Education
- Undergraduate: Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 1964-1969
- Medical School: Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 1969-1973
- Internship/Residency: Hutzel Hospital, Detroit Medical Center, Detroit, MI 1973-1977
- Fellowship: Gastroenterology University of Colorado Denver 1977-1980
- Fellowship: Membrane Pathobiology, Stanford University, 1980-1982
- Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology
Honors and Awards
- NIH Clinical Investigator Award
- Veterans Administration Research Associate Award
- Veterans Administration Clinical Investigator Award
- University of Colorado Cancer Center Award for Cancer Prevention and Control Research
Faculty Appointments
- Denver VA Medical Center and University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO 1981-present
Research Interests
Dr. Ahnen’s research interest is in understanding the process of colorectal carcinogenesis and its prevention and his laboratory conducts both basic and clinical investigations.
At the basic level Dr. Ahnen’s laboratory is examining the biologic and the biochemical mechanisms of the chemopreventive effects of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Dr. Ahnen’s laboratory was one of the first to demonstrate that NSAIDs induce non-cyclooxygenase dependent apoptotic cell death. The laboratory group has shown that NSAIDs inhibit EGF receptor signaling and that this effect is both necessary and sufficient for the apoptotic effect of these drugs. The lab is currently examining the effect of NSAIDs on EGF receptor expression and function. Dr. Ahnen collaborates closely with the laboratory group of Pamela Rice, PhD a faculty member in the Division on this basic science work.
Dr. Ahnen’s clinical trials group participates in several colorectal cancer prevention trials including screening trials (colonoscopy and stool DNA analysis) and adenoma chemoprevention trials (NSAIDs, and micronutrients). Dr. Ahnen also collaborates with Al Marcus PhD and staff at the AMC Cancer Research Center to evaluate behavioral interventions to increase colorectal cancer screening rates in high-risk populations and he directs the Colorado site for two national cancer registries that identify high risk families for genetic and clinical trials.
Representative Publications
- Rice PL, Peters S, Beard KS, Ahnen DJ. Sulindac Independently Modulates Extracellular Signal-regulated Kinase 1/2 and Cyclic GMP-dependent Protein Kinase Signaling Pathways. Mol Cancer Ther. 5:746-54, 2006. (download PDF)
- Pangburn HA, Kraus H, Ahnen DJ, Rice PL. Sulindac metabolites inhibit epidermal growth factor receptor activation and expression. J Carcinog. 4:16, 2005. (download PDF)
- Roth MJ, Hu N, Johnson LL, Quon-Hang W, Ahnen DJ, Iwamoto M, Dawsey SM, Taylor PR, Huppi K. Beta-Catenin splice variants and downstream targets as markers for neoplastic progression of esophageal cancer. Genes Chromosomes Cancer. 44:423-8, 2005. (download PDF)
- Robertson DR, Greenberg ER, Beach M, Sandler RS, Ahnen DJ, Haile RW, Burke CA, Snover DC, Bresalier RS, McKeown-Eyssen G, Mandel JS, Bond JH, van Stolk RU, Summers RW, Rothstein R, Church TR, Cole B, Byers T, Mott L, Baron JA. Colorectal Cancer in Patients Under Close Colonoscopic Surveillance. Gastroenterology 129:34-41, 2005. (download PDF)
- Limburg PJ, Wei W, Ahnen DJ, Qiao Y, Hawk ET, Wang G, Giffen CA, Wang G, Roth MJ, Lu N, Korn EL, Ma Y, Caldwell KL, Dong Z, Taylor PR and Dawsey SM. Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Esophageal Squamous Cell Cancer Chemoprevention Trial of Selenomethionine and Celecoxib. Gastroenterology 129:863-73, 2005. (download PDF)
- Denberg TD, Melhado TV, Coombes JM, Beaty BL, Berman K, Byers TE, Marcus AC, Steiner JF, Ahnen DJ. Predictors of non-adherence to screening colonoscopy. J Gen Int Med 2005; 20:989-995. (download PDF)
- Robertson DJ, Burke CA, Schwender B, Wargovichs M, Greenberg ER, Sandler RS, Ahnen DJ, Rothstein R, Mott LA, Baron JA. Histamine receptor antagonists and incident adenomas. Aliment Pharmacol Ther, 22:123-28, 2005. (download PDF)
- Iwamoto M, Hoffenberg EJ, Carethers JM, Doctolero R, Tajima A, Sugano K, Franklin WA, Ahnen DJ. Nuclear Accumulation of {beta}-Catenin Occurs Commonly in the Epithelial Cells of Juvenile Polyps. Pediatric Research, Pediatr Res. 57:4-9, 2005. (download PDF)
- Collins JF, Lieberman DA, Durbin TE, Weiss DG and the Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study #380 Group (Ahnen DJ) Accuracy of Screening for Fecal Occult Blood on a Single Stool Sample Obtained by Digital Rectal Examination: A Comparison with Recommended Sampling Practice. Ann Int Med 142:81-5;2005. (download PDF)
- Wold KS, Byers T, Crane LA, Ahnen DJ. What do cancer survivors believe causes cancer? Cancer Causes and Control, 16:115-23, 2005. (download PDF)