Research / Clinical Summary

Bilge Pakiz, EdD Assistant Clinical Professor, Family & Preventive Medicine Cancer Prevention & Control Program Contact by Email

Dr. Pakiz’s research focuses on investigating effects of overweight and obesity on overall health and well being. She is currently participating in a number of research studies one of which is the SHAPE study (Survivors' Health and Physical Exercise) which tests whether a multifaceted approach to promoting healthy weight management can achieve the goal of weight loss and maintenance in overweight or obese breast cancer survivors. The intervention incorporates cognitive-behavioral therapy, increased physical activity and diet modification to facilitate a modest reduction in energy intake, and strategies to improve body image and self-acceptance. The study seeks to describe the effect of the intervention on hormones and growth factors (such as insulin, leptin, IGF-I, IGFBP-1, IGFBP-3, sex-hormone binding globulin, and serum estrogens) which may explain the adverse effect of excess body fat on prognosis following the diagnosis of breast cancer. This study also tests whether weight loss is associated with changes in psychosocial factors, including quality of life, fatigue, depression, eating attitudes and behaviors, and weight and shape concerns.

Dr. Pakiz is also the Project Director for a unique weight loss study that is being conducted at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center. This phase III, double blind, placebo-controlled study involves a combination drug therapy (Naltrexone Sustained Release [SR]/Bupropion Sustained Release [SR]) in conjunction with a 56-week state-of-the-art behavior modification program that focuses on changing diet and exercise patterns to promote healthy weight management. Both of these drugs have been previously approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the combination that is being tested in this study is predicted to promote satiety and reduce food intake, as well as curb food cravings. The lifestyle modification program has three components: dietary instruction, group sessions, and exercise prescription. The randomized clinical trial is seeking to enroll up to 840 obese men and women across nine sites in the US to learn how much more effective an investigational new drug treatment can be when combined with a comprehensive lifestyle modification program in helping people lose weight and keep it off. The primary objective of the study is to compare the change from baseline in percentage of total body weight lost between the active drug treatment group and the placebo group, each of which will be receiving the lifestyle modification program at UCSD.

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