A Population Based Study of Genetic Predisposition and Gene-Environment Interactions in Cancer in East Anglia, Trent and West Midlands

OBJECTIVES:

• To obtain epidemiological information and biological material on a population-based series of cancer cases, including malignant melanoma, lymphoma, bladder, kidney, esophageal, and pancreatic cancer, and brain tumors.
• Identify novel cancer susceptibility genes, by comparison of genotype frequencies in cases with the corresponding frequencies in large control series.
• To estimate the age and sex-specific risks associated with variants in predisposition genes.
• To evaluate interactions between polymorphisms in predisposition genes and potential lifestyle risk factors.

OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study.

Patients complete a detailed epidemiological questionnaire that includes information on education, occupation, smoking habits, alcohol consumption, height, weight, reproductive history (age at menarche, age at pregnancies, parity, and age at menopause), oral contraceptive use, hormone replacement therapy use, family history of cancer, and past medical history.

Blood samples are collected from patients. DNA is extracted from these blood samples, from samples collected from cancer-free control participants in MREC-SEARCH-CONTROL, and from additional controls through the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (EPIC) study (a population-based study of diet and health based in Norfolk, East Anglia). DNA samples are analyzed for polymorphisms of low penetrance cancer susceptibility genes.