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European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC): study populations and data collection
E Riboli1, K J Hunt, N Slimani
1Unit of Nutrition and Cancer, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO), 150 cours Albert-Thomas, 69372 Lyon Cedex 08, France. ntr@iarc.fr
Public Health Nutrition
|March 18, 2003
Summary
The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study tracks over 500,000 participants to explore links between diet, lifestyle, and cancer. This large cohort provides valuable data for understanding disease etiology.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Nutritional Science
- Oncology
Background:
- The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) is a large-scale, multi-centre prospective cohort study.
- It aims to investigate the complex relationship between dietary habits, lifestyle factors, and the incidence of various cancers.
- The study also has the potential to examine other non-communicable diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study.
- To provide a comprehensive overview of the study's design, methodology, and participant data.
- To facilitate future research by serving as a reference for studies conducted within the EPIC cohort.
Main Methods:
- Recruitment of 519,978 participants (aged 35-70) across 23 centres in 10 European countries between 1992-2000.
- Collection of detailed lifestyle and dietary information via questionnaires, anthropometric measurements, and biological samples (blood).
- Standardized, computer-assisted 24-hour dietary recalls on a subset of participants (36,900) for dietary data calibration.
Main Results:
- EPIC is the world's largest prospective resource for investigating cancer etiology.
- It integrates diverse data: lifestyle questionnaires, dietary intake, biomarkers (hormones, growth factors), and genetic polymorphisms.
- Initial findings from nested case-control studies are anticipated.
Conclusions:
- The EPIC study provides a unique and extensive dataset for epidemiological research on cancer and nutrition.
- Its comprehensive data integration capabilities allow for in-depth etiological investigations.
- This descriptive paper serves as a foundational reference for future EPIC cohort research.
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