Biomedical subjects

Thomas Lynch

Publications and source records attributed to Thomas Lynch.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Phase II trial of cetuximab in patients with previously treated non-small-cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: To determine the efficacy of cetuximab in patients with recurrent or progressive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after receiving at least one prior chemotherapy regimen. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was an open-label, phase II study of patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) -positive and EGFR-negative advanced NSCLC with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0 to 1. Patients received cetuximab 400 mg/m2 intravenously (IV) during 120 minutes on week 1 followed by weekly doses of cetuximab 250 mg/m2 IV during 60 minutes. A cycle was considered as 4 weeks of treatment and therapy was continued until disease progression or intolerable toxicities. The primary end point was to assess response rate. Secondary end points included an estimation of time to progression and survival. RESULTS: Patient and disease characteristics (n = 66) included EGFR-positive status (n = 60); EGFR-negative status (n = 6); number of prior regimens (one, n = 28; two, n = 27; > or = three, n = 11); male (n = 41); female (n = 25); adenocarcinoma (n = 36); and smoking status (never, n = 13; former, n = 45; current, n = 8). Grade 3/4 toxicities included acne-like rash (6.1%), anaphylactic reactions (1.5%), and diarrhea (1.5%). The response rate for all patients (n = 66) was 4.5% (95% CI, 0.9% to 12.7%) and the stable disease rate was 30.3% (95% CI, 19.6% to 42.9%). The response rate for patients with EGFR-positive tumors (n = 60) was 5% (95% CI, 1.0% to 13.9%). The median time to progression for all patients was 2.3 months (95% CI, 2.1 to 2.6 months) and median survival time was 8.9 months (95% CI, 6.2 to 12.6 months). CONCLUSION: Although the response rate with single-agent cetuximab in this heavily pretreated patient population with advanced NSCLC was only 4.5%, the disease control rates and overall survival seem comparable to that of pemetrexed, docetaxel, and erlotinib in similar groups of patients.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Phase I clinical trial of bortezomib in combination with gemcitabine in patients with advanced solid tumors.

BACKGROUND: Bortezomib is the first proteasome inhibitor to show preliminary evidence of activity against solid tumors. Findings from preclinical studies prompted a Phase I trial to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) of bortezomib in combination with gemcitabine in patients with recurring/refractory advanced solid tumors. The effect of gemcitabine on proteasome inhibition by bortezomib in whole blood was also investigated. METHODS: Bortezomib was administered as an intravenous bolus injection on Days 1, 4, 8, and 11, with gemcitabine (30-minute infusion) on Days 1 and 8 of a 21-day cycle. Groups of > or =3 patients were evaluated at each dose level. Escalating doses of gemcitabine 500 mg/m(2) to 1000 mg/m(2) with bortezomib 1.0 mg/m(2) to 1.5 mg/m(2) were planned. RESULTS: There were no DLTs in patients receiving bortezomib 1.0 mg/m(2) and gemcitabine 500 mg/m(2) to 1000 mg/m(2) in the first 3 dose levels. Dose-limiting nausea, vomiting, gastrointestinal obstruction, and thrombocytopenia occurred in 4 of 5 evaluable patients in dose level 4 (bortezomib 1.3 mg/m(2), gemcitabine 800 mg/m(2)), establishing bortezomib 1.0 mg/m(2) and gemcitabine 1000 mg/m(2) as the MTD. Most common Grade > or =3 toxicities were neutropenia (6 patients), thrombocytopenia (5 patients), gastrointestinal disorders (6 patients), and general disorders (4 patients) such as fatigue. One patient with nonsmall cell lung carcinoma achieved a partial response and 7 achieved stable disease. Inhibition of 20S proteasome activity by bortezomib was unaffected by gemcitabine coadministration. CONCLUSION: Dosages of bortezomib and gemcitabine suitable for further evaluation of antitumor activity have been established.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Optimizing chemotherapy and targeted agent combinations in NSCLC.

Chemotherapy extends life and provides symptom palliation for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Numerous trials have been conducted that evaluate a variety of doublet regimens, but the majority of trials have found equal efficacy among the treatment arms. Indeed, a plateau appears to have been reached with respect to survival associated with traditional cytotoxic drug regimens. It was initially hoped that the addition of novel targeted agents to conventional chemotherapy would produce significant survival benefits for patients with advanced NSCLC; however, most trials have failed to show such a benefit. There is no survival benefit associated with adding erlotinib or gefitinib to a chemotherapy regimen, although there is a significant improvement in survival associated with erlotinib monotherapy in the second- and third-line advanced disease setting. In contrast, the results of E4599 clearly demonstrate that the addition of bevacizumab to paclitaxel-carboplatin chemotherapy extends survival in a select group of patients with non-squamous cell NSCLC. E4599 also represents a rational approach to drug development that could be modeled in other trials, namely, the use of a large, well designed, randomized trial prior to beginning a traditional phase II approach. This strategy can lead to the identification of subgroups most likely to benefit, as well as those that might experience increased toxicity, such as patients with squamous cell carcinoma treated with bevacizumab. Another approach to optimizing targeted therapy involves selecting a chemotherapy regimen with the greatest potential for synergy based on preclinical modeling. Because docetaxel has been shown to prolong survival in second-line treatment, a number of novel agents have been combined with docetaxel in order to improve efficacy. Alternatively, investigators have sought to combine novel agents with either carboplatin-paclitaxel or cisplatin-gemcitabine in first-line treatment. A number of trials are underway that combine these agents with inhibitors of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and the proteasome, as well as COX2 inhibitors, and novel immunomodulators.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2005

Optimizing chemotherapy and targeted agent combinations in NSCLC.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

PubMed2004

Twice-daily radiotherapy as concurrent boost technique during two chemotherapy cycles in neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for resectable esophageal carcinoma: mature results of phase II study.

PURPOSE: To determine the toxicities of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy using a three-drug regimen (cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, and paclitaxel) and a conventional radiotherapy (RT) schedule combined with a concurrent boost technique during chemotherapy cycles, and to determine the rate of tumor response, overall survival, and impact of pathologic tumor response on survival. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The eligibility criteria included resectable adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma (T2-T3N0-N1M0), performance score < or =2, and no significant comorbidities for trimodality therapy. Chemotherapy consisted of two cycles of cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, and paclitaxel. A concurrent boost technique was used in RT for 2 levels of radiation doses: 58.5 Gy in 34 fractions within 5 weeks to the gross tumor volume and 45 Gy in 25 fractions within 5 weeks to the clinical target volume by administering a boost dose of 13.5 Gy in 9 fractions, 1.5 Gy/fraction, as a second daily fraction for 9 days on Days 1-5 and 29-32 of the chemotherapy cycles. RESULTS: We enrolled 46 patients in the study. The paclitaxel dose was started at 75 mg/m(2) (n = 7) and escalated to 125 mg/m(2) (n = 5), at which point, dose-limiting toxicities occurred. Thereafter, paclitaxel at 100 mg/m(2) was used for an additional 34 patients. Toxicities included Grade 4 neutropenia (22%), febrile neutropenia requiring hospital admission (20%), Grade 3 (48%) and Grade 4 (7%) acute esophagitis, and paclitaxel-associated anaphylaxis (4%). Of the 46 patients, 3 (6.5%) died of treatment-related complications, 1 of pneumonia during induction therapy and 2 of postoperative complications (5% of the 40 patients who underwent resection). The histopathologic tumor response was a pathologic complete response (pT0N0) in 18 (45%) of 40 patients who underwent resection and 18 (39%) of all 46 registered patients. Minimal residual disease (pT1N0) at the primary site was present in 5 (11%) and residual disease in 23 (50%) of all 46 patients. The minimal follow-up for all long-term survivors (n = 16) was 5.5 years. The median survival time was 34 months, and the overall survival rate was 57%, 50%, and 37% at 2, 3, and 5 years, respectively. The 5-year overall survival (56% vs. 24%, p = 0.0214) and disease-free survival (48% vs. 6%) were significantly better statistically for patients with a pathologic complete response and minimal residual disease than for those with residual disease. All long-term survivors beyond 5.5 years without recurrence accrued from patient cohorts with a pathologic complete response or minimal residual disease. CONCLUSION: An incorporation of twice-daily RT as a concurrent boost to the conventional daily RT schedule during chemotherapy cycles is feasible and warrants additional study for radiation dose intensification. Such research would be prudent for both improved long-term survival and organ preservation in esophageal carcinoma.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed2004

Adjuvant treatment of lung cancer: current status and potential applications of new regimens.

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 80% of lung cancers diagnosed worldwide. Surgical resection offers the best chance for cure for those patients diagnosed with early-stage disease; however, the vast majority of patients will eventually relapse. Despite complete surgical resection, recurrences are likely due to undetectable microscopic disease at diagnosis, making these patients potential candidates for effective adjuvant therapy. Postoperative radiation therapy may actually have a detrimental effect in patients with NO-N1 disease and has been shown to possibly prevent local recurrences in patients with N2 disease. Although results from a large meta-analysis of data on adjuvant chemotherapy suggested an absolute benefit of 5% at 5 years from cisplatin-based chemotherapy, a rate similar to that seen in breast and colon cancers where adjuvant chemotherapy is a standard of care, the use of adjuvant therapy in NSCLC remained controversial. In addition, results of the International Adjuvant Lung Cancer Trial (IALT), which compared adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy to observation in patients with resected stage-I-IIIA NSCLC, suggested that adjuvant therapy had the potential to prevent a substantial number of deaths each year. Two recently reported landmark studies have demonstrated the survival advantages of adjuvant therapy for patients with early-stage NSCLC. Docetaxel, one of the most active agents for advanced NSCLC, is also regularly used for locally advanced disease as part of neoadjuvant or combined-modality regimens. As recent findings have established the value of adjuvant chemotherapy for early-stage NSCLC, agents such as docetaxel warrant rigorous evaluation in this setting.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

PubMed2003

Vaccination with irradiated autologous tumor cells engineered to secrete granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor augments antitumor immunity in some patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung carcinoma.

PURPOSE: We demonstrated that vaccination with irradiated tumor cells engineered to secrete granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) stimulates potent, specific, and long-lasting antitumor immunity in multiple murine models and patients with metastatic melanoma. To test whether this vaccination strategy enhances antitumor immunity in patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), we conducted a phase I clinical trial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Resected metastases were processed to single-cell suspension, infected with a replication-defective adenoviral vector encoding GM-CSF, irradiated, and cryopreserved. Individual vaccines consisted of 1 x 10(6), 4 x 10(6), or 1 x 10(7) cells, depending on overall yield, and were administered intradermally and subcutaneously at weekly and biweekly intervals. RESULTS: Vaccines were successfully manufactured for 34 (97%) of 35 patients. The average GM-CSF secretion was 513 ng/10(6) cells/24 h. Toxicities were restricted to grade 1 to 2 local skin reactions. Nine patients were withdrawn early because of rapid disease progression. Vaccination elicited dendritic cell, macrophage, granulocyte, and lymphocyte infiltrates in 18 of 25 assessable patients. Immunization stimulated the development of delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions to irradiated, dissociated, autologous, nontransfected tumor cells in 18 of 22 patients. Metastatic lesions resected after vaccination showed T lymphocyte and plasma cell infiltrates with tumor necrosis in three of six patients. Two patients surgically rendered as having no evidence of disease at enrollment remain free of disease at 43 and 42 months. Five patients showed stable disease durations of 33, 19, 12, 10, and 3 months. One mixed response was observed. CONCLUSION: Vaccination with irradiated autologous NSCLC cells engineered to secrete GM-CSF enhances antitumor immunity in some patients with metastatic NSCLC.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Dose-response relationship between probability of pathologic tumor control and glucose metabolic rate measured with FDG PET after preoperative chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: To determine the dose-response relationship between the probability of tumor control on the basis of pathologic tumor response (pTCP) and the residual metabolic rate of glucose (MRglc) in response to preoperative chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer and to define the level of residual MRglc that corresponds to pTCP 50% and pTCP > or = 95%. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Quantitative dynamic 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography was performed to measure regional MRglc at the primary lesion before and 2 weeks after preoperative chemoradiotherapy in an initial group of 13 patients with locally advanced NSCLC. A simplified kinetic method was developed subsequently from the initial dynamic study and used in the subsequent 16 patients. The preoperative radiotherapy programs consisted of (1) a split course of 42 Gy in 28 fractions within a period of 28 days using a twice-daily treatment schedule for Stage IIIA(N2) NSCLC (n = 18) and (2) standard once-daily radiation schedule of 45-63 Gy in 25-35 fractions during a 5-7-week period (n = 11). The preoperative chemotherapy regimens included two cycles of cisplatin, vinblastine, and 5-fluorouracil (n = 24), cisplatin and etoposide (n = 2), and cisplatin, Taxol, and 5-fluorouracil (n = 3). Patients free of tumor progression after preoperative chemoradiotherapy underwent surgery. The degree of residual MRglc measured 2 weeks after preoperative chemoradiotherapy and 2 weeks before surgery was correlated with the pathologic tumor response. The relationship between MRglc and pTCP was modeled using logistic regression. RESULTS: Of 32 patients entered into the study, 29 (16 men and 13 women; 30 lesions) were evaluated for the correlation between residual MRglc and pathologic tumor response. Three patients did not participate in the second study because of a steady decline in general condition. The median age was 60 years (range 42-78). One of the 29 patients had two separate lesions, and MRglc was measured in each separately. The tumor histologic types included squamous cell carcinoma (n = 9), adenocarcinoma (n = 13), large cell carcinoma (n = 6), and poorly differentiated carcinoma (n = 2). The extent of the primary and nodal disease was as follows: Stage IIB (T3N0M0), Pancoast tumor (n = 2); Stage IIIA, T2-T3N2M0 (n = 18); Stage IIIB: T1-T3N3M0 (n = 5) and T4N0M0 (n = 2); a second lesion, T1 (n = 1); and localized stump recurrence (n = 2). A pathologically complete response was obtained in 14 (47%) of the 30 lesions. The remaining 16 lesions had residual cancer. The mean baseline value of the maximal MRglc was 0.333 +/- 0.087 micromol/min/g (n = 16), and it was reduced to 0.0957 +/- 0.059 micromol/min/g 2 weeks after chemoradiotherapy (p = 0.011). The correlation between residual MRglc and pTCP was made using an increment value of 0.02 micromol/min/g between the maximal and minimal values of MRglc. A pathologically complete response was obtained in 6 of 6 patients with residual MRglc of < or = 0.050 micromol/min/g, 3 of 4 with < or = 0.070, 4 of 7 with < or = 0.090, 0 of 4 with < or = 0.110, 1 of 3 with < or = 0.130, and 0 of 6 with > or = 0.130 micromol/min/g. The fitted logistic model showed that residual MRglc corresponding to pTCP 50% and pTCP > or = 95% was 0.076 and < or = 0.040 micromol/min/g, respectively. CONCLUSION: The correlation between the gradient of residual MRglc after chemoradiotherapy and pTCP is an inverse dose-response relationship. Residual MRglc of 0.076 and < or = 0.040 micromol/min/g, representing pTCP 50% and pTCP > or = 95%, respectively, may be useful surrogate markers for the tumor response to radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy in lung cancer.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Point of view.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Comorbidity↗

PubMed2002

ATP6S1 elicits potent humoral responses associated with immune-mediated tumor destruction.

An important goal of cancer immunology is the identification of antigens associated with tumor destruction. Vaccination with irradiated tumor cells engineered to secrete granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) generates potent, specific, and long-lasting antitumor immunity in multiple murine tumor models. A phase I clinical trial of this vaccination strategy in patients with advanced melanoma demonstrated the consistent induction of dense CD4(+) and CD8(+) T lymphocyte and plasma cell infiltrates in distant metastases, resulting in extensive tumor destruction, fibrosis, and edema. Antimelanoma antibody and cytotoxic T cell responses were associated with tumor cell death. To characterize the targets of these responses, we screened an autologous cDNA expression library prepared from a densely infiltrated metastasis with postvaccination sera from a long-term responding patient. High-titer IgG antibodies detected ATP6S1, a putative accessory unit of the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase complex. A longitudinal analysis of this patient revealed an association between the vaccine-induced increase in antibodies to ATP6S1 and tumor destruction. Three additional vaccinated melanoma patients and three metastatic non-small cell lung carcinoma patients vaccinated with autologous GM-CSF-secreting tumor cells similarly showed a correlation between humoral responses to ATP6S1 and tumor destruction. Moreover, a chronic myelogenous leukemia patient who experienced a complete remission after CD4(+) donor lymphocyte infusions also developed high-titer antibodies to ATP6S1. Lastly, vaccination with GM-CSF-secreting B16 melanoma cells stimulated high-titer antibodies to ATPS1 in a murine model. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that potent humoral responses to ATP6S1 are associated with immune-mediated destruction of diverse tumors.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Carotid intima media thickness decreases after pancreas transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Pancreas transplantation (PTX) improves diabetic microvascular complications, but it is unknown whether PTX alters macrovascular disease. Carotid intima media thickness (IMT) has been shown to correlate with cardiovascular events, so this study was designed to evaluate changes in carotid IMT after PTX. METHODS: Four groups were studied: PTX candidates (n=60); successful PTX recipients (n=89; mean time since PTX=4.0+/-0.3 years); patients with type 1 diabetes but without nephropathy (n=20); and normal controls (n=32). Mean IMT and mean of maximum carotid IMT measurements (mean-max IMT), hemoglobin A1C, serum creatinine, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, smoking status, use of hypolipidemic medications, and fasting lipids were determined in all groups. RESULTS: Age, gender distribution, and BMI were not different among the groups. Duration of diabetes was also equal between pre- and post-PTX groups. Mean and mean-max IMT were greatest pre-PTX and decreased after PTX (P<0.05) to a value that was not different from controls. Hemoglobin A1C and creatinine decreased, and high density lipoprotein (HDL) increased after PTX (P<0.05), but there were no significant differences in other lipids, BMI, use of lipid lowering agents, blood pressure, or smoking status. CONCLUSIONS: Carotid IMT is lower after PTX, suggesting a reduction in overall cardiovascular risk independent of changes in use of hypolipidemic agents, smoking, blood pressure, BMI, or lipids, except HDL. Improved carotid IMT after successful PTX predicts a reduction in future vascular disease events and suggests that the macrovascular disease of type 1 diabetes is at least partially reversible with improved glucose control.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Perceptions of women medical students and their influence on career choice.

BACKGROUND: Although women make up nearly half of medical school classes in the United States, just over 20% of residents in surgery are women (excluding obstetrics/gynecology). The objective of this study was to identify whether the proportion of women surgeons on the faculty who have frequent encounters with medical students during their surgery rotation influences the student's perceptions about women surgeons or their career choice. METHODS: Seven US medical schools with proportions of women surgeons on the fulltime faculty varying from 10% to 40% were selected to participate in this survey. Women medical students graduating in the spring of 2000 were asked to complete an anonymous 29 question survey designed to assess their perceptions of women surgeons' career satisfaction. Demographic information about the students such as career choice, age, and marital status was also collected. The differences in responses between those schools with 40% women faculty and those with less than 15% were analyzed. RESULTS: The overall response rate was 74% (305 of 413). Forty-five percent of students had daily or weekly contact with a woman surgery attending. There were no differences in perceptions of women surgeons' career satisfaction for those students at schools with 40% women surgeons versus those with less than 15%. However, 21 of 24 (88%) students choosing surgery as a career were from the three schools with a greater number of women surgical role models (P <0.0001). Students who chose a career in surgery perceived the women faculty's career satisfaction to be higher than did those students not choosing a surgical career (P <0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Women medical students perception of women surgeons' career satisfaction did not appear to be affected by the proportion of women surgeons on the faculty at their medical school. However, their choice of surgery as a career was strongly associated with a higher proportion of women on the surgical faculty.

Career Choice↗

PubMed2002

Second line chemotherapy for NSCLC: establishing a gold standard.

When compared with best supportive care alone, the second-line treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with 75 mg/m(2) docetaxel significantly improved the 1-year survival rate (37 vs. 12%) and lengthened time to disease progression (median 12.3 vs. 7.0 weeks) in study TAX 317. Quality of life was superior with docetaxel and the need for tumor-related therapy was reduced. Docetaxel 75 mg/m(2) in this setting is safe, and offers clinically meaningful benefit to patients. These findings are supported by data from study TAX 320 in which a heavily pre-treated population of advanced NSCLC patients was randomized to receive docetaxel 100 mg/m(2), docetaxel 75 mg/m(2) or a comparator arm of either vinorelbine or ifosfamide. Treatment with either dose of docetaxel significantly increased the proportion of patients without disease progression at 26 weeks. By intent to treat analysis, 1-year survival was 32% in patients randomized to docetaxel 75 mg/m(2). This was significantly greater than the 19% 1-year survival rate in the comparator arm. Prior exposure to paclitaxel did not lessen the response rate or survival advantage of docetaxel in this second-line setting. Future development is likely to lie in the combination of docetaxel with novel molecular-targeted agents such as EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic↗

PubMed2002

A phase I clinical trial of sequentially administered doxorubicin and topotecan in refractory solid tumors.

PURPOSE: To determine whether agents that target topoisomerase I and II could be administered sequentially. DESIGN: A Phase I study was conducted to evaluate sequential treatment with bolus IV doxorubicin followed 48 h later by topotecan given as a 30-min i.v. infusion on 3 consecutive days, with additional cycles of therapy repeated every 3 weeks. Characteristics of the 22 patients entered into the study were: 13 male and 9 female; median age, 49.5 (range 33-66) years; Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, 0-1; and normal cardiac, hematological, hepatic, and renal function. All patients had received prior therapy (median >or=2 prior regimens). RESULTS: The maximum tolerated dose of the combination was 25 mg/m(2) doxorubicin and 5.25 mg/m(2) topotecan (1.75 mg/m(2)/day x 3). Neutropenia was the dose-limiting toxicity. Attempts to further escalate the dose using 5 microg/kg granulocyte colony-stimulating factor proved unsuccessful because of thrombocytopenia. Among the 17 patients who were evaluable for response, 6 had a partial response, and 4 showed evidence of disease stabilization. The partial responses occurred in patients with small cell lung cancer (3 of 7), non-small cell lung cancer (1 of 6), esophageal adenocarcinoma (1 of 2), and ovarian carcinoma (1 of 1), and it lasted for 3-6 months. Administration of doxorubicin 2 days before topotecan did not alter topotecan pharmacokinetics. Changes in topoisomerase mRNA levels were observed during chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: The sequential combination of doxorubicin followed by topotecan is highly active in several chemotherapy refractory long, ovary, and esophageal cancers. Despite significant neutropenia, toxicity is manageable and well tolerated. Phase II trials to further evaluate the efficacy of this promising combination regimen against non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and lung cancer have been initiated.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Examining the inventory of interpersonal problems as a tool for conducting analogue studies of mechanisms underlying Borderline Personality Disorder.

Despite recent advancements in the treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), little is known about the underlying mechanisms in the development and maintenance of the disorder. To examine these issues, it is first necessary to identify a brief screening measure that can be used to assess factors underlying BPD. Considering this need, the current investigation examined the utility of a BPD-related composite consisting of the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems-Interpersonal Sensitivity (IIP-IS) and Aggression (IIP-Ag) subscales of the IIP in a sample of college students ( [Formula: see text] ) and a sample of individuals seeking residential drug use treatment ( [Formula: see text] ). Data indicated that score on this composite measure (IIP-BPD) was positively related to scores on measures tapping BPD-related symptomotology, as well or better than the IIP total score in all cases. These data suggest the specificity of the IIP-BPD and support its use in analogue studies to better understand the mechanisms underlying the disorder.

Adolescent↗