Study of Lymphoma in Asia
Condition: Lymphoma, Follicular; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin; Multiple Myleoma; Lympocytic, Follicular; Leukemia; Hodgkin Lymphoma
MeSH terms: Lymphoma; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin; Lymphoma, Follicular
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      Background:

      - Lymphoma rates in Asia have been lower than in the West, but rates have been rising in
      recent years. Most studies of lymphoma patients have been conducted in the West. Less
      information is available about the factors that might contribute to the rise of lymphoma in
      Asia. Researchers want to collect medical and personal histories and samples from people who
      have recently been diagnosed with lymphoma. This information will help them study possible
      reasons for this increase.

      Objectives:

      - To collect samples and histories as part of an introductory study of lymphoma in Asia.

      Eligibility:

        -  People between 18 and 79 years of age who have entered study hospitals in Hong Kong,
           Taiwan, and mainland China for treatment for any type of lymphoma.

        -  Healthy volunteers between 18 and 79 who have never had lymphoma.

      Design:

        -  Participants will be screened with a physical exam and medical history.

        -  They will provide blood samples and cheek cell samples for testing.

        -  Participants will complete a questionnaire about their personal health history. They
           will answer questions about exposures to chemicals like pesticides. They will also be
           asked about family medical history and work and residential history. Finally they will
           answer questions about lifestyle factors like diet and exercise.

        -  They will give permission for the researchers to see their medical records. Researchers
           will also have access to any tumor samples collected as part of treatment.
    

Detailed description: 
      The contribution of environmental, occupational and genetic factors to lymphoma has generated
      a series of novel findings in studies of Caucasians. However, none of the chemical
      associations have been conclusively established and the identification of the key, functional
      alleles in gene regions associated with risk of NHL requires further elucidation. Further,
      the ability to follow-up, confirm, and extend these observations is limited by the low
      prevalence and limited range of several important chemical exposures and the high to complete
      linkage disequilibrium among key candidate genetic loci in Western populations. To optimize
      the ability to build on and clarify these findings, it is necessary to investigate
      populations that differ from Caucasians in both exposure patterns and underlying genetic
      structure. A multidisciplinary case-control study of lymphoma in Asia provides an opportunity
      to replicate and extend recent and novel observations made in studies among Caucasians in a
      population that is distinctly different with regard to patterns of key risk factors,
      including range of exposures, prevalence of exposures, correlations between exposures, and
      variation in gene regions of particular interest. Thus, a hospital-based case-control study
      of lymphoma in Eastern Asia (i.e., AsiaLymph) of 4,200 cases and 4,200 controls to be
      enrolled over a three-year period will be conducted. In addition, 2,000 cases of myeloid
      leukemias and an additional 2,400 cases with less common lymphoma subtypes will be enrolled
      as well. The major postulated risk factors for evaluation in this study are chemical
      exposures (i.e., organochlorines, trichloroethylene, and benzene) and genetic susceptibility.
      Other factors potentially related to NHL, such as viral infections, UV exposure, medical
      conditions, and other lifestyle factors will also be explored. A particularly noteworthy
      aspect of AsiaLymph is central pathology review with immunophenotyping by two of the world s
      leading lymphoma pathologists, which will enable accurate analysis of findings by molecular
      and histologic subtypes. AsiaLymph represents the optimal next step in the DCEG lymphoma
      portfolio. AsiaLymph should confirm and extend previous findings, and yield novel insights
      into the causes of lymphoma and leukemia in both Asia and the West.
    

Observational model: Case-Control
Time perspective: Retrospective
Sampling method: Probability Sample
Study population: 
        The population of this study are Asian cases with lymphoid or myeloid neoplasma and
        controls with selected non-cancer diagnosis who were hospitalized in Hong Kong, Chengdu and
        Tianjin of Mainland China, and Taiwan.@@@
      
Keywords: Leukemia; Lymphoma; Occupational Epidemiology; Molecular Epidemiology; Genetic Polymorphisms