Correlates of age at menarche among sixth grade students in Wisconsin.

We conducted a cross-sectional, school-based survey of sixth-grade girls living in the Reedsburg, Wis area school district to explore factors associated with age at menarche. Data collection included parent and student questionnaires for demographic, menstrual, physical activity, and nutritional information. School nurses conducted physical examinations to provide anthropometric measurements.

Phase I trial of a monoclonal antibody specific for alphavbeta3 integrin (MEDI-522) in patients with advanced malignancies, including an assessment of effect on tumor perfusion.

At present, a variety of agents targeting tumor angiogenesis are under clinical investigation as new therapies for patients with cancer. Overexpression of the alpha(v)beta(3) integrin on tumor vasculature has been associated with an aggressive phenotype of several solid tumor types. Murine models have shown that antibodies targeting the alpha(v)beta(3) integrin can affect tumor vasculature and block tumor formation and metastasis.

Weight change and risk of endometrial cancer.

Background: Obesity is an established risk factor for endometrial cancer. Less well understood is the role of weight gain and weight change in determining risk.

Methods: We analysed data from a population-based case-control study to evaluate the associations of body mass index (BMI), weight gain, and weight cycling with risk of endometrial cancer.

The identification of senescence-specific genes during the induction of senescence in prostate cancer cells.

Classic mechanisms of tumor response to chemotherapy include apoptosis and mitotic catastrophe. Recent studies have suggested that cellular senescence, a terminal proliferation arrest seen in vitro, may be invoked during the exposure of cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents. To identify markers associated specifically with the cellular senescence phenotype, we utilized expression data from cDNA microarray experiments identifying transcripts whose expression levels increased as human prostate epithelial cells progressed to senescence.

Phase II study of interferon-alpha and doxycycline for advanced renal cell carcinoma.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and toxicity of the combination of interferon-alpha and doxycycline in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma and to assess the effect of this treatment on serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels.

Patients And Methods: Seventeen patients with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1 and life expectancy greater than 4 months with radiologically evident advanced renal cell carcinoma were enrolled. Eight patients had prior nephrectomy and 10 patients were treated within 4 months of their diagnosis.

Nonhuman primate embryonic stem cells as a preclinical model for hematopoietic and vascular repair.

Stem cell-based regenerative medicine therapies have been touted recently as a novel therapeutic approach to treat and cure a wide range of diseases. Both adult and embryonic stem (ES) cells can serve as important sources of precursor cells to derive more mature cells potentially utilized for clinical applications. Nonhuman primates have proven useful as a preclinical model, as demonstrated in studies of hematopoietic cell transplantation, gene therapy, and other areas.

A phase II trial of gemcitabine, 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin in advanced esophageal carcinoma.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the overall response rate, toxicity and overall survival in patients with locally advanced or metastatic esophageal cancer treated with gemcitabine, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin.

Patients And Methods: Patients with either adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus could enroll; however, patients could not have received prior chemotherapy for metastatic disease. Treatment cycles consisted of infusions of all three agents at days 1, 8 and 15, repeated every 28 days.

Who smokes? A demographic analysis of Wisconsin smokers.

Context: Despite the general decline in prevalence of smoking and actual consumption of cigarettes, there is a heightened concern that this decline has not been uniform throughout the population and that specific subpopulations are adversely affected by tobacco use.

Objective: To estimate smoking prevalence and cigarette consumption among Wisconsin subpopulations by demographic identifiers, gender, race, age, educational attainment, and income.

Design, Setting And Participants: We estimated tobacco use among primary sub-populations in Wisconsin in 2003 from the Wisconsin Tobacco Survey.

Use of a bupivacaine continuous wound infusion system in gynecologic oncology: a randomized trial.

Objective: The aim of the current study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a widely available bupivacaine continuous wound infusion system in gynecologic oncology patients undergoing laparotomy.

Methods: A prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was performed. After closure of the fascia, flexible soaker catheters were placed in the deep subcutaneous space.

Framing tobacco control efforts within an ethical context.

Public health efforts to promote tobacco control are not performed within a vacuum. They are subject to interpretation and misinterpretation by consumers and policymakers based largely upon the initial framing of the issues. This paper notes how the tobacco industry has established a particular frame that it is the protector of individual rights and that the public health community is trying to eliminate those rights.

Angiogenesis and radiation response modulation after vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR2) blockade.

The formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) represents a critical factor in the malignant growth of solid tumors and metastases. Vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor VEGFR2 represent central molecular targets for antiangiogenic intervention, because of their integral involvement in endothelial cell proliferation and migration. In the current study, we investigated in vitro and in vivo effects of receptor blockade on various aspects of the angiogenic process using monoclonal antibodies against VEGFR2 (cp1C11, which is human specific, and DC101, which is mouse specific).

Medullary thyroid cancer: the functions of raf-1 and human achaete-scute homologue-1.

Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is a prototypic neuroendocrine tumor of the thyroid C cells. Other than surgery, there are no curative therapies for MTC. In this review, we detail recent studies that suggest that targeting specific signaling pathways may be a viable strategy to control MTC tumor progression.

Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging as a pharmacodynamic measure of response after acute dosing of AG-013736, an oral angiogenesis inhibitor, in patients with advanced solid tumors: results from a phase I study.

Purpose: Identifying suitable markers of biologic activity is important when assessing novel compounds such as angiogenesis inhibitors to optimize the dose and schedule of therapy. Here we present the pharmacodynamic response to acute dosing of AG-013736 measured by dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI).

Patients And Methods: Thirty-six patients with advanced solid tumors were treated with various doses of AG-013736.

Study design issues and early stage non-small cell lung cancer.

The most common type of clinical trial in oncology enrolls patients with advanced disease. End points for phase II trials in advanced disease typically include response rate or time to progression, based upon the presumption that these may serve as surrogates for the ultimate end point of improved survival. Unique problems arise with the design of adjuvant trials, for which response rates clearly are not appropriate end points.

Oral contraceptive use, reproductive factors, and colorectal cancer risk: findings from Wisconsin.

We investigated the association of oral contraceptive (OC) use and reproductive factors with colorectal cancer risk in a large population-based case-control study. Cases were women ages 20 to 74 years, living in Wisconsin, with a new diagnosis of colon (n = 1,122) or rectal (n = 366) cancer. Control participants were randomly selected from population lists of similarly aged female Wisconsin residents (n = 4,297).

Three emerging new drugs for NSCLC: pemetrexed, bortezomib, and cetuximab.

Despite advances made in cytotoxic chemotherapy, the prognosis for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) continues to be poor. New, more effective drugs must be identified and developed to improve the outcome of these patients. Three drugs with promising activity in NSCLC are pemetrexed (Alimta; Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, http://www.

Patient preferences in choosing chemotherapy regimens for advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

The major difference between cisplatin-based chemotherapy doublets for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is not in the outcomes of their use--rather, it is in the side effects and toxicities that they cause. The degree to which oncologists involve lung cancer patients in discussions regarding the selection of chemotherapy is unknown. A questionnaire regarding patient concerns about chemotherapy and physician discussions was sent to patients registered in the Alliance for Lung Cancer Advocacy, Support, and Education (ALCASE) database from 2000--2002.

Phase II study of weekly low-dose paclitaxel for relapsed and refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: a Wisconsin Oncology Network Study.

This study was performed to determine the clinical activity and safety of weekly low-dose paclitaxel (90 mg/m2) given as a 1-hour infusion in patients with relapsed and refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Thirty patients were treated on a phase II protocol conducted at the University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center and within the Wisconsin Oncology Network (WON). A cycle of therapy was defined as paclitaxel at 90 mg/m2 weekly for 6 consecutive weeks followed by a 2-week rest period.

Differences in breast cancer risk factors by tumor marker subtypes among premenopausal Vietnamese and Chinese women.

We evaluated associations between reproductive and lifestyle risk factors with breast cancer tumor marker status in a case-control study. Cases were premenopausal women living in Vietnam and China who were eligible for a clinical trial of oophorectomy and tamoxifen as treatment for breast cancer (n = 682). Controls were nonrelative hospital visitors, matched on age to the cases (n = 649).

Insulin-like growth factor 1 signaling in human gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor cells.

Background Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is an autocrine regulator of carcinoid tumors. Blockade of IGF-1 signaling has been proposed as a therapeutic target in the treatment of patients with carcinoid syndrome. We hypothesized that the induction of parallel raf-1/MEK1 pathways will block IGF-1-mediated chromogranin A (CgA) maintenance.

Newer therapies in advanced prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among males. Androgen ablation as initial therapy for advanced prostate cancer provides high response rates but does not cure disease, as nearly all men with metastases will eventually progress to hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). Present chemotherapy regimens for HRPC can provide palliation and have recently demonstrated an increase in overall survival.

A phase I trial of perifosine (NSC 639966) on a loading dose/maintenance dose schedule in patients with advanced cancer.

Perifosine (NSC 639966) is a synthetic, substituted heterocyclic alkylphosphocholine that acts primarily at the cell membrane targeting signal transduction pathways. Early clinical trials were limited because of dose-limiting gastrointestinal toxicity, and parenteral dosing of this class of agents is not possible because of their hemolytic properties; therefore, related compounds with an improved therapeutic index were developed. Toxicity was minimized and efficacy improved by using a loading dose/maintenance dose schedule, and therefore, this schedule was carried into clinical trials.

Systemic treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Lung cancer, a highly lethal malignancy, is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the US, accounting for 28% of all deaths related to cancer. Non-small cell lung cancer comprises 80-85% of lung cancer diagnoses and includes the histologies of adenocarcinoma and its subtype bronchoalveolar carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and large cell carcinoma. This article reviews the use of cytotoxic chemotherapies and other systemic treatments for patients with advanced (metastatic and/or recurrent) non-small cell lung cancer.