rgallagher@bccrc.ca

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Research Interests:

My research program concentrates on 3 principal areas, prostate cancer, skin cancers and occupational correlates of cancer. A number of studies are now underway. We are in the process of conducting a large case-control study of prostate cancer funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research in which we will enroll 700 cases and controls. The study hypotheses focus on metabolic processes and examine the effects of insulin resistance, and levels of insulin-like growth factors and their binding proteins on risk of disease. In addition polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor gene and their effect on serum levels of growth factors and binding proteins will be examined. We will also look at the effect of varying levels of lifetime sun exposure and disease risk.

A further study is underway in collaboration with investigators at Stanford University, University of Southern California, and University of Hawaii. The investigation is examining indicators of insulin resistance in pre-diagnostic serum among men who have gone on to develop prostate cancer compared with those who have not developed the disease.

We are participating in a large-scale collaborative study of gene-environment interaction in cutaneous malignant melanoma. There are 9 institutions in Canada, the USA, Australia and Europe contributing data and specimens to the study. We are examining the interaction of CDKN2A mutations, polymorphisms in the melanocortin receptor gene (MC1R), nucleotide excision repair genes, and sunlight exposure in determining risk of cutaneous melanoma. The study is utilizing a novel case-control design in which 'cases' are subjects with 2 or more melanomas and 'controls' are those with one melanoma. The design should 'enrich' our accrual of individuals with genetic variants among the cases. Further, since the study is being conducted in high, medium, and low sunlight areas we should have an excellent range of solar exposure among participants.

We are also involved in a large cohort study of aluminum smelter workers and a series of case-control studies searching for occupational correlates of ovarian cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and other cancers.

See Also:

• Sun Exposure, Vitamin D, Prostate Cancer Study
• A Model For Genetic Susceptibility: Melanoma
• Do organochlorine compounds cause melanoma?