as lung cancer. These cancers now will be an increasing
public health burden as people with HIV live longer."
Long interested in mathematics and science, Dr. Engels majored in mathematics
at the University of Virginia, graduating in 1987. "I like solving
problems and analyzing data, thinking about models for how things are
related," he says. "But it wasn't until college that
I wanted to be a physician, combining an interest in medical science
with being more involved in the real world, solving problems that affect
people's lives."
That combination is still evident in his mix of research and clinical
practice. He became increasingly interested in research during his clinical
training at Harvard Medical School, from which he graduated in 1991.
"Early on, before we had good therapies, I took care of people
with AIDS," he explains. "I was struck by the nature of
this epidemic and the research and public health implications."
I would like to understand the changing
patterns in cancer over the next 10 years or so among HIV-infected
persons, and the effects of anti-HIV drugs. What is the risk of cancer
among people taking these drugs and what cancers are they getting?"
At the start of his research career, he saw an opportunity to work
at NCI. Thinking the time would be "a nice interlude," he
came to Bethesda in 1998 and never left.
Dr. Engels and colleagues have published nearly a dozen studies examining
the possible association between SV40 and tumors suggested by some laboratory
studies. In an epidemiologic study of U.S. veterans, no association
was found between exposure to SV40-contaminated vaccine and an increased
risk of brain tumors, NHL, or mesothelioma. Another recent study found
no correlation between SV40 seropositivity and the risk of NHL.
His work on cancers among the immuno-suppressed has included studies
of Kaposi sarcoma and its causative virus, called human herpesvirus-8
(HHV8) or Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). "We've
done studies in the United States among people with HIV and studies
in Africa looking at the epidemiology of the virus, which is very common
in sub-Saharan Africa," he notes. |
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"Now we're doing a study of Kaposi's sarcoma in transplant
recipients, another population at high risk," Dr. Engels says.
"We have a productive and collaborative group in our branch, looking
at every stage along the pathway, from viral infection to cancer."
Dr. Engels' clinical practice at Johns Hopkins, he says, keeps
him grounded in the realities of living with HIV. "It has allowed
me to understand how the therapies affect people's infection status,
how difficult it is to take those medications, why people fail on certain
medications
Seeing patients keeps me more connected with the actual
day-to-day realities of HIV infection, makes it more real."
Seeing patients has also shaped his research questions. "One
example is lung cancer research," he says. "I'm acutely
aware that my patients with HIV infection tend to smoke, and many have
developed smoking-related cancers. So we are collaborating with the
Hopkins group to understand etiologic mechanisms in lung cancers, that
appear excessive in AIDS patients and do not appear to be entirely attributable
to smoking. It's a provocative finding that is pushing me to look
at lung cancer more intensively."
Long-term, he answers, "I would like to understand the changing
patterns in cancer over the next 10 years or so among HIV-infected persons,
and the effects of anti-HIV drugs. What is the risk of cancer among
people taking these drugs and what cancers are they getting?"
Also on the horizon is more research with other immunosuppressed populations,
such as transplant recipients. "I'd like to understand how
immunity and inflammation play a role in the development of lung as
well as other cancers. One avenue I see is exploring pathways of inflammation
and immunity in the general population, as well as in high-risk groups
for various cancers through molecular epidemiology."
Nancy Volkers
|
PREDOCTORAL
FELLOWS JOURNAL CLUB
The
Predoctoral Journal Club was initiated in late 2004 by Gabriella
Andreotti, M.P.H., of the Hormonal and Reproductive Epidemiology
Branch (HREB), and Sarah Daugherty, M.P.H., of the Occupational
and Environmental Epidemiology Branch (OEEB). Both are CRTA predoctoral
fellows and doctoral candidates at George Washington University and
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, respectively. Due to
the nature of the full-time fellowships, many predoctoral fellows are
unable to attend the journal clubs sponsored by their university. Therefore,
Ms. Andreotti and Ms. Daugherty organized a group that would draw from
the rich resources available to predoctoral fellows in DCEG. The goal
of the journal club is to encourage cross-disciplinary discussions on
a variety of topics of interest to the fellows.
So far, the journal club has met monthly. Each meeting is hosted by
a rotating moderator who selects an article and invites a DCEG senior
scientist with expertise in the topic of interest. Subjects have included:
false-positive report probability; test reliability and measurement
error, using a human papillomavirus study as an example; obesity and
hormones; second cancers after radiotherapy; regression tree analysis;
and poisson and cox regression. As of April, discussions have been led
by Montserrat Garcia-Closas, M.D., Dr.P.H. (HREB), Sholom
Wacholder, Ph.D., Biostatistics Branch (BB), Mark Schiffman,
M.D., M.P.H. (HREB), Dr. Rudolf Kaaks, International Agency for
Research on Cancer, Alice Sigurdson, Ph.D., Radiation Epidemiology
Branch, Nilanjan Chatterjee, Ph.D. (BB), and Jay Lubin, Ph.D.
(BB). The club is grateful to the senior scientists who have taken the
time to meet with the group and hopes to include many others as guest
speakers in the future.
Gabriella Andreotti, M.P.H., and Sarah Daugherty,
M.P.H.
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![New Digital Tools For Visual Data Analysis](jul05/newdigital.gif) |
Most studies in DCEG include the collection
of text data (e.g., questionnaires, test results) and visual data such
as cytology, histology, and pictures of lesions or organs (e.g., nevi,
cervigramspictures of the uterine cervix). There is a variety of
software available for processing text data; however, analysis of visual
data is more problematic. For example, to obtain consistent information
about a biopsy, it is necessary to send the glass slide to a pathologist,
wait for that reading, and then send the same slide to other experts around
the United States or overseas. This process is time-consuming, and the
glass slide can break or deteriorate during shipping. Similar challenges
are faced when evaluating cervigrams, because diagnoses are obtained from
one expert at a time and involve shipping hard copies of the images from
one expert to another. Also, for both microscopic slides and pictures,
it is difficult to quantify specific anatomical details.
New digital tools have been developed in some DCEG projects to collect
specific, detailed information from visual data and share images via
the Internet.
Virtual Microscope
A
virtual microscope is a tool that scans an entire glass slide of a biopsy
and creates a digital file of the tissue section image. These digitized
biopsies can be accessed by multiple experts using Web-based tools on
the Internet (Figure 1). Reviewers obtain a high-fidelity, highly magnified
view of the tissue, which permits them to evaluate the tissue and answer
specific questions about the diagnosis as well as architectural and
morphological characteristics of the cells. The virtual microscope's
digital images do not break; are easy to duplicate and distribute; can
be viewed in their entirety at multiple magnifications on a computer
screen; allow evaluation through the Internet; eliminate the need for
experts to travel for meetings to review images; and provide a permanent
image of tissue stains, some of which otherwise fade over time.
The virtual microscope is currently being used for studies of testicular
cancer led by Mark H. Greene, M.D., Chief of the Clinical Genetics
Branch, and Mary Lou McMaster, M.D., a staff clinician of the
Genetic Epidemiology Branch, as well as studies of cervical cancer led
by Jose Jeronimo, M.D., a staff scientist of the Hormonal and
Reproductive Epidemiology Branch.
Boundary Marking Tool
The
boundary marking tool (BMT) is a Web-accessed tool created by Dr. Jeronimo
and the National Library of Medicine that allows the systematic collection
of data from uterine cervix images by colposcopy experts. The expert
is able to mark boundaries around anatomical regions of special etiologic
or diagnostic interest, such as the cervical os and squamous-columnar
junction. Abnormalities such as acetowhite (dysplastic) epithelium or
invasive cancer (Figure 2) can be noted, if they are present. The information
collected with the BMT is saved as digital records in a central database.
Later, that information can be translated into pixels for use in quantitative
epidemiologic studies. |
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The BMT is being used in DCEG research studies of human papillomavirus
(HPV) infection and cervical cancer, in which serial cervigrams are
used to explore and understand the changes that occur on the uterine
cervix as a consequence of infection with HPV. These changes can be
monitored until either the cancer develops or the virus is cleared.
Current research also includes exploring the differences in visual manifestations
of various types of HPV. Studies on visual characteristics of normal
cervices will provide information about physiological changes in healthy
women. The BMT can also be applied to images of other tissues.
Multimedia Database Tool
The multimedia database tool (MDT) is a Web-based system that provides
access to images and text data collected during research projects. It
can be used as an exploratory tool for retrieving visual and text data
according to specific characteristics such as age, parity, and test
results. The researcher makes a query, the MDT identifies patients matching
those parameters, and then the MDT retrieves and displays the image
and text data. The MDT can support a variety of image types, such as
digital pictures of malignant lesions, digitized cervigrams, cytology,
and histology. The design of the MDT gives it the flexibility to accommodate
new datasets, and the study-specific customization can be handled by
the database administrator, rather than the programmer. Additionally,
because of its architecture, the MDT system can support a broad class
of text/image databases, so it greatly expands the opportunities for
collaborative studies.
These tools, developed collaboratively by DCEG staff, allow researchers
to incorporate the quantitative and systematic analysis of visual data
into epidemiological studies and provide opportunities for collaborative
studies with scientists around the world, with subsequent benefits for
the nation's health.
Jose Jeronimo, M.D., Mary Lou McMaster, M.D., and Mark H. Greene,
M.D.
|
NEW BROCHURE
ON RADIATION RISKS PUBLISHED
The Radiation Epidemiology Branch (REB) has
published Interventional Fluoroscopy: Reducing Radiation Risks for
Patients and Staff, a brochure for physicians and radiology technicians.
Interventional fluoroscopy is a procedure that uses ionizing radiation
to guide small instruments such as catheters through vessels or other
pathways in the body. Increases in the use and complexity of these procedures,
and the resulting exposure of patients and health care personnel to
greater amounts of radiation, have raised public health concerns. In
conjunction with the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR), REB
investigators Martha Linet, M.D., M.P.H., Branch Chief, Isabelle
Thierry-Chef, Ph.D., and Ruth Kleinerman, M.P.H., developed
this brochure, which was distributed at the annual meeting of the SIR
in New Orleans in April. Others consulted in the production of this
brochure include: Dr. David Brenner (Columbia University), Dr. Thomas
Shope (Food and Drug Administration), Dr. Donald Miller (SIR), Dr. Fred
Mettler (University of New Mexico Medical School), Dr. Gary Becker (National
Cancer Institute), Dr. Victoria Marx (University of Southern California),
Dr. Lou Wagner (University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston),
and Dr. Steve Balter (Lenox Hill Hospital, New York).
This brochure provides information on the benefits and risks of interventional
fluoroscopy. Interventional fluoroscopy represents a huge advantage
over invasive surgical procedures, because it requires only a very small
incision, substantially reduces the risk of infection, and allows for
shorter recovery time compared to surgical procedures. The brochure
points out that the intervention is not without risks. There have been
reported cases of severe skin burns in patients who have received a
high radiation dose. Health care providers are at risk of injuries to
the lens of the eye and skin due to chronic exposure to radiation. Long-term
effects include the risk of cancer for both patients and health care
providers.
A second subject addressed by the brochure is radiation dose and the
need for training. Many specialists who perform these procedures have
little education in radiation science or protection measures. An important
goal of Interventional Fluoroscopy is to create awareness of
optimal doses of radiation (the smallest amount required to produce
adequate image quality and imaging guidance) to patients, which will
in turn minimize the radiation exposures of the health care worker.
Of critical importance is adequate training of health care providers
to use equipment that provides acceptable image quality along with the
maximum possible dose reduction.
Copies of the brochure can be obtained from REB or the Branch's
Web site: http://dceg.cancer.gov/reb/.
Abigail Ukwuani, M.P.A. |
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![Scientific Highlights](jul05/scientific.gif) |
BREAST
CANCER
Global Incidence and Mortality Trends ( Full Text )
Worldwide, breast cancer is the most common cancer and is the leading
cause of cancer death among women. To describe global trends, the authors
compared age-adjusted incidence and mortality rates over three decades
and across several continents. Both breast cancer incidence and mortality
rates varied four-fold between countries with the highest and lowest
rates; recent incidence ranged from 27/100,000 in Asian countries to
97/100,000 among U.S. white women. North American and northern European
countries had the highest incidence rates; intermediate levels were
reported in Western Europe, Oceania, Scandinavia, and Israel; and Eastern
Europe, South and Latin America, and Asia had the lowest levels. Breast
cancer incidence rose 30%40% from the 1970's to the 1990's
in most countries, with the most marked increases among women aged 50
years and older. Mortality from breast cancer paralleled incidence:
it was highest in the countries with the highest incidence (between
17/100,000 and 27/100,000), lowest in Latin America and Asia (714/100,000),
and rose most rapidly in countries with the lowest rates. Breast cancer
incidence and mortality rates remain highest in developed countries
compared with developing countries. (Althuis MD, Dozier JM, Anderson
WF, Devesa SS, Brinton LA. Global trends in breast cancer incidence
and mortality 19731997. Int J Epidemiol 2005;34:405412)
Mortality and Incidence Trend ( Full Text )
In the United States, increased detection of squamous carcinoma
in situ (CIS) by screening has led to reduced rates for invasive
squamous carcinoma and lower mortality. Adenocarcinoma in situ
(AIS) rates also have increased, but invasive cervical adenocarcinoma
rates have not declined similarly. To make inferences about the effectiveness
of screening, the authors used data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology,
and End Results (SEER) Program to tabulate incidence for invasive carcinomas
(19762000) and for CIS and AIS (19761995) by age and race.
Cumulative relative survival rates were tabulated for 19761995
and mortality rates were estimated for 19862000. Among all groups,
CIS rates approximately doubled, whereas rates for invasive squamous
carcinoma declined. Although AIS rates have increased dramatically among
whites (all ages) and younger blacks, adenocarcinoma incidence and mortality
rates have not changed greatly. Survival for patients did not change
greatly within these age-race groups. Increases in CIS seemed disproportionately
large compared with improvements in mortality rates for invasive squamous
carcinoma. Despite increased reporting of AIS, declines in mortality
for cervical adenocarcinoma have not been demonstrated. (Sherman
ME, Wang SS, Carreon J, Devesa SS. Mortality trends for cervical squamous
and adenocarcinoma in the United States. Cancer 2005;103:12581264)
Effect of CYP1A1 and NQO1 Variants
Cigarette use is a risk factor for colorectal adenoma, a precursor of
cancer. Polymorphic variants in NQO1 and CYP1A1 influence
the activation of carcinogenic substances in tobacco smoke, possibly
impacting tobacco-associated risks for colorectal tumors. Subjects were
725 non-Hispanic Caucasian cases with advanced colorectal adenoma of
the distal colon (descending colon, sigmoid, and rectum) and 729 gender-
and ethnicity-matched controls, randomly selected from participants
in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer (PLCO) Screening
Trial. The polymorphic variants CYP1A1 Val462 and
NQO1 Ser187 individually were weakly associated with
risk of adenoma, but subjects carrying both alleles showed increased
risks (OR = 2.2; CI = 1.14.5), particularly among recent (OR =
17.4; CI = 3.879.8; p for interaction = 0.02) and heavy
cigarette smokers (> 20 cigarettes/day) (OR = 21.1; CI = 3.9114.4;
p for interaction = 0.03) compared with nonsmokers who did not
carry either of these variants. The combined gene variants were most
strongly associated with the presence of multiple adenomas (p =
0.002). (Hou L, Chatterjee N, Huang WY, Baccarelli A, Yadavalli S,
Yeager M, Bresalier RS, Chanock SJ, Caporaso NE, Ji BT, Weissfeld JL,
Hayes RB. CYP1A1 Val462 and NQO1
Ser187 polymorphisms, cigarette use, and risk for colorectal adenoma. Carcinogenesis 2005; February
24 [Epub ahead of print])
Tissue
Zinc Levels and Cancer Risk
In rodents, zinc deficiency potentiates the effects of certain nitrosamines
that act as esophageal carcinogens. The association between incident
esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and zinc was examined using baseline
esophageal biopsy specimens from residents of Linzhou, China participating
in a nutrition intervention trial in this high-incidence area. X-ray
fluorescence spectroscopy was used to measure zinc, copper, iron, nickel,
and sulfur concentrations from biopsies collected in 1985 from 60 eventual
case and 72 control subjects, matched on baseline histology and followed
for 16 years. The risk of developing esophageal cancer was much lower
for subjects in the highest quartile of esophageal tissue zinc concentration
compared with those in the lowest quartile (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.21;
CI = 0.0650.68; p for trend = .015). Individuals in the highest
quartile of sulfur concentration also had a lower risk of esophageal
cancer than those in the lowest quartile (HR = 0.29; CI = 0.0950.85),
but the trend was not significant (p for trend = 0.081) (Figure
1). There was no association between copper, iron, or nickel concentrations
and risk of esophageal cancer. (Abnet CC, Lai B, Qiao YL, Vogt S,
Luo XM, Taylor PR, Dong ZW, Mark SD, Dawsey SM. Zinc
concentration in esophageal biopsy specimens measured by x-ray fluorescence
and esophageal cancer risk. J Natl Cancer Inst 2005;97:301306) |
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Genetic Polymorphisms
A cross-sectional study compared prevalences of genetic polymorphisms
among 302 subjects with mild chronic atrophic gastritis with prevalences
in 606 subjects with deep intestinal metaplasia or dysplasia, selected
from 2,628 individuals who had gastric biopsies in 1989 in Shandong
Province, China. In subjects with mild chronic atrophic gastritis, the
frequencies of the less common alleles of CYP2E1 RsaI, CYP2E1 DraI,
GSTP1, ALDH2, and ODC were, respectively, 0.156, 0.201, 0.189,
0.190, and 0.428. The frequencies of the null genotypes of GSTM1
and GSTT1 in the group with mild chronic atrophic gastritis were
0.509 and 0.565, respectively. Interactions were noted between salt
consumption and GSTP1, between sour pancake consumption and CYP2E1
RsaI, and between CYP2E1 DraI and smoking at least one cigarette
per day; a nonsignificant interaction between CYP2E1 RsaI and
smoking status was noted. These polymorphisms do not seem to govern
progression from mild chronic atrophic gastritis to advanced precancerous
gastric lesions, but the effects of smoking may be accentuated in individuals
carrying variants of CYP2E1. (You WC, Hong JY, Zhang L, Pan
KF, Pee D, Li JY, Ma JL, Rothman N, Caporaso N, Fraumeni JF Jr, Xu GW,
Gail MH. Genetic polymorphisms of
CYP2E1, GSTT1, GSTP1, GSTM1, ALDH2, and ODC and the risk of advanced
precancerous gastric lesions in a Chinese population. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2005;14:451458)
Effect of Electron-beam Irradiation
Electron-beam (E-beam) irradiation, currently used to sterilize
mail addressed to selected ZIP codes in the United States, has significant
negative effects on the genomic integrity of DNA extracted from buccal-cell
washes. The authors investigated the yield, composition, and genotyping
performance of whole genome amplified DNA (wgaDNA) derived from 24 matched
samples of E-beamirradiated and non-irradiated genomic DNA (gDNA)
as a model for the effects of degraded gDNA on the performance of whole
genome amplification. Compared with wgaDNA derived from non-irradiated
gDNA, wgaDNA derived from irradiated gDNA exhibited a significantly
reduced yield of wgaDNA and significantly reduced short tandem repeat
and single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping completion and concordance
rates (p < 0.0001). Increasing the amount of irradiated gDNA
input into whole genome amplification improved genotyping performance
of wgaDNA but not to the level of wgaDNA derived from non-irradiated
gDNA. Thus wgaDNA derived from E-beamirradiated gDNA is not suitable
for genotyping analysis. (Bergen AW, Qi Y, Haque KA, Welch RA, Garcia-Closas
M, Chanock SJ, Vaught J, Castle PE. Effects
of electron-beam irradiation on whole genome amplification. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev
2005;14:10161019)
Follow-up
of Retinoblastoma Survivors
Many children who develop retinoblastoma (Rb) survive into adulthood
and are prone to subsequent cancers, particularly persons with germline
Rb-1 mutations. The authors have extended the follow-up of 1,601
Rb patients, diagnosed during 19141984 at two U.S. medical centers,
by seven years through the year 2000 to provide new information on the
risk of cancers in long-term survivors. Subsequent cancer risk in 963
hereditary patients (standardized incidence ratio [SIR] = 19; CI = 1621)
exceeded the risk in 638 nonhereditary Rb patients (SIR = 1.2; CI =
0.72.0). Radiation further increased the risk of subsequent cancer
in hereditary patients by 3.1-fold (CI = 2.05.3). Hereditary patients
continued to be at increased risk for sarcomas, melanoma, and cancers
of the brain and nasal cavities. The cumulative incidence for developing
a new cancer at 50 years after diagnosis of Rb, adjusted for competing
risk of death, was 36% (CI = 31%41%) for hereditary and 5.7% (CI
= 2.4%11%) for nonhereditary patients (Figure 2, page 16). Hereditary
Rb predisposes to a variety of new cancers over time, with radiotherapy
further enhancing the risk of tumors arising in the radiation field.
(Kleinerman RA, Tucker MA, Tarone RE, Abramson DH, Seddon JM, Stovall
M, Li FP, Fraumeni JF Jr. Risk
of new cancers after radiotherapy in long-term survivors of retinoblastoma:
An extended follow-up. J Clin
Oncol 2005;23:22722279)
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Genetic Susceptibility to Kaposi Sarcoma
Studies of FCGR3A, a gene expressed on natural killer cells,
among men with HIV/AIDS suggest that host responses affect the pathogenesis
of Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) infection and risk of AIDS-related
Kaposi sarcoma. Using DNA from two HIV seronegative case-control populations
in Italy, relationships of the functional FCGR3A-V158F variant
with risks of KSHV infection and classic Kaposi sarcoma (CKS) were examined.
Overall, compared with the 158F allele, 158V was overrepresented among
controls from both populations (frequency = 0.52 and 0.51, respectively).
After controlling for age, 158V homozygous women were at increased risk
of KSHV infection and CKS, compared with 158F homozygous women (OR =
8.7; CI = 0.898 and OR = 3.8; CI = 1.014, respectively),
whereas 158V homozygous men were at decreased risk (OR = 0.4; CI = 0.12.3
and OR = 0.4; CI = 0.20.8, respectively). Significant gene-dose
effects were observed among men and women at risk for CKS (p
for trend <= 0.05). Thus gender differences could possibly modify
the effect of FCGR3A on risk of KSHV infection and CKS. (Brown
EE, Fallin MD, Goedert JJ, Chen R, Whitby D, Foster CB, Lauria C, Alberg
AJ, Messina A, Montella M, Rezza G, Vitale F, Chanock SJ. A
common genetic variant in FCGR3A-V158F and risk of Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus
infection and classic Kaposi sarcoma. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev
2005;14:633637)
Diabetes and Liver Cancer Risk
Diabetes has been associated with an increased risk of hepatocellular
carcinoma (HCC), but U.S. population-based data are lacking. The Surveillance,
Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER)-Medicare linked database
was used to identify 2,061 patients aged 65 years and older diagnosed
between 1994 and 1999 with HCC and 6,183 controls. Inpatient and outpatient
claims files were searched for diagnoses of diabetes, hepatitis C virus
(HCV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), alcoholic liver disease, and haemochromatosis.
Compared with controls, patients with HCC were more often male (66%
vs. 36%) and non-white (34% vs. 18%). Adjusting for demographics and
other HCC risk factors (HCV, HBV, alcoholic liver disease, and haemochromatosis),
diabetes was associated with a threefold increase in the risk of HCC.
In a subset of patients without these major risk factors, the adjusted
odds ratio for diabetes persisted (OR = 2.87; CI = 2.493.30).
A significant positive interaction between HCV and diabetes was also
detected. (Davila JA, Morgan RO, Shaib Y, McGlynn KA, El-Serag HB.
Diabetes increases the risk of
hepatocellular carcinoma in the United States: A population based case
control study. Gut 2005;54:533539)
Effects of Carcinogen-metabolizing and DNA Repair Genes
High rates of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in The Gambia, West
Africa, are associated with a high prevalence of chronic hepatitis B
virus infection and heavy aflatoxin exposure via groundnut consumption.
The effects of genetic polymorphisms in carcinogen-metabolizing (GSTM1,
GSTT1, HYL1*2) and DNA repair (XRCC1) enzymes were examined
in a hospital-based study of 216 incident cases and 408 controls. Although
the prevalence of variant genotypes was generally low, the GSTM1-null
genotype (OR = 2.45; CI = 1.214.95) and the heterozygote XRCC1-399
AG genotype (OR = 3.18; CI = 1.357.51) were significantly associated
with HCC. The risk for HCC with null GSTM1 was most prominent
among those with the highest groundnut consumption (OR = 4.67; CI =
1.4515.1). Among participants who had all three suspected aflatoxin-related
high-risk genotypes, a significant 15-fold increased risk of HCC was
observed (OR = 14.7; CI = 1.27169). Thus genetic modulation of
carcinogen metabolism and DNA repair may alter susceptibility to HCC,
and these effects may be modified by environmental factors. (Kirk
GD, Turner PC, Gong Y, Lesi OA, Mendy M, Goedert JJ, Hall AJ, Whittle
H, Hainaut P, Montesano R, Wild CP. Hepatocellular
carcinoma and polymorphisms in carcinogen-metabolizing and DNA repair
enzymes in a population with aflatoxin exposure and hepatitis B virus
endemicity. Cancer Epidemiol
Biomarkers Prev 2005;14: 373379)
Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma
The incidence of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma has been increasing
in the United States. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results
Program (SEER)-Medicare database was used to evaluate the prevalence
of known risk factors for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and explore
other potential factors in a study of 625 cases, aged 65 years and older
diagnosed between 1993 and 1999, and 90,834 controls. Cases were older
than controls (78.7 vs. 76.5 years) and more likely to be male (48.3%
vs. 36.8%), but the racial composition was similar. Several risk factors
were significantly more prevalent among cases, including nonspecific
cirrhosis (OR = 27.2), alcoholic liver disease (OR = 7.4), hepatitis
C virus infection (OR = 6.1), HIV infection (OR = 5.9), diabetes (OR
= 2.0), and inflammatory bowel disease (OR = 2.3). (Shaib YH, El-Serag
HB, Davila JA, Morgan R, McGlynn KA. Risk
factors of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma in the United States: A
case-control study. Gastroenterology
2005;128:620626)
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Selenium and Liver Cancer Risk
Selenium (Se) is an essential trace mineral with known anticarcinogenic
properties in humans. A nested case-control study was conducted to compare
the Se content in toenail clippings of 166 individuals (154 men, 12
women) with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to 394 healthy controls (360
men, 34 women) in Haimen City, China, where HCC is a leading cause of
mortality. Median toenail Se was lower for HCC cases than controls (p
= 0.03). Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for HCC mortality
by increasing quartile of toenail Se were 1.00 (reference), 0.58 (0.321.03),
0.83 (0.481.42), and 0.50 (0.280.90) (p for trend
= 0.06). This inverse association appeared stronger among those who
did not consume alcohol and among women. (Sakoda LC, Graubard BI,
Evans AA, London WT, Lin WY, Shen FM, McGlynn KA. Toenail
selenium and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma mortality in Haimen City,
China. Int
J Cancer 2005;115:618624)
Residential
Radon Exposure
Underground miners exposed to high levels of radon have an excess
risk of lung cancer. Residential exposure to radon is at much lower
levels, and the risk of lung cancer with residential exposure is less
clear. An analysis of pooled data on 3,662 cases and 4,966 controls
from seven North American residential radon case-control studies, all
of which used long-term alpha-track detectors to assess radon concentrations,
was conducted. The estimated odds ratio after residential exposure to
radon at a concentration of 100 Bq/m3 from 5 to 30 years
before the index date was 1.11 (CI = 1.001.28). This estimate
is compatible with the estimate of 1.12 (CI = 1.021.25) predicted
by downward extrapolation of the miner data (Figure 3). Analyses restricted
to subsets of the data with presumed more accurate radon dosimetry resulted
in increased estimates of risk. (Krewski D, Lubin JH, Zielinski JM,
Alavanja M, Catalan VS, Field RW, Klotz JB, Letourneau EG, Lynch CF,
Lyon JI, Sandler DP, Schoenberg JB, Steck DJ, Stolwijk JA, Weinberg
C, Wilcox HB. Residential radon
and risk of lung cancer: A combined analysis of 7 North American case-control
studies. Epidemiology
2005;16:137145)
Smoking and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
The International Lymphoma Epidemiology Consortium (InterLymph)
provided an opportunity to analyze the relationship between cigarette
smoking and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) with sufficient statistical power
to consider NHL subtypes. In a pooled analysis of 6,594 cases and 8,892
controls from nine case-control studies conducted in the United States,
Europe, and Australia, smoking was associated with a slightly increased
NHL risk (OR = 1.07; CI = 1.001.15). Compared with nonsmokers,
current smokers had a higher odds ratio for follicular lymphoma (1.31;
CI = 1.121.52) than former smokers (1.06; CI = 0.931.22).
Current heavy smokers (>= 36 pack-years) were associated with a 45%
increased odds ratio for follicular lymphoma (1.45; CI = 1.151.82)
compared with nonsmokers. Cigarette smoking may increase the risk of
developing follicular lymphoma but not the other subtypes examined.
(Morton LM, Hartge P, Holford TR, Holly EA, Chiu BC, Vineis P, Stagnaro
E, Willett EV, Franceschi S, La Vecchia C, Hughes AM, Cozen W, Davis
S, Severson RK, Bernstein L, Mayne ST, Dee FR, Cerhan JR, Zheng T. Cigarette
smoking and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma: A pooled analysis from the
International Lymphoma Epidemiology Consortium (InterLymph). Cancer
Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2005;14:925933)
Adjustment for Nonresponse in Cohort Studies
Cohort studies often involve periodic follow-up interviews to determine
disease incidence and to update measures of exposure. The practice of
excluding nonrespondents from standardized incidence ratio (SIR) analyses
can bias the outcome estimates if nonrespondents and respondents differ
on important characteristics related to outcomes of interest. Thus,
the authors proposed an analytic approach to reduce the impact of nonresponse
in the analyses of SIRs. Logistic regression models controlling for
baseline information were used to estimate the probability of response;
the reciprocals of these propensities were used as weights in the analysis
of risk. This was illustrated in an analysis of 15 years of follow-up
in a cohort of U.S. radiologic technologists who participated in an
initial interview. Variances of the SIRs were estimated by a jackknife
method that accounts for additional variability resulting from estimation
of the weights, and results were robust to nonresponse. This method
is flexible, easy to use with existing software, and applicable to missing
data from cohorts with baseline information on all subjects. (Rao
RS, Sigurdson AJ, Doody MM, Graubard BI. An
application of a weighting method to adjust for nonresponse in standardized
incidence ratio analysis of cohort studies. Ann Epidemiol 2005;15:129136) |
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Gene-Environment Independence and Increased Power (
Full Text )
Family-based case-control studies are often used to study the effects
of genes and gene-environment interactions in the etiology of rare complex
diseases. Herein, the authors considered methods for analyzing such
studies assuming that genetic susceptibility (G) and environmental exposures
(E) are independently distributed within families in the source population.
A novel conditional likelihood framework for exploiting the within-family
G-E independence assumption was proposed, leading to a simple, highly
efficient method of estimating interaction and other risk parameters.
Moreover, the same paradigm led to even more efficient methods when
parental genotype information was available. The relative efficiencies
of different family-based and population-based designs were evaluated.
Extensions of the methodologies for dealing with complex family studies
were also discussed. (Chatterjee N, Kalaylioglu Z, Carroll RJ. Exploiting
gene-environment independence in family-based case-control studies:
Increased power for detecting associations, interactions and joint
effects.
Genet Epidemiol 2005;28:138156)
Vitamin E and Prostate Cancer Risk
The Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention (ATBC) Study
demonstrated a 32% reduction in prostate cancer incidence in response
to daily alpha-tocopherol supplementation. Baseline serum concentrations
of alpha-tocopherol and gamma-tocopherol were examined to compare their
respective associations with prostate cancer risk among 100 randomly
selected incident prostate cancer case patients and 200 control subjects
in the ATBC Study cohort. Odds ratios for the highest versus the lowest
tertiles were 0.49 (CI = 0.241.01; p for trend = 0.05)
for alpha-tocopherol and 0.57 (CI = 0.311.06; p for trend
= 0.08) for gamma-tocopherol. Further analyses indicated that the protective
effect on prostate cancer risk was stronger in the alpha-tocopherolsupplemented
group than in those not receiving alpha-tocopherol. (Weinstein SJ,
Wright ME, Pietinen P, King I, Tan C, Taylor PR, Virtamo J, Albanes
D. Serum alpha-tocopherol and
gamma-tocopherol in relation to prostate cancer risk in a prospective
study. J Natl Cancer Inst 2005;97:396399)
Clomiphene Citrate and Uterine Cancer Risk
Clomiphene citrate, a selective estrogen receptor modulator used
to treat infertility, increases estradiol levels and therefore may increase
risk of cancer of the uterine corpus. A retrospective cohort study was
conducted of 8,431 women evaluated for infertility between 1965 and
1988 and followed through 1999. Clomiphene was associated with elevated
uterine cancer risk (n = 39; rate ratio [RR] = 1.79; CI = 0.93.4),
which increased further with dose (RR = 1.93; CI = 0.94.0 for
> 900 mg), menstrual cycles of use (RR = 2.16; CI = 0.95.2
for >= 6 cycles), and time elapsed since initial use (RR = 2.50;
CI = 0.97.2 for women followed for >= 20 years). Risk was more
strongly associated among nulligravid (RR = 3.49; CI = 1.39.3)
and obese (RR = 6.02; CI = 1.230.0) women, with risk substantially
elevated among women who were both obese and nulligravid (RR = 12.52;
CI = 1.5108.0). (Althuis MD, Moghissi KS, Westhoff CL, Scoccia
B, Lamb EJ, Lubin JH, Brinton LA. Uterine
cancer after use of clomiphene citrate to induce ovulation. Am J Epidemiol 2005;161:607615)
|
VISIT FROM DIRECTOR
OF BEIJING CANCER INSTITUTE
Dr.
Wei-Cheng You, the Director of the Beijing Cancer Institute, arrived
at DCEG in April for a month-long visit to work with Mitchell Gail,
M.D., Ph.D., and Linda Morris Brown, Dr.P.H., members of
the Biostatistics Branch, on the Shandong Intervention Trial (SIT).
In 1995, Dr. You and NCI collaborators initiated a factorial randomized
intervention trial in Linqu County, Shandong Province, to determine
whether antibiotic treatment of H. pylori, vitamin supplements,
or garlic supplements could reduce the prevalence of precancerous gastric
lesions in this high-incidence population. The visit provided an opportunity
for Dr. You and NCI staff to analyze data for the main end point of
this seven-year trial. Dr. You also met with Division scientists to
consider other possible studies based on data and resources of SIT.
Dr. You was a DCEG fellow and principal investigator from 1991 to 2001
before returning to China to lead the Beijing Cancer Institute. |
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![Dceg People In The News](jul05/dceg_people.gif) |
Blanche Alter, M.D., M.P.H., Clinical Genetics Branch (CGB),
discussed Fanconi anemia at the Stem Cell Transplantation in Children:
Current Results and Controversies meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona in
January. She also presented a case for a discussion on "Should
patients be given research results?" at the NIH Ethics Grand Rounds
in Bethesda, Maryland in April. She gave talks at the 5th Annual Diamond
Blackfan Anemia International Conference in New York in April on "Cancer
in Diamond-Blackfan anemia" and "Alternative therapies for
Diamond-Blackfan anemia." In addition, Dr. Alter spoke on "Etiologic
investigation of cancer susceptibility in inherited bone marrow failure
syndromes" at the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Annual Meeting in Washington, DC in May.
Aaron Blair, Ph.D., Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology
Branch (OEEB), gave an invited seminar on "Pesticides and human
cancer" at the University of Washington in Seattle in February.
Melinda Butsch Kovacic, Ph.D., M.P.H., Hormonal and Reproductive
Epidemiology Branch (HREB), in conjunction with science teachers, high
school hatchling scientists, and other representatives of the American
Junior Academy of Science, discussed her transition from laboratory
researcher to epidemiologist working on cancer prevention at the annual
meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science held
at the NIH in February.
Kenneth
Cantor, Ph.D. (OEEB), gave a talk on "Feasibility of conducting
human studies to address bromate risks" at a workshop on research
strategies to study the health effects of bromate in drinking water
at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in February.
Several DCEG researchers recently received funding support from the
NIH Office of Rare Diseases for workshops to develop international consortia
related to familial chronic lymphocytic leukemia (Neil Caporaso,
M.D., Genetic Epidemiology Branch [GEB]), lymphoma (Patricia
Hartge, Sc.D., Epidemiology and Biostatistics Program [EBP]), and
childhood cancer (Martha Linet, M.D., M.P.H., Radiation Epidemiology
Branch [REB]). Also supported were two research projects on dealing
with renal cell cancer (Lee Moore, Ph.D. [OEEB] and Jorge
Toro, M.D. [GEB]), AIDS-related malignancy (Charles Rabkin, M.D.,
Viral Epidemiology Branch [VEB]), and cancer risk among ataxia-telangiectasia
patients (Ruth Kleinerman, M.P.H. [REB]).
Philip Castle, Ph.D., M.P.H. (HREB), spoke at a meeting of the
Cancer Council of the Pacific Islands on "The role of HPV testing
in cervical cancer screening" in Honolulu in March.
Mitchell Gail, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Biostatistics Branch
(BB), gave an invited talk entitled "Criteria for evaluating models
of absolute risk" at the Columbia University Department of Biostatistics
in New York in March.
Several members of GEB participated in the 14th Genetic Analysis Workshop
held in Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands in September. Lynn Goldin,
Ph.D., Alisa Goldstein, Ph.D., Kimberly Kerstann, Ph.D., and Rose
Yang, Ph.D., M.P.H., along with Andrew Bergen, Ph.D., Advanced
Technology Center (ATC), and Kevin Jacobs (NCI contractor), contributed
two papers: "Linkage analysis of GAW 14 simulated dataset with
microsatellite and SNP markers in large pedigrees" and "Identification
of susceptibility loci for complex diseases in a case-control association
study of GAW 14 simulated dataset."
|
MISSION TO HAITI
James
Goedert, M.D., Chief of the Viral Epidemiology Branch, participated
in a medical mission to Haiti from February 26 to March 6. His team
of seven, including another physician, a nurse, and three others, traveled
to the isolated community of Baraderes in rural southwest Haiti. They
evaluated and provided basic medical care to 229 patients, arranged
funding for 50 surgical procedures at a regional hospital, distributed
toothbrushes and dental hygiene instruction to 850 students, and provided
initial training to 16 high school students as future community health
workers. Dr. Goedert observed extremely high rates of symptomatic, often
disabling infection with Helicobacter pylori, intestinal helminthes,
filiariasis, and malaria. However, compared to 1995 when he participated
in a similar mission to Baraderes, childhood malnutrition appeared to
be less prevalent and less severe. His home church in Maryland currently
sponsors a daily hot lunch, daily multivitamin, and thrice annual "worm
pill" (albendazole) to 2,000 students in 13 affiliated schools. |
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Ann Hsing, Ph.D. (HREB), was elected in March into the American
Epidemiological Society, an honorary society of distinguished epidemiologists.
Jose
Jeronimo, M.D. (HREB), who has recently been promoted from a Research
Fellow to a Staff Scientist, spoke on "Diagnosis and treatment
of HPV positive women" at a meeting of the Cancer Council of the
Pacific Islands in Honolulu in March. In April, Dr. Jeronimo gave a
Grand Rounds lecture at the School of Medicine of the University of
California, Irvine.
Daehee
Kang, M.D., Ph.D. (OEEB), gave talks on "Gene-environment
interactions in breast cancer" at the National Center for Toxicological
Research in Little Rock in January; at Rutgers University in New Brunswick,
New Jersey in March; and at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer
Center in April. He also co-chaired the Asian Cohort Consortium Meeting
at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle in April.
Joan Kramer, M.D. (CGB), has been promoted from Clinical Fellow
to Staff Clinician.
Qing Lan, M.D., Ph.D. (OEEB), gave a talk on the "Use
of intermediate endpoints to study the health effects of benzene"
at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in March.
Maria Teresa Landi, M.D., Ph.D. (GEB), gave a presentation entitled
"Known exposures, 'unknown' genes: Genetic epidemiology
approaches to melanoma and lung cancer" at Stanford University
in February.
Martha
Linet, M.D., Chief of REB, spoke on "Childhood leukemia epidemiology:
Etiology by subtype including translocations in fetuses" at the
Radiation Effects Research Foundation in Hiroshima, Japan in February.
She also gave a talk on "A cohort investigation of cancer and
mortality risks in U.S. radiologic technologists: Opportunities for
collaboration" at the National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina in April.
Jennifer Loud, M.S.N., C.R.N.P. (CGB), was elected coordinator
of the Cancer Genetics Special Interest Group for the Oncology Nursing
Society for 2006.
NIH
PLAIN LANGUAGE AWARDS
Publications by DCEG staff members won awards
at the NIH fifth annual Plain Language Awards Ceremony, held April
27. Congratulations to Michael Alavanja, Dr.P.H., Occupational
and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, who coauthored an NCI/NIEHS
booklet entitled "Cancer and the Environment: What You Need
to Know, What You Can Do," which received an Award of Excellence
in the 2004 NIH Plain Language Award competition.
Kudos were also won by Michele Doody, M.S., Michal Freedman, Ph.D.,
Martha Linet, M.D., M.P.H., Elaine Ron, Ph.D., and Alice Sigurdson,
Ph.D., all members of the Radiation Epidemiology Branch (REB),
along with Robert Weinstock, a contractor with REB, and Dr. Bruce
Alexander and Ms. Diane Kampa, members of the University of Minnesota
School of Public Health. Their newsletter on the U.S. Radiologic Technologists
Study received an Honorable Mention in the competition.
NIH launched the Plain Language Initiative in 1999, following a White
House memorandum calling for clearer writing throughout the federal
government. Plain language documents should have logical organization
and easy-to-read design features and use personal pronouns, short
sentences, and common, everyday words.
Sandy Rothschild
Lee Moore, Ph.D. (OEEB), gave an invited speech on "Molecular
epidemiological studies of cancer risk in human populations exposed
to arsenic in drinking water" at the Penn State College of Medicine
in May.
Lindsay
Morton, Ph.D. (HREB), who has been promoted from a CRTA Fellow to
a Research Fellow, received an American Association for Cancer Research
(AACR) Women in Cancer Research Brigid G. Leventhal Scholar Award in
Cancer Research for her abstract on "Polymorphisms in the neurotransmitter
reward and nicotine metabolism pathways in relation to smoking behavior
in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial."
The award provided financial support for attendance at the 96th Annual
AACR Meeting held in Anaheim, California in April. She has also been
appointed as the DCEG co-representative to the NIH Fellows Committee.
Jay
Nuckols, Ph.D. (OEEB), gave a talk on "Exposure assessment
for environmental epidemiology: Integrating earth and health sciences"
at the State University of New York School of Public Health in Rensselaer
in April. |
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June
Peters, M.S., C.G.C. (CGB), was one of three multi-credentialed
faculty members to participate in the first interdisciplinary workshop
on genetic counseling and family therapy at the American Association
of Marriage and Family Therapists Winter Institutes in Panama City,
Florida in March.
Ruth
Pfeiffer, Ph.D. (BB), gave an invited talk on "Criteria for
evaluating models of absolute risk" at the Harvard School of Public
Health in January.
Arthur Schatzkin, M.D., Dr.P.H., Chief of the Nutritional Epidemiology
Branch (NEB), presented "Moving from observational studies to
clinical trials: Why do we sometimes get it wrong?" at the NIH
conference on Contribution of Biomarkers to Determining Causality in
January.
Mark Sherman, M.D. (HREB), and Diane Solomon, M.D. (Division
of Cancer Prevention and HREB), participated in a national teleconference
on "Advances in cervical cancer screening" held in January.
The broadcast was sponsored by the American Society of Cytopathology
as part of a series that is viewed by cytotechnologists and pathologists
throughout the country.
Alice Sigurdson, Ph.D. (REB), spoke on "Cancer and genetic
susceptibility in the U.S. radiologic technologist cohort" at
the Radiological and Biological Sciences Graduate Program at Colorado
State University in Fort Collins in March.
Fan-Chen
Tseng, Ph.D. (HREB), presented a poster on "The relationship
of chronic HBV infection, chronic HCV infection and duration of injection
drug use," which was selected as a Poster of Distinction at the
Digestive Disease Week meeting in Chicago in May.
Jim
Vaught, Ph.D., Office of the Director (OD), Special Assistant for
Biological Resources, spoke at the first European School of Haematology-European
Blood and Marrow Transplantation Euroconference on Biobanking in Dublin
in January. His presentation, "The International Society for Biological
and Environmental Repositories," summarized the history and goals
of the organization, which was started in 1999 by NCI, CDC, and other
scientists from government, academic, and commercial organizations.
Roel
Vermeulen, Ph.D. (OEEB), gave a talk on "A study on immunological
responses to exposures encountered in corn farming" at the Agricultural
Health Study Biomarker Workshop on Cancer Etiology in Chapel Hill in
March. He also gave a keynote address on "The omics era,
what does it mean for industrial hygiene?" at the conference of
the Dutch Association of Occupational Hygienists in Utrecht, The Netherlands
in April.
Sholom
Wacholder, Ph.D. (BB), spoke at the American Society of Preventive
Oncology in San Francisco in March on "Scaling up: Statistical
issues in very large studies of genes and cancer." The following
week he delivered a paper titled "What is the chance that a negative
report is a false negative?" at the American Epidemiological Society
meeting in Baltimore.
Sophia Wang, Ph.D. (HREB), gave a talk titled "A molecular
epidemiologist at 10 years: Results and applications in cervical cancer
and lymphoma" at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public
Health.
Mary Ward, Ph.D. (OEEB), gave a talk on "Applications
of GIS in cancer epidemiology studies" for GIS Day at State University
of New York, Albany in April. GIS Day is a grassroots event that raises
awareness of geographic information systems (GIS) technology.
Mingdong
Zhang, M.D., Ph.D. (VEB), gave an invited talk on "Genetic
susceptibility to human viral infections" at the Chinese University
of Hong Kong in November.
Yawei
Zhang, M.D., Ph.D. (HREB), received an AACR Molecular Epidemiology
Group Scholar-in-Training Award for her abstract titled "Polymorphisms
in cell cycle pathway genes and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma."
The award defrayed travel expenses for attendance at the 96th Annual
AACR Meeting held in Anaheim, California in April. Dr. Zhang's
abstract was also selected for presentation at a mini-symposium.
|
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![Comings . . . Goings](jul05/comings.gif) |
After more than four years serving as a Visiting Fellow in the Occupational
and Environmental Epidemiology Branch (OEEB), Juan Alguacil, M.D.,
Ph.D., has accepted a position at the University of Huelva in Spain.
He will be leading the research unit on environmental and occupational
epidemiology and teaching epidemiology, preventive medicine, and occupational
and environmental health. During his stay with the OEEB, Dr. Alguacil
made important contributions to the DCEG program, particularly in the
areas of pancreatic cancer and bladder cancer epidemiology.
Yan Bai, M.D., Ph.D., a CRTA postdoctoral fellow with the Genetic
Epidemiology Branch (GEB), has accepted a position in benefit risk management
with Johnson and Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development in
New Jersey.
Mark Donahue recently completed a three-year predoctoral fellowship
in OEEB. Mr. Donahue has a bachelor's degree in history and science
from Harvard College and spent his time at NCI learning epidemiological
tools and performing statistical analyses for several Branch studies.
He plans to pursue his interests in cancer in the health care industry.
Sadie Hutson, Ph.D., R.N., C.R.N.P., a postdoctoral fellow in
the Clinical Genetics Branch (CGB), has accepted an Assistant Professor
position in the College of Nursing at East Tennessee State University
in Johnson City. Dr. Hutson joined the CGB in 2002 and worked with Blanche
Alter, M.D., M.P.H., and Mark Greene, M.D., to complete her
thesis research on siblings of patients with Fanconi anemia.
Naoko
Ishibe, Sc.D., joined GEB in 1997 as a postdoctoral fellow and later
became a tenure-track investigator. Dr. Ishibe has accepted a position
as a senior editor at the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Adrienne Katner, M.S., has joined OEEB as a predoctoral fellow.
Ms. Katner received an M.S. in environmental science from the University
of Arizona, Tucson, in 1998. She is currently enrolled in the doctoral
program in environmental science and engineering at the University of
California, Los Angeles. She will be working on environmental exposure
assessment in the multicenter case-control study of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Judy
Lichaa retired on March 31. Ms. Lichaa spent more than 15 years
in the Division, working as a secretary in the Viral Epidemiology Branch
(VEB), the Office of the Director (OD), and OEEB. She plans to move
to New Mexico to enjoy her retirement.
Annette Molinaro, Ph.D., a fellow in the Biostatistics Branch
(BB) since June 2004, is taking a position as an Assistant Professor
in the Division of Biostatistics at Yale University starting in July.
WELZEL
COMPLETES NIH/DUKE TRAINING
Tania
Mara Welzel, M.D., Ph.D., M.H.S. (HREB), has successfully completed
the NIH/Duke Training Program in Clinical Research. This two-year
master's program, which is jointly offered by the Duke University
School of Medicine and the NIH Warren G. Magnuson Clinical Center,
provides academic training in the quantitative and methodological
principles of clinical-epidemiological research. The program leads
to a Master of Health Sciences degree, which is awarded by the School
of Medicine at Duke University. Her thesis was entitled "Effect
of HLA-B Bw4 and Bw6 alleles on risk for HIV transmission in heterosexual
couples."
Charles
Rabkin, M.D. (VEB), will be on sabbatical leave as a fellow-in-residence
at Alfried Krupp College and a visiting professor in the Department
of Hematology and Oncology at Ernst Moritz Arndt University in Greifswald,
Germany from May through July.
José Reyes has joined CGB as a program assistant. He
previously was a contract employee in BB.
Ana
Cecilia Rodriguez, M.D., a longtime collaborator of the Hormonal
and Reproductive Epidemiology Branch (HREB) from Costa Rica, has joined
the Branch as a senior fellow under the auspices of the Oak Ridge Associated
Universities Exchange Visitor Program. Dr. Rodriguez will be at DCEG
for two years analyzing data from the Projecto Epidemiologico Guanacaste
cervical cancer natural history study, which she helped direct. She
will also continue to work on the field phase of the Human Papillomavirus
Vaccine Trial.
Linda
Ross has joined the Administrative Resource Center as the newest
Administrative Officer. Ms. Ross was previously employed with the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration where she worked as
a budget and program analyst. She will be supporting CGB and the Nutritional
Epidemiology Branch (NEB).
Jennifer Rusiecki, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in OEEB since
2002, has accepted a faculty position at the Uniformed Services University
of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in Bethesda, Maryland. While at DCEG,
she worked on the Agricultural Health Study, investigating associations
between specific pesticide exposures and various cancers. She also worked
on a spatial investigation of crop production in relation to prostate
cancer and on studies involving biologic measurements of persistent
organic pollutants. At USUHS, Dr. Rusiecki will work in the Preventive
Medicine Department and teach a course in environmental and occupational
epidemiology while continuing her research in these areas.
Fang
Fang Zhang, M.D., has joined the OEEB for a six-month predoctoral
fellowship. Dr. Zhang received a medical degree from the Shanghai Medical
University and is earning her Ph.D. from the Department of Epidemiology
at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York.
She will work with Wong-Ho Chow, Ph.D., Lifang Hou, M.D., Ph.D.,
and other investigators in DCEG analyzing genetic susceptibility
and the effects of alcohol and folate in relation to stomach cancer
risk.
|
PREVENTION
RESEARCHERS JOIN DCEG
Philip
Taylor, M.D., Sc.D., Nan Hu, M.D., Ph.D., Chaoyu Wang, M.S., and
Luxia Qian, B.S., have transferred from the Center for Cancer
Research (CCR) to GEB. Their research interests focus on developing
cancer prevention strategies, particularly for cancers of the upper
gastrointestinal tract. Dr. Taylor, senior investigator, received his
medical degree from the University of Iowa in Iowa City in 1973 and
completed his residency in internal medicine at Vanderbilt University
in Nashville, Tennessee in 1976. He joined the Centers for Disease Control
in 1976 as an Epidemic Intelligence Services officer and while there
completed a residency in preventive medicine. He received his master's
and doctoral degrees in epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public
Health and came to the NCI in 1983. Dr. Hu, staff scientist, received
her medical degree from Shanxi Medical University in China in 1976,
a doctorate in cancer genetics from Peking Union Medical College in
Beijing, China in 1987, and an M.P.H. from George Washington University
in Washington, DC in 1996. She has worked at the University of Chicago
and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and joined NCI in 1990.
Mr. Wang, laboratory biologist, received his B.S. in cellular and molecular
biology and genetics from the University of Maryland at College Park
in 1997 and his M.S. in biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University
in 2003. Dr. Hu and Mr. Wang will be located at the Molecular Epidemiology
Laboratory Unit (MELU) at the Advanced Technology Center. Ms. Qian received
her B.S. in statistics in 1988 and a certificate in biochemistry in
1991, both from Chengdu University in China. She recently was appointed
to a technical position within the MELU through SAIC-Frederick, Inc.
Sanford
Dawsey, M.D., Christian Abnet, Ph.D., M.P.H., Farin Kamangar, M.D.,
M.P.H., and Mark Roth, M.D., have transferred from CCR to
join NEB. Their research interests include prevention and control of
upper gastrointestinal cancers, particularly esophageal cancer. Dr.
Dawsey, senior investigator, received his medical degree from Stanford
University in 1976 and completed his residency in pathology at the University
of Colorado in 1981 and a fellowship in cytology at the University of
California, Los Angeles in 1987. He served as a pathologist at the McCormick
Hospital in Chiang Mai, Thailand from 1982 to 1984 and at Saint Joseph
Hospital in Denver, Colorado from 1984 to 1986. Dr. Dawsey joined NCI
in 1987. Dr. Abnet, staff scientist, received his B.S. in biology from
the University of Oregon in Eugene in 1989, a doctorate in environmental
toxicology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1998, and
an M.P.H. from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis in 1999. He
joined NCI in 1998. Dr. Kamangar, a postdoctoral fellow, received his
medical degree and an M.P.H. from Tehran University of Medical Sciences
in Iran and an M.H.S. in biostatistics and Ph.D. in epidemiology from
Johns Hopkins University. He joined NCI in 2001. Dr. Roth, staff clinician,
received his B.S. degree from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania
in 1987 and his medical degree from Temple University in Philadelphia
in 1991. He came to the NCI in 1991 where he completed a pathology residency
and a cytopathology fellowship. |
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![Town Meeting With Dceg Fellows](jul05/town_mtgd.gif) |
In
April, the DCEG Committee of Scientists (COS) sponsored the fifth annual
DCEG Fellows' Town Meeting, which provided fellows with an opportunity
to meet with the Division Director and other senior leadership to discuss
aspects of the training program. Pre- and postdoctoral fellows were
invited to raise issues that affect the quality of their training experience
and career development while at DCEG. The meeting was coordinated by
Unhee Lim, Ph.D., Nutritional Epidemiology Branch, and Jennifer
Rusiecki, Ph.D., Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch
(OEEB)COS Fellow Representatives working with the Women Scientists
Advisors, Lynn Goldin, Ph.D., Genetic Epidemiology Branch (GEB),
and Debra Silverman, Sc.D. (OEEB).
This year, fellows heard reports from Dr. Lim and Dr. Rusiecki regarding
actions that resulted from the 2004 meeting and issues raised in the
2004 COS Annual Survey of DCEG Branch and Division Management. Mary
Lou McMaster, M.D. (GEB), Chair of COS, provided an overview of
the role of COS and expressed appreciation for the candid feedback on
questions raised by fellows during previous meetings and annual surveys.
Joseph F. Fraumeni, Jr., M.D., Division Director, addressed policies
for recruitment and retention of fellows and tenure-track investigators
in conjunction with resource allocation and management, as well as procedures
related to content, timing, and dissemination of position announcements.
Dr. Rusiecki teamed with Shelia Zahm, Sc.D., Deputy Division
Director, for a presentation on important considerations when negotiating
for positions that follow fellowship training. Demetrius Albanes,
M.D., Chief of the Office of Education (OE), discussed the essential
role of mentoring within DCEG and outlined plans for upcoming OE-sponsored
workshops addressing critical elements of training and mentoring. Robert
Hoover, M.D., Sc.D., and Patricia Hartge, Sc.D., Director
and Deputy Director, respectively, of the Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Program, contributed their own perspectives and insights to each of
these discussions.
Following the presentations, the meeting shifted to a round-robin format,
pairing two or more of the invited speakers with smaller groups of fellows
for informal discussions. Participants were encouraged to raise topics
of concern, offer candid feedback regarding their fellowship experience,
and share ideas for improving the training program. COS will compile
the issues raised and distribute the meeting minutes to all DCEG fellows.
Mary Lou McMaster, M.D., Unhee Lim, Ph.D., and Jennifer Rusiecki,
Ph.D.
|
DCEG TENURE-TRACK
INVESTIGATOR RETREAT
DCEG held its second retreat for tenure-track
investigators in April at the Rockwood Manor in Potomac, Maryland. Organized
by Shelia Zahm, Sc.D., Deputy Division Director, the program
began with an overview by Joseph F. Fraumeni, Jr., M.D., Division
Director, who led the group in a discussion of the characteristics of
NCI's Intramural Research Program, and of DCEG in particular,
that allows the Division to conduct high-impact, high-quality science
that is distinctive and "value-added" in nature. Dr. Barry
Kramer, Office of the Director, NIH, shared his insights into how to
craft a successful tenure package based on his experience with the NIH
Central Tenure Committee as the chair of the NIH Epidemiology and Biometry
Review Panel. Dr. Kramer's presentation was followed by a panel
discussion on "Collaborations, Consortia, and Credit" with
Aaron Blair, Ph.D., Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology
Branch, Patricia Hartge, Sc.D., Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Program (EBP), Eric Engels, M.D., M.P.H., Viral Epidemiology
Branch, and Sophia Wang, Ph.D., Hormonal and Reproductive Epidemiology
Branch. The panel reviewed the potential benefits and drawbacks of large-scale
scientific collaborations for tenure-track investigators and presented
strategies for demonstrating scientific independence and individual
contributions to collaborative research projects. The retreat concluded
with a question-and-answer session moderated by Alice Sigurdson,
Ph.D., Radiation Epidemiology Branch, in which Dr. Fraumeni and
Robert Hoover, M.D., Sc.D. (EBP), responded to a series of "Myth
or Truth?" statements concerning challenges facing tenure-track
scientists as they carry out their research at NCI.
Catherine McClave |
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