Biography
Dr. Rajaraman received her M.Sc. in Environmental Health from the University of Washington in 1997, and a Ph.D. in Epidemiology (focus on cancer epidemiology) from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in 2004. She subsequently joined the Radiation Epidemiology Branch (REB) as a post-doctoral fellow, where she concentrated her research efforts on the identification of genetic susceptibility factors and their interaction with known or suspected environmental carcinogens, particularly in the etiology of brain tumors. Dr Rajaraman was appointed as a tenure-track investigator in REB in 2009. She is interested in addressing the key research questions of how early life exposure to radiation influences cancer risk throughout life; understanding how markers of radiation exposure interact with molecular markers in the etiology of cancer; and identifying factors that influence the incidence and progression of brain tumors. Dr. Rajaraman is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa and Delta Omega honor societies, and her research has earned her numerous awards, including the NIH Fellows Award for Research Excellence and the Young Investigators Award from the American Statistical Association. She currently serves on the Advisory Committee of the Brain Tumor Epidemiology Consortium (BTEC), and the Steering Committee of the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS).
Research Interests
- Identifying factors that influence the incidence of brain tumors
- Exploring genetic susceptibility factors in radiation-related tumors
- Early life exposure to radiation
Identifying factors that influence the incidence of brain tumors
Brain tumors comprise a highly heterogeneous group of tumors of
varying histology, morphology, and behavior. Despite years of study, the etiology of
these tumors remains largely unknown, with the only confirmed risk factors being exposure
to ionizing radiation and possession of certain rare genetic syndromes. Recognizing the
high likelihood of a genetic disposition for these tumors, Dr Rajaraman has examined risk
of the major types of adult brain tumor with respect to candidate gene variants in
pathways of biological interest, including apoptosis, cell-cycle, oxidative response,
innate immunity, and DNA repair. More recently, she has examined genetic markers of
susceptibility through high-throughput genotyping. She is currently conducting a
feasibility study for a cohort-based genome-wide association scan of glioma. The primary
aim of this study will be to identify genetic markers of susceptibility for glioma, and
assess potential environmental modifiers of this risk.
Exploring genetic susceptibility factors in radiation-related tumors
Radiation is an established carcinogen, with well-characterized
estimates of dose. Based on the existing knowledge of biological mechanisms of radiation
damage, it is likely that certain individuals are more susceptible to radiation
carcinogenesis. Dr Rajaraman has been involved in studies examining whether genetic
variants in the DNA repair and apoptosis pathways modify radiation-related risk of breast
cancer in radiological technologists. She plans to expand this work to explore genetic
susceptibility in other pathways, as well as other radiation-related tumors, including
tumors of the brain and nervous system.
Early life exposure to radiation
It has been consistently shown that individuals exposed to radiation
at younger ages are at greater risk for certain types of cancer later in life. This
observation is particularly significant given that individuals exposed at young ages may
be at risk for adverse health effects at much lower doses than adults. Dr. Rajaraman is
interested in exploring cancer risk following medical radiation exposure in early
childhood, including exposure to radiotherapy for childhood cancer, and diagnostic
radiation at early ages. She is currently examining risk of subsequent sarcoma associated
with therapeutic radiation following childhood cancer, as well as cancer risk following
in-utero and early childhood exposure to diagnostic x-rays.
Keywords
Radiation, genetic susceptibility, brain cancer, brain tumors, early life, diagnostic radiation, radiotherapy.
Selected Publications
- Rajaraman P, Brenner AV, Butler MA, Wang SS, Pfeiffer R, Ruder AM , Linet MS, Yeager M, Wang Z, Orr N, Fine HA, Kwon D, Thomas G, Rothman N, Inskip PD, Chanock SJ. Common variation in genes related to innate immunity and risk of adult glioma. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev, in press.
- Rajaraman P, Hutchinson A, Wichner SM, Rothman N, Black PM, Fine HA, Loeffler JS, Selker RG, Shapiro WR, Linet MS, Inskip PD. DNA repair gene polymorphisms and risk of adult glioma, meningioma and acoustic neuroma. Neuro Oncol, in press.
- Bhatti P, Steward PA, Hutchinson A, Rothman N, Linet MS, Inskip PD, Rajaraman P. Lead exposure, polymorphisms in genes related to oxidative stress, and risk of adult brain tumors. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev, in press.
- Linet MS, Kim KP, Rajaraman P.
Children's exposure to diagnostic medical radiation and cancer risk: epidemiologic and dosimetric considerations.
Pediatr Radiol 2009 Feb;39 Suppl 1:S4-26. Review.
- Rajaraman P, Hutchinson A, Rothman N, Black PM, Fine HA, Loeffler JS, Selker RG, Shapiro WR, Linet MS, Inskip PD.
Oxidative response gene polymorphisms and risk of adult brain tumors.
Neuro Oncol 2008 Oct;10(5):709-15.
- Rajaraman P, Bhatti P, Doody MM, Simon SL, Weinstock RM, Linet MS, Rosenstein M, Stovall M, Alexander BH, Preston DL, Sigurdson AJ.
Nucleotide excision repair polymorphisms may modify ionizing radiation-related breast cancer risk in US radiologic technologists.
Int J Cancer 2008 Dec 1;123(11):2713-6.
- Sigurdson AJ, Bhatti P, Doody MM, Hauptmann M, Bowen L, Simon SL, Weinstock RM, Linet MS, Rosenstein M, Stovall M, Alexander BH, Preston DL, Struewing JP, Rajaraman P.
Polymorphisms in apoptosis- and proliferation-related genes, ionizing radiation exposure, and risk of breast cancer among U.S. Radiologic Technologists.
Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007 Oct;16(10):2000-7.
- Rajaraman P, Wang SS, Rothman N, Brown MM, Black PM, Fine HA, Loeffler JS, Selker RG, Shapiro WR, Chanock SJ, Inskip PD.
Polymorphisms in apoptosis and cell cycle control genes and risk of brain tumors in adults.
Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007 Aug;16(8):1655-61.
- Rajaraman P, Stewart PA, Samet JM, Schwartz BS, Linet MS, Zahm SH, Rothman N, Yeager M, Fine HA, Black PM, Loeffler J, Shapiro WR, Selker RG, Inskip PD.
Lead, genetic susceptibility, and risk of adult brain tumors.
Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006 Dec;15(12):2514-20.
- Rajaraman P, Sigurdson AJ, Doody MM, Freedman DM, Hauptmann M, Ron E, Alexander BH, Linet MS.
Lung cancer risk among US radiologic technologists, 1983-1998.
Int J Cancer 2006 Nov 15;119(10):2481-6.
Collaborators
DCEG Collaborators
- Alina Brenner, M.D., Ph.D.;
Stephen Chanock, M.D.;
Nilanjan Chatterjee, Ph.D.;
Michele Doody, M.S.;
Michal Freedman, Ph.D., M.P.H.;
Patricia Hartge, Sc.D.;
Robert Hoover, M.D., Sc.D.;
Amy Hutchinson, M.S.;
Peter Inskip, Sc.D.;
Qing Lan, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H.;
Martha Linet, M.D., M.P.H.;
Lindsay Morton, Ph.D.;
Ruth Pfeiffer, Ph.D.;
Nathaniel Rothman, M.D., M.P.H., M.H.S.;
Alice Sigurdson, Ph.D.;
Patricia Stewart;
Sophia Wang, Ph.D.;
Meredith Yeager, Ph.D.
Other Scientific Collaborators
- Bruce Alexander, Ph.D., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
- Parveen Bhatti, Ph.D., Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA
- Mary Ann Butler, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH
- Tara Henderson, M.D., M.P.H., University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- Avima Ruder, Ph.D., National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH
- Jonathan Samet, M.D., M.S., University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
