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Cancer of Head and NeckNCT00200408

Assessment of Early Genetic Changes in Smokers

An observational study of Cancer of Head and Neck and Smoking, run by Montefiore Medical Center at 1 site in United States.

Terminated

Stopped early. The study ended before it was planned to and will not resume.

Official record
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Trial summary

This study will look at the genetic profile of cells taken from the oral cavity of healthy college students who smoke and who do not smoke cigarettes. This will be done using a small brush similar to that used in Pap tests for cervical cancer detection. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 35 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Cancer of Head and Neck, Smoking
How many people
10 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Mar 2004to Jan 2005
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 35 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult

Study population: healthy smokers and non-smokers

Who may be able to join

  • College freshmen and sophomores
  • Smokers must be between the ages of 18 and 25
  • Smokers must have smoked regularly for at least 2 years and be currently smoking
  • Smokers must intend to stay in the New York area for at least 3 years.
  • Non-smokers must be non-users of marijuana -

Who cannot join

  • Current HIV/AIDS infection
  • Use of chewing tobacco
  • -

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Montefiore Medical Center

    The Bronx, New York, 10467

Other trials in United States

About this study

This study will look at the genetic profile of cells taken from the oral cavity of healthy college students who smoke and who do not smoke cigarettes. This will be done using a small brush similar to that used in Pap tests for cervical cancer detection. Our aim is to determine if smoking causes early genetic changes in the DNA of these cells such as have been seen in the cells of cancerous tumors of the head and neck area and nearby healthy tissues. This will be correlated with data from subject questionnaires to assess tobacco use, and other behavior and demographic information.

Read the detailed description

Our pilot study using cellular DNA (cDNA) microarrays to examine the buccal mucosa of smokers and non-smokers demonstrated that smokers could be separated from non-smokers based solely on the patterns of gene expression observed. We were able to identify 924 genes whose expression differs significantly between samples from smokers and non-smokers. Several genes were also shown to be either up or down regulated in our earlier research applying microarray analysis to head and neck cancer tumors. Many of these represent genes of possible interest as early molecular markers for head and neck carcinogenesis.

Aberrant methylation is an important event in the transcriptional silencing of candidate tumor suppressor genes in smoking associated malignancies. Furthermore, it is known that methylated CpG islands are the preferred binding site for benzo(a)pyrene diol epoxide and other carcinogens found in tobacco smoke. Binding of these compounds is known to cause DNA adducts and transversion mutations that are often observed in the aerodigestive tumors of smokers. New evidence suggests that specific DNA methylation events are directly linked to tobacco use. The ability to detect such molecular markers during screening of high risk groups would represent a significant advance in cancer screening and early detection. Our group has evaluated specimens to epigenetically profile CpG island hypermethylation in. head and neck squamous cell carcinoma ( HNSCC) tumor samples using a technique known as methylation specific restriction enzyme microarray analysis. This method will be used in this trial to detect alterations in global DNA methylation patterns in subjects who smoke compared to those who don't.

The objectives of this study are:

  1. Test the hypothesis that there are specific genetic alterations, leading to gene expression profile changes, which will be detected in early smokers.
  2. Test the hypothesis that early smokers will demonstrate alterations in global DNA methylation patterns compared to matched controls.
  3. To analyze gene alterations and DNA methylation in college smokers over time through longitudinal follow-up.
Keywords
cancer of head and neck, smoking
Medical subject headings
Head and Neck Neoplasms, Smoking

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

Study groups in NCT00200408
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
smokerscollege students who smoke
non smokerscollege students who don't smoke

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. alteration of gene expression profile

    comparison of gene expression profiles between smokers and non-smokers

    Measured: 2 yrs

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted20 Sep 2005 (estimated)
  2. Study startMar 2004
  3. Primary completionJan 2005

Why it stopped: unable to obtain funding

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Case-control
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrolment
10 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00200408
Sponsor's protocol ID
04-01-008S
Status last verified
Apr 2015
First submitted
13 Sep 2005
Last updated
8 Apr 2015
Results posted
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Cancer of Head and Neck and Smoking, run by Montefiore Medical Center at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: stopped early, as of the sponsor's last update on 8 Apr 2015. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study was stopped early (reason given: unable to obtain funding). Results are not available in the source record.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

alteration of gene expression profile (time frame: 2 yrs). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 8 Apr 2015.

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