Research Consortium Projects
In collaboration with other extramural and intramural studies, the ATBC Study participates in several large consortium projects of nutritional and other environmental factors, candidate genes and pathways, and genome-wide association studies, contributing scientific expertise, data and cohort resources, and intramural support to these investigations. Several of the projects are described here.
NCI Cohort Consortium Projects
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Breast and Prostate Cancer Cohort Consortium (BPC3)
The NCI Breast and Prostate Cancer Cohort Consortium (BPC3) encompasses data from nine large prospective cohort studies that were pooled to determine whether low-penetrance risk alleles in genes that mediate the sex steroid hormone metabolism and IGF signaling pathways contribute materially to the etiology of either cancer site. The ATBC Study contributes 1,000 prostate cancer cases and 1,000 controls to the combined total of 8,000 cases and 8,000 controls.
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Pancreatic Cancer Cohort Consortium (PanScan)
The Pancreatic Cancer Cohort Consortium combines cohort and genetic data from 12 prospective epidemiologic studies and one case-control study in order to conduct whole genome scans of common variants and identify markers of susceptibility to pancreatic cancer. The project will use 550K SNP chips as the source of genetic variant data. Gene-gene, gene-environment, and gene-lifestyle interactions are also being studied, and it is anticipated that light will be shed on the current understanding of familial pancreatic cancer. The Study contributes 150 pancreatic cancer cases and 150 controls to the combined total of 1,600 cases and 1,600 controls.
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Vitamin D Pooling Project (VDPP)
The Vitamin D Pooling Project-Rarer Cancer Consortium (VDPP) was created within the NCI Cohort Consortium in order to investigate the relationship between serum vitamin D and six less common cancers: pancreas, ovary, lymphoma, upper gastrointestinal, endometrium, and kidney. The Project has the advantage of pooling a larger number of cases from 10 multi-national cohorts than would be possible within any single study, and by including multiple geographical regions, seasons, and ethnic populations. The nested case-control studies are based on pre-diagnostic, centrally assayed 25(OH)D serology. The Study contributes 1,300 cancer cases (for pancreas, lymphoma, upper GI, and kidney) and 1,750 controls to the combined total of 6,800 cases and 5,700 controls.
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Cancer Genetic Markers of Susceptibility (CGEMS)
The ATBC Study has participated as a replication set of prostate cases and controls to identify genetic alterations causing susceptibility within this study of genetic variation and risk of prostate and breast cancer. The Study contributes 1,000 prostate cancer cases and 1,000 controls to the combined total of approximately 5,000 cases and 5,000 controls.
Other NCI Cohort Consortium Projects that include the ATBC Study involve the study of BMI and overall mortality; upper GI cancer and various genetic and environmental factors, including Helicobacter pylori seropositivity and alcohol use; NHL and glioblastoma and genetic variants; and multiple myeloma and cytokines and growth factors.
Other Pooling Projects
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Lung Cancer – Gene-Environment Interaction Project
The ATBC Study participates in a DCEG-led GWAS investigating the genetic determinants of lung cancer sponsored by NHGRI. The Study contributes 1,800 lung cancer cases (squamous cell, small cell, adenocarcinoma, and other cell types) and 2,000 controls to the combined total of 12,000 subjects that includes participants from the Environment and Genetics in Lung Cancer Etiology (EAGLE) study and from PLCO. The pooled analysis based on a 610K scan will also identify genes that contribute to smoking behavior/addiction and lung cancer survival.
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Pooling Project of Diet and Cancer
The Pooling Project of Prospective Studies of Diet and Cancer is an international consortium of 28 cohort studies with the goal of analyzing diet and cancer associations using standardized criteria across studies. The purpose of the Project is to evaluate whether diet and cancer associations are consistent across cohort studies comprised of different populations with different dietary habits and whether associations differ for specific population subgroups. Overall estimates from pooled data are also generated. The ATBC Study contributes several thousand cases across the cancer sites being studied.
