The goal is to investigate the etiology of cancers that occur in the population of the Detroit metropolitan area through population-based analytic studies focusing on the interactions among environmental and genetic risk factors. Several studies focus on patients identified within the Meyer L. Prentis Comprehensive Cancer Center clinical population.
Etiologic studies fall into two broad categories.
The goal of these studies is to identify environmental components of risk for a variety of cancers. Environmental risk factors under study include pesticide exposure in pancreatic cancer, occupational exposures in prostate cancer, fertility drug use in ovarian cancer, oral contraceptive use in breast cancer, and selected environmental exposures in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas and multiple myeloma. Understanding the role of the environment will help lead to the development of preventive strategies to reduce morbidity and mortality from cancer. Although there is some evidence that occupational exposure to cadmium or working in the agricultural or rubber-manufacturing industries increases the risk of prostate cancer, very little is currently known about occupational risk factors for prostate cancer. Lifelong occupational exposure histories and industrial hygiene-directed conversions to specific chemical exposures are being used to identify risk factors for prostate cancer in this highly industrialized population.