Research Program: Prevention & Etiology
Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics

spector@umn.edu
612-624-3912 — office

Dr. Spector received his Ph.D. in epidemiology in 2002 from Emory University, where he conducted his dissertation research on childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After a year as a National Cancer Institute-funded postdoctoral fellow at the University of Minnesota, he joined the faculty as assistant professor of pediatrics in the Division of Epidemiology/Clinical Research. His research has focused on the causes of childhood leukemia, hepatoblastoma, and osteosarcoma. Dr. Spector is a member of the U of M Human Subjects Protection committee, an editor and contributor to the Causes of Childhood Cancer newsletter, a member of the Children's Oncology Group Epidemiology Committee, and an ad hoc reviewer for several journals, including the American Journal of Epidemiology, Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention, and Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology.

Research Interests

Etiology of childhood cancer

Selected Publications

Spector LG, Johnson KJ, Puumala SE, Soler JT. Perinatal risk factors for hepatoblastoma. British Journal of Cancer (In press).

Johnson KJ, Ross JA, Soler JT, Puumala SE, Spector LG. Parental and infant characteristics and childhood leukemia in Minnesota. BMC Pediatrics (In press).

Puumala SE, Soler JT, Johnson KJ, Spector LG. Birth Characteristics and Wilms tumor in Minnesota. International Journal of Cancer 122(6): 1368-1373, 2008.

Puumala SE, Ross JA, Olshan AF, Robison LL, Smith FO, Spector LG. Reproductive history, infertility treatment, and the risk of acute leukemia in children with Down syndrome: A report from the Children's Oncology Group (COG). Cancer 110(9): 2067-74, 2007.

Spector LG, Hecht SS, Ognjanovic S, Carmella SG, Ross JA. Detection of cotinine in newborn dried blood spots. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention 16(9): 1902-1905, 2007.

Spector LG, Ross JA, Puumala SE, Olshan AF, Bunin GR. Feasibility of nationwide birth registry control selection in the United States. American Journal of Epidemiology 166: 852-856, 2007.

Bunin GR, Spector LG, Olshan AF, Robison LL, Roesler M, Grufferman S, Shu XO, Ross JA. Secular trends in response rates for controls selected by random-digit dialing in childhood cancer studies: A report from the Children's Oncology Group. American Journal of Epidemiology 166(1): 109-116, 2007.

Johnson KJ, Spector LG, Klebanoff MA, Ross JA. Childhood cancer and birthmarks in the Collaborative Perinatal Project. Pediatrics 119(5): e1088-e1093, 2007.

Spector LG, Davies SM, Robison LL, Hilden JM, Roesler M, Ross JA. Birth characteristics, maternal reproductive history, and the risk of infant leukemia: A report from the Children's Oncology Group. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention 16(1): 128-34, 2007.

Peters AM, Blair CK, Verneris MR, Neglia JP, Robison LL, Spector LG, Reaman GH, Felix CA, Ross JA. Maternal hemoglobin concentration during pregnancy and risk of infant leukemia: A Children's Oncology Group Study. British Journal of Cancer 95: 1274-1276, 2006.

Alderton LE, Spector LG, Blair CK, Roesler M, Olshan AF, Robison LL, Ross JA. Child and maternal household chemical exposure and the risk of acute leukemia in children with Down syndrome: A Report from the Children's Oncology Group. American Journal of Epidemiology 164(3): 212-221, 2006.

Spector LG, Klebanoff MA, Feusner JH, Georgieff MK, Ross JA. Childhood cancer following neonatal oxygen supplementation. J Pediatr. 2005;147:27-31.

Spector LG, Xie Y, Robison LL, Heerema NA, Hilden JM, Lange B, Felix CA, Davies SM, Slavin J, Potter JD, Blair CK, Reaman GH, Ross JA. Maternal diet and infant leukemia: the DNA topoisomerase II inhibitor hypothesis: a report from the children's oncology group. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2005;14:651-655.

Ross JA, Spector LG, Robison LL, Olshan AF. Epidemiology of leukemia in children with Down syndrome. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2005;44:8-12.

Canfield KN, Spector LG, Robison LL, Roesler M, Olshan AF, Smith FO, Heerema N, Barnard D, Blair CK, Ross JA. Childhood and Maternal Infections and Risk of Acute Leukemia in Children with Down Syndrome: A Report from the Children's Oncology Group. British Journal of Cancer 91: 1866-1872, 2004.

Spector LG, Feusner J, Ross JA. Rising Incidence of Hepatoblastoma and Low Birth Weight. Pediatric Blood & Cancer 43(6): 706, 2004.

Spector LG, Groves F, DeStefano F, Liff J, Klein M, Mullooly J, Black S, Shinefeld H, Ward J, Marcy M for the Vaccine Safety Datalink Project. Medically recorded allergies and the risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. European Journal of Cancer 40(4): 579-584, 2004.

Schuz J, Spector LG, Ross JA. Bias in studies of parental self-reported occupational exposures and childhood cancer. American Journal of Epidemiology 158(7): 710-716, 2003.