A Prospective Cohort Study of Occupational Exposures and Cancer Risk Among Women
Condition: Lung Cancer; Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma; Breast Cancer; Stomach Cancer; Brain Cancer
MeSH terms: Brain Neoplasms; Stomach Neoplasms
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      A prospective cohort study is proposed to evaluate occupational and environmental risk
      factors for cancer among women in Shanghai, China. Approximately 75,000 women aged 40-69 who
      reside in eight geographically defined communities in two urban districts of Shanghai will be
      recruited via a community-based cancer education program. All eligible subjects will be
      invited by local health workers from the neighborhood health station to the clinic for an
      interview and selected anthropometric measurements. The interview will elicit information on
      demographic background, diet, lifestyle factors, medical history, lifetime occupational
      history and residential history for the past 20 years. In addition, the women will be asked
      for information on their husbands' current and usual occupations, and demographic and a few
      other exposure factors. A spot urine sample and 10 ml of blood will be collected from all
      cohort members and stored at -70 degrees C for future assays of urine metabolites and DNA and
      hemoglobin adducts of selected occupational and environmental carcinogens, and polymorphic
      genes encoding enzymes that are involved in metabolism of relevant carcinogens. Cohort
      members and their husbands will be followed for cancer outcomes through biennial recontact
      and linkage with files of the population-based Shanghai Cancer Registry, of the Shanghai
      Vital Statistics, and of the Shanghai Resident Registry. Medical records and pathology slides
      will be reviewed for all cancer cases to verify their diagnosis. Post-diagnostic blood
      samples will be obtained from all cohort members diagnosed with cancer during the follow-up
      period and stored for future methodologic and etiologic studies. The proposed initial study
      period is 5 years, with an average follow-up of about 3.5 years. We anticipate, however, that
      follow-up will continue for 10 years or more.
    

Detailed description: 
      A prospective cohort study is proposed to evaluate occupational and environmental risk
      factors for cancer among women in Shanghai, China. Approximately 75,000 women aged 40-69 who
      reside in eight geographically defined communities in two urban districts of Shanghai will be
      recruited via a community-based cancer education program. All eligible subjects will be
      invited by local health workers from the neighborhood health station to the clinic for an
      interview and selected anthropometric measurements. The interview will elicit information on
      demographic background, diet, lifestyle factors, medical history, lifetime occupational
      history and residential history for the past 20 years. In addition, the women will be asked
      for information on their husbands' current and usual occupations, and demographic and a few
      other exposure factors. A spot urine sample and 10 ml of blood will be collected from all
      cohort members. Among participants who did not provide a blood sample, a buccal cell sample
      will be collected. All biological samples will be stored at -70 degrees C for future assays
      of genetic polymorphisms, urine metabolites and DNA and hemoglobin adducts of selected
      occupational and environmental carcinogenACs. Cohort members and their husbands will be
      followed for cancer outcomes through annual recontact and linkage with files of the
      population-based Shanghai Cancer Registry, of the Shanghai Vital Statistics, and of the
      Shanghai Resident Registry. Medical records and pathology slides will be reviewed for all
      cancer cases to verify their diagnosis. Post-diagnostic blood samples will be obtained from
      all cohort members diagnosed with cancer during the follow-up period and stored for future
      methodologic and etiologic studies. The proposed initial study period is 5 years, with an
      average follow-up of about 3.5 years. We anticipate, however, that follow-up will continue
      for 10 years or more.
    

Observational model: Cohort
Time perspective: Prospective
Sampling method: Non-Probability Sample
Study population: 
        Healthy female urban residents in Shanghai between ages of 40-70.
      
Keywords: Shanghai; Residential History; Exposure Assessment; Cohort Study; Molecular Epidemiology