National Cancer Institute - NCI Division of Cancer Treatment and ...

a subgroup of patients in which low
diagnostic PSA levels were associated
with less aggressive tumors.
■ Designing tissue microarrays for breast
cancer, colon and rectal cancer, prostate
cancer, as well as melanoma and designing
studies for evaluating their quality.
■ Serving on the DataMart Steering
Committee. DataMart is a joint effort
between NCI and the cooperative
groups to establish a data repository
of clinical trial data (including marker
data) in order to allow more contemporaneous
and frequent analyses
of pooled breast cancer clinical trial
research data.
■ As a member of PACCT (http://
www.cancerdiagnosis.nci.nih.gov/
assessment/index.html), BRB provided
NCI statistical leadership in developing
major protocols involving multiple
cooperative groups to evaluate
predictive biomarkers. PACCT’s first
clinical trial is a prospective, randomized
study designed to evaluate the use of
a genomic test (the Oncotype DX®
classifier) as a basis for determining
treatment for breast cancer patients.
Director’s Challenge Groups
http://www.cancerdiagnosis.nci.nih.gov/
challenge/index.html
Traditionally, the classification of tumors
has been based on morphology, or the
tumor’s structure, but morphological
classification cannot accurately predict
biological behavior, prognosis, or response
to treatment. In 1998, the NCI Director
issued an appeal, or Director’s Challenge,
■ ■ ■
Microarrays are a powerful molecular analytical tool. BRB led
a collaborative study showing that different laboratories using
a common protocol can obtain consistent results.
DNA microarray technology allows scientists to assess the level of expression
of a large subset of the 100,000 human genes in a cell or tissue. This technology
can quickly produce a snapshot of the genes that are active in a tumor
cell, critical information in narrowing the precise molecular causes of a cancer.
called “Toward a Molecular Classification
of Tumors,” to urge the research community
to revolutionize the classification of
human tumors. Defining and understanding
the changes associated with individual
tumors can identify patient subsets and be
used to tailor treatment regimens.
Microarrays are a new and powerful
molecular analytical tool that can help sort
tumor characteristics, but until recently it
was not known whether results achieved
at one laboratory could be reliably compared
with results obtained at other
NCI Visuals Online, Bill Branson, photographer.
B I O M E T R I C R E S E A R C H B R A N C H ■ 13