Trial Information

A Prospective Cohort Study of Occupational Exposures and Cancer Risk Among Women

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.