Gregory D. (Dan) Ayers, M.S. Senior Associate in Biostatistics
E-mail:   dan.ayers@vanderbilt.edu Phone:  615.343.9180 Fax:      615.343.4924	Department of Biostatistics Vanderbilt University School of Medicine S-2323 Medical Center North 1161 21st Avenue South Nashville, TN 37232-2158

Work and Research Interests

• Statistical Evidence
• Statistical Analysis
• Effective Statistical Collaboration
• Methods in Diagnostic Medicine
• Clinical Trial Methodology
• Synergistic, Additive, and Antagonistic Drug Interactions

Philosophy of Biostatistics

• In God We Trust. All Others Bring Data From Well Designed Experiments.

Future Directions

• Process Improvement in the Clinical Setting

Biography

Dan received an M.S. in statistics from Louisiana State University in 1990 and has collaborated since then with basic and clinical scientists in cancer research at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (SJCRH - Memphis, TN), the Arkansas Cancer Research Center (ACRC - Little Rock, AR), and the U.T. M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (UTMDACC - Houston, TX). At SJCRH, primary research areas included pediatric brain tumors and pediatric leukemia. At the ACRC, Dan collaborated primarily with clinical and basic researchers studying multiple myeloma. The ACRC first tested the previously infamous agent, Thalidomide, in the phase II efficacy setting for relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma patients. Thalidomide is now a standard part of front line therapy in this disease. At the UTMDACC, primary collaborative support was for the Head and Neck, Lymphoma/Myeloma, and Surgical oncology departments,while coordinating statistical and data management efforts for clinical trials in the Head and Neck SPORE. Dan began work at Vanderbilt in September 2006.

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Statistical Science

1. Berry DA, Ayers GD. Symmetrized percent change for treatment comparisons. The American Statistician, 60(1): 27-31, 2006.
2. Lee, JJ, Kong M, Ayers GD. Interaction index and different methods for determining drug interaction in combination therapy. Journal of Biopharmaceutical Statistics, 17: 461-480, 2007.

Medical Science

1. Powers SK, Dodd S, Freeman D, Ayers D, Samson H, and McNight T. Accuracy of pulse oximetry to estimate HbO2 fraction of total Hb during exercise. J of Applied Physiology 67(1), 1989.
2. Relling MV, Ayers GD, Heideman RL. Mephenytoin phenotyping: lack of hematologic effect and timing of urine collections. Pharmacogenetics 1:42-9, 1991.
3. Koehler M, Goorha R, Kitchingman GR, Ayers GD, and Mirro J. A monoclonal antibody to a novel surface antigen, MKW, blocks the antiproliferative and differentiation effects of GMCSF and Vitamin D3. Blood 1992.
4. Sandoval C, Head DR, Mirro J, Behm FG, Ayers GD, and Raimondi SC. The t(9:11)(p21:q23) in pediatric de novo and secondary acute myeloblastic leukemia. Leukemia 6(6): 513-519, 1992.
5. Hurwitz CA, Raimondi SC, Head D, Krance R, Mirro, J, Kalwinsky DK, Ayers GD, and Behm FG. Distinctive Immunophenotype Features of t(8;21)(q22;q22) Acute Myeloblastic Leukemia in Children. Blood 80(12):3182-3188, December 15, 1992.
6. Relling MV, Lin J-S, Ayers GD, Evans WE: Racial and gender differences in N-acetyltransferase, xanthine oxidase, and CYP1A2 activities. Clin Pharmacol Ther 52:643-58, 1992.
7. Vargas SL, Patrick CC, Ayers GD, and Hughes WT. Modulating Effect of Dietary Carbohydrate Supplementation on Candida albicans Colonization and Invasion in a Neutropenic Mouse Model. Infection and Immunity, 619-623, February, 1993.
8. Gajjar AJ, Heideman RL, Douglass EC, Kun LE, Kovnar EH, Sanford RA, Fairclough DL, Ayers D, Look AT: Relation of tumor-cell ploidy to survival in children with medulloblastoma. J Clin Oncol 11:2211-7, 1993.
9. Meyer WH, Ayers D, McHaney VA, Roberson P, Pratt CB: Ifosfamide and exacerbation of cisplatin-induced hearing loss (letter). Lancet 341:754-55, 1993.
10. Santana VM, Abromowitch M, Sandlund JT, Behm FG, Ayers GD, Roberson PK, Pui C-H: MACOP-B treatment in children and adolescents with advanced diffuse large-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Leukemia 7:187-91, 1993.
11. Sandlund JT, Ribeiro R, Lin JS, Ayers D, Santana VM, Furman WL, Mahmoud H, Berard CW, Hutchison RE, Crist WM, Refferty M, and Pui CH. Factors contributing to the prognostic significance of bone marrow involvement in childhood non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Medical and Pediatric Oncology 23:350-353 (1994).
12. Sandlund JT, Santana V, Abromowitch M, Ribeiro R, Mahmoud H, Ayers GD, Lin JS, Hutchison RE, Berard C, Greenwald C, Crist W, and Pui CH. Large-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma of childhood: clinical characteristics and outcome. Leukemia 8(1):30-34, 1994.
13. Hughes L, Barozzi MJ, Ribeiro R, Ayers GD, Rao B, Parham D, Pratt C, and Kun L. Paratesticular rhabdomyosarcoma: delayed effects of multimodal therapy and implications for current management. Cancer 73:476-82, 1994.
14. Relling MV, Fairclough D, Ayers D, Crom W, Rodman JH, Pui CH, and Evans W. Patient characteristics associated with high-risk methotrexate concentrations and toxicity. J of Clinical Oncology 12(8): 1667-1672, 1994.
15. Geyer JR, Zeltzer PM, Boyett JM, Rorke L, Stanley P, Albright AL, Wisoff JH, Milstein JM, Allen JC, Ginaly, JL, Ayers GD, Sutin SB, Stevens KR, and Bleyer WA. Survival of infants with primitive neuroectodermal tumors or malignant ependymomas of the CNS treated with eight drugs in 1 day: a report from the Children’s Cancer Group. J of Clinical Oncology 12(8):1607-1615, 1994.
16. Regine WF, Fontanesi J, Ayers D, Bowman LC, Pappo AS, Coffey DH, Avery L, Rao B, and Kun L. Local tumor control in rhabdomyosarcoma following low-dose irradiation: comparison of group II and select group III patients. Int J Radiation Oncology Biol, Phys 31(3): 485-491, 1995.
17. Finlay JL, Boyett JM, Yates AJ, Wisoff JH, Milstein JM, Geyer JR, Bertolone SJ, McQuire P, Cherlow J, Tefft M, Turski PA, Wara WM, Edwards M, Sutton LN, Berger MS, Epstein F, Ayers G, Allen JC, Packer RJ, and the Childrens Cancer Group: Randomized phase III trial in Childhood high-grade astrocytoma comparing vincristine, lomustine, and prednisone with the eight-drugs-in-one-day regimen. J Clin Oncol 13:112-23, 1995.
18. Mehta J, Tricot G, Jagannath S, Ayers D, Singhal S, Siegel D, Desikan K, Munshi N, Fassas A, Mattox S, Bracy D, Vesole D, Crowley J, Barlogie B. Salvage autologous or allogeneic transplantation for multiple refractory to relapsing after a first-line autograft. BMT 21:887-892, 1998.
19. Barlogie B, Jagannath S, Desikan R, Mattox S, Vesole D, Siegel D, Tricot G, Munshi N, Fassas A, Singhal S, Mehta J, Anaissie E, Dhodapkar M, Maucke S, Cromer J, Sawyer J, Epstein J, Spoon D, Ayers D, Cheson B, Crowley J. Total Therapy with tandem transplants for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. Blood 93(1):55-65, 1999.
20. Siegel D, Desikan R, Mehta J, Singhal S, Fassas A, Munshi N, Anaissie E, Naucke S, Ayers D, Spoon D, Vesole D, Tricot G, Barlogie B. Age is not a prognostic variable with autotransplants for multiple myeloma. Blood 93(1):51-54, 1999.
21. Singhal S, Mehta J, Desikan R, Ayers D, Roberson P, Eddlemon P, Siegel D, Munshi N, Anaissie E, Wilson C, Dhodapkar M, Zeldis J, and Barlogie, B. Anti-tumor activity of thalidomide in refractory multiple myeloma. NEJM 341(21):1565-71, 1999.
22. Singhal S, Mehta J, Siegel D, Singh J, Munshi N, Spoon D, Anaissie D, and Barlogie B. Collection of peripheral blood stem cells after a preceding autograft: unfavorable effect of prior Interferon therapy. Bone Marrow Transplantation 24:13-17.,1999.
23. Desikan R, Sawyer S, Munshi N, Anaissie E, Spoon D, Ayers D, Jagannath S, Siegel D, Tricot G, Vesole D, Zangari M, Badros A, Lim S, Roberson P, Epstein J, Shaughnessy J, Crowley J, and Barlogie, B. Results of high-dose therapy for 1000 patients with Multiple Myeloma: Durable complete remissions and superior survival in the absence of chromosome 13 abnormalities. Blood 95:4008-4010
24. Barlogie B, Desikan R, Eddlemon P, Spencer T, Zeldis J, Munshi N, Badros A, Zangari M, Anaissie E, Epstein J, Shaughnessy J, Ayers D, Spoon D, and Tricot, G. Extended survial in advanced and refractory multiple myeloma after single-agent thalidomide: identification of prognostic factors in a phase 2 study of 169 patients. Blood 98:492-494.
25. Solorzano CC, Jeffrey EL, Pisters PWT, Vauthey JN, Ayers GD, Jean ME, Gagel RF, Ajani JA, Wolff RA, and Evans DB. Nonfunctioning islet cell carcinoma of the pancreas: Survival results in a contemporary series of 163 patients. Surgery, 130(6):1078-1085.
26. Pentz RD, Flamm AL, Sugarman J, Cohen MZ, Ayers GD, Herbst RS, and Abbruzzese JL. Study of the media’s potential influence on prospective research participants’ understanding of and motivations for participation in a high-profile phase I trial. J Clin Oncology 20(18):3785-3791.
27. Lin E, Morris J.S., Ayers G.D. (2002). Effect of celecoxib on capecitabine-induced hand-foot syndrome and antitumor activity. Oncology (Huntingt), 16(12 Suppl No 14):31-37.
28. Lewin J.S., Gillenwater A.M., Garrett, J.D., Bishop-Leone J.K., Nguyen D.D., Callender D.L., Ayers G.D., Myers, J.N.. (2003). Characterization of laryngopharyngeal reflux in patients with premalignant or early carcinomas of the larynx. Cancer, 97(4): 1010-1014.
29. Yip L, Cote G.J., Shapiro S.E., Ayers G.D., Herzog C.E., Sellin R.V., Sherman S.I., Gagel R.F., Lee J.E., Evans D.B.. (2003). Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2: evaluation of the genotype-phenotype relationship. Archives of Surgery, 138(4):409-416.
30. Half, E., Broaddus, R., Danenberg, K.D., Danenberg, P.V., Ayers, G.D., and Sinicrope, F.A. (2004). HER-2 receptor expression, localization, and activation in colorectal cancer cell lines and human tumors. Int. J. Cancer, 108:540-548.
31. Sinicrope F.A., Half E., Morris J.S., Lynch P.M., Morow J.D., Levin B., Haw E.T., Cohen D.S., Ayers G.D., Stephens L. (2004) Cell proliferation and apoptotic indices predict adenoma regression in a placebo-controlled trial of celecoxib in familial adenomatous polyposis patients. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, 13(6): 920-927.
32. Anagnostopoulos, A., Aleman A., Ayers G., Donato M, Champlin R., Weber D., Giralt S. (2004). Comparison of high-dose melphalan with a more intensive regimen of thiotepa, busulfan, and cyclophosphamide for patients with multiple myeloma. Cancer 100(12): 2607-2612.
33. Lambert LA, Ayers GD, Hwang RF, et al. Validation of a breast cancer nomogram to predict non-sentinel lymph node metastases after positive sentinel lymph node biospy. (2006). Annals of Surgical Oncology: 13:310-320.
34. Liu Q, Fayad LL, Cabanillas F, Hagemeister FB, Ayers GD , Hess M, Romaguera J, Rodriguez MA, Tsimberidou AM, Verstovsek S, Younes A, Pro B, Lee M, Ayala A, McLaughlin P, Ayers GD. (2006). Improvement of overall and failure-free survival in stage IV follicular lymphoma: 25 years of treatment experience at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Journal of Clinical Oncology 24:1582-1589.
35. Lin EH,Curley SA,Crane CC,Feig B,Skibber J,Delcos M,Vadhan SR,Morris J,Ayers GD,Ross A,Brown T,Rodriguez-Bigas MA,Janjan N. (2006). Retrospective study of capecitabine and celecoxib in metastatic colorectal cancer: potential benefits and COX-2 as the common mediator in pain, toxicities and survival? Am J Clin Onc. 29(3):232-239.
36. Rodgers SE, Hunter GD, Hamber LM, Schellingerhout D, Doherty DB, Ayers GD, Shapiro SE, Edeiken BS, Truong MT, Evans DB, Lee JE, and Perrier ND. Improved pereoperative planning for directed parathyroidectomy using four-dimensional computed tomography. Surgery , 140(6):932-40; discussion 940-1, Dec 2006.
37. Ross WA, Alkassab F, Lynch PM, Ayers GD, Ajani J, Bismar M. Evolving role of self-expanding metal stents in the treatment of malignant dysphagia and fistulae. Gastrointestinal Endoscopy 65:70-76, 2007.
38. Jabbour, E, Hosing C, Ayers GD, Nunez R, Anderlini P, Pro B, Romaguera J, Popat U, McLaughlin P, Rodriques A, Cabanillas F, Khouri I, Younes A, Hagemeister F, Kwak L, Champlin R, Fayad L. Pretransplant positive positron emission tomorgraphy/gallium scans predict poor outcome in patients with recurrent/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma. Cancer, 109(12):2481-2489, 2007.
39. Kodama Y, Ng CS, Wu TT, Ayers GD, Curley SA, Abdalla EK, Vauthey JN, Charnsangavej C. Comparison of CT methods for determining fat content of the liver. (2007). AJR Am J Roentgenol, 188(5):1307-1312, May 2007.
40. Singh B, Berry JA, Shoher A, Ayers GD, Wei C, Lucci A. COX-2 involvement in breast cancer metastasis to bone. Oncogene. 26(26):3789-96, May 2007.
41. Altundag O, Stewart DJ, Fossella FV, Ayers GD, Wei W, Zhou X, Zinner RG. Many patients 80 years and older with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can tolerate chemotherapy. J Thorac Oncol. 2(2):141-146, Feb 2007.

Presentations

1. Invited speaker – 4th Annual VA Oncology Symposium, October 6-8, 1999. Title: Key Statistics for Tumor Registrars
2. Ayers D, Williams DK, Evans B, Spencer HJ, Shaughnessy J, Barlogie B, and Roberson PK. Sensitivity of competing approximations of over-dispersed binomial data for discriminating among cell populations across subjects. Proceedings of the Joint Statistical Meeting, Baltimore, MD, 1999.
3. Ayers GD, Berry DA. Symmetrized percent change for treatment comparisons. Presented at the Joint Statistical Meetings, Toronto, Canada, 2004.
4. Ayers GD, Kong M, Lee JJ. Comparing synergy. Presented at spring meeting of ENAR, Austin, TX, 2005.
5. Ayers GD, Kong M, Lee JJ. Comparison of Operating Characteristics Among Competing Response Surface Models of Synergy. Presented at 2006 Applied Statistics Symposium of the International Chinese Statistical Association, Univ. of Conn., Storrs, CT, 2006.

Symposia presentations and abstracts co-authored in Forest Science and Medical Science not presented.

Journal Referee

• Medical and Pediatric Oncology
• British Journal of Cancer
• Neuro-Oncology
• Journal of Clinical Oncology

Memberships

• American Statistical Association