Abstract 7362: Connect for Cancer Prevention Study: a modern prospective cohort
Authors: Mia M. Gaudet, Amy Berrington de Gonzalez, Christian C. Abnet, Paul Albert, Jonas S. Almeida, Stephanie Weinstein, Amanda Black, Hannah P. Yang, Michelle Brotzman, Laura Beane-Freeman, Laura Beane-Freeman, Jonine Figueroa, Neal D. Freedman, Nicole M. Gerlanc, Gretchen L. Gierach, Rena R. Jones, Peter Kraft, Charles Matthews, Habibul Ashan, Briseis Aschebrook-Kilfoy, Chun-Hung Chan, Robert T. Greenlee, Stacey A. Honda, Benjamin Rybicki, Katherine Sanchez, Kevin Skyes, Mark A. Schmidt, Larissa L. White, Jeanette Y. Ziegenfuss, Stephen J. Chanock, Montse Garcia-Closas, Nicolas A. Wentzensen
Journal: Cancer Research (2025)

Abstract Background: Reaching the national goal of reducing cancer mortality by 50% within 25 years will require improvements in cancer early detection and prevention in addition to treatment. Modern prospective cohorts that capture new and emerging exposures to research cancer etiology are critical to achieve these goals. Profound societal and technological changes in the last decade present opportunities and challenges for the recruitment, engagement, and retention of participants in new cohorts. Methods: The Connect for Cancer Prevention Study is a modern cohort of adults, 30-70 years old without a prior cancer diagnosis, recruited from 10 U.S. integrated health care systems. Participants provide information and biospecimens at enrollment and at regular intervals during at least 20 years of follow up. Exposure and outcome information will be captured through online surveys, electronic medical records, medical imaging, geospatial linkages of 20-year residential histories, wearable sensors, and linkages with the National Death Index and the state cancer registries. Collected biospecimens include blood, urine, saliva, and fecal samples, as well as precursor and tumor tissue specimens. Data systems follow F.A.I.R. (findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reuse of digital assets) principles to maximize data and tool re-usability. Results: In 2021, recruitment commenced among an eligible catchment population of more than 3.2 million patients. As of November 2024, over 53, 000 of the expected 200, 000 participants consented; 87% completed at least some baseline activities to date. Baseline recruitment is expected to be complete in 2027. The current study population has a median age of 53 (IQR: 42-61) years, 67% are female, 63% completed at least a bachelor’s degree, and 88% report good to excellent overall health. Among the cohort, 61% of participants self-report as White, 14% self-report as multi-racial, 11% as Black, African American or African, 5% as Asian, and 4% as Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish among other categories. The portion of the latter category is expected to increase as recruitment ramps up at a site with a high Hispanic catchment population, which started enrollment in 2023. The proportion of individuals who have ever smoked cigarettes is 30%, whereas 9% have ever used marijuana, 3% have ever smoked cigars, and 2% have ever vaped nicotine containing electronic cigarettes. The median body mass index of participants is 30 kg/m2 (IQR: 24-36 kg/m2). Approximately, 30, 000 incident precursor and 8, 000 cancer diagnoses are expected to occur during the first 10 years of follow up. Conclusions: Connect for Cancer Prevention Study combines novel approaches in epidemiology and data science to provide a valuable resource for the scientific community to study cancer etiology, natural history, risk prediction, early detection, and survivorship. Individual-level data is expected to be released to the scientific community in 2026. Citation Format: Mia M. Gaudet, Amy Berrington de Gonzalez, Christian C. Abnet, Paul Albert, Jonas S. Almeida, Stephanie Weinstein, Amanda Black, Hannah P. Yang, Michelle Brotzman, Laura Beane-Freeman, Laura Beane-Freeman, Jonine Figueroa, Neal D. Freedman, Nicole M. Gerlanc, Gretchen L. Gierach, Rena R. Jones, Peter Kraft, Charles Matthews, Habibul Ashan, Briseis Aschebrook-Kilfoy, Chun-Hung Chan, Robert T. Greenlee, Stacey A. Honda, Benjamin Rybicki, Katherine Sanchez, Kevin Skyes, Mark A. Schmidt, Larissa L. White, Jeanette Y. Ziegenfuss, Stephen J. Chanock, Montse Garcia-Closas, Nicolas A. Wentzensen. Connect for Cancer Prevention Study: a modern prospective cohort [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2025; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2025 Apr 25-30; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2025;85(8_Suppl_1):Abstract nr 7362.