Current Research Interests

Dr. Pike joined the Epidemiology Service in May 2009. His research interests are in the etiology and chemoprevention of breast, endometrial and ovarian cancer. A woman's risks of endometrial cancer and of ovarian cancer are significantly reduced by having more children and by use of oral contraceptives. First births are the most important for breast cancer and only first births before about 32 years are associated with a reduced risk. To obtain a marked reduced risk the birth must be before about 25 years; births after about age 35 are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. Oral contraceptive use provides no protection against breast cancer. Dr. Pike is conducting studies of small amounts of breast tissue taken from normal nulliparous and parous volunteers to determine the biological basis of the changes in risk with age at first birth and is also conducting such studies in volunteers on different types of oral contraceptives to understand their actions on the breast in order to possibly be able to design an oral contraceptive that will reduce the risk of breast cancer without losing the protection against endometrial and ovarian cancer. He is working with radiology faculty at MSKCC to evaluate whether MR imaging can be used to study the 'activity' of the breast as an aid to such studies as well as for monitoring the effects of hormonal chemotherapy. He is also working with gynecologic faculty at MSKCC on understanding the mechanism of protection against ovarian cancer from pregnancies and oral contraceptive use by studying the biology of the fallopian tube where current evidence suggests many ovarian cancers arise.

Selected Bibliography

1. Wu AH, Yu MC, Tseng CC, Stanczyk FZ, Pike MC. Dietary patterns and breast cancer risk in Asian American women. Am J Clin Nutr 2009; 89:1145-1154. PMID: 19211822.

2. Taylor D, Pearce CL, Hovanessian-Larsen L, Downey S, Spicer DV, Bartow S, Pike MC, Wu AH, Hawes D. Progesterone and estrogen receptors in pregnant and premenopausal non-pregnant normal human breast. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2009; 118:161-168. PMID: 19205874.Epub 10 Feb.

3. Pearce CL, Chung K, Pike MC, Wu AH. Increased ovarian cancer risk associated with menopausal estrogen therapy is reduced by adding a progestin. Cancer 2009; 115:531-539.

4. Stern MC, Van Den Berg D, Yuan JM, Conti DV, Gago-Dominguez M, Pike MC, Xiang YB, Gao YT, Cortessis VK. Sequence variant on 3q28 and urinary bladder cancer risk: findings from the Los Angeles-Shanghai bladder case-control study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2009; 18:3057-3061. PMID: 19843673.

5. Aberle DR, Allegra CJ, Ganschow P, Hahn SM, Lee CN, Millon-Underwood S, Pike MC, Reed SD, Saftlas AF, Scarvalone SA, Schwartz AM, Slomski C, Yothers G, Zon R. NIH State-of-the-Science Conference Statement: Diagnosis and Management of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS). NIH Consensus State Sci Statements 2009 Sep 24; 26(2). [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 19784089.