Our Partners and Cohorts

The Adventist Health Study (AHS)
The Adventist Health Study was assembled in 1976 when 13,857 male and 20,341 female California Seventh-day Adventists aged 25 years and older completed a detailed lifestyle questionnaire. The participants for this cohort were identified from a census questionnaire that was mailed to all Seventh-day Adventist households in California in 1974. Participants in the study were followed for cancer incidence though 1982.

Alpha-Tocopherol Beta-Carotene Prevention Study (ATBC)
The Alpha-Tocopherol Beta-Carotene Prevention Study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial that was designed to evaluate whether daily supplements of alpha-tocopherol and/or beta-carotene would reduce the risk of lung cancer and other types of cancer. The study consists of 29,133 male smokers who resided in southwestern Finland and were 50-69 years at enrollment in 1985-1988.

Breast Cancer Detection Demonstration Project Follow-up Cohort (BCDDP)
The Breast Cancer Detection Demonstration Project Follow-up Cohort consists of a subset of participants (n = 64,182) who had participated in a national mammography screening program conducted from 1973-1981 at 29 U.S. centers (total number who participated in the screening program was 283,222). The dietary component of the study began in 1987-1989 when 54,442 participants completed a self-administered food frequency questionnaire. Follow-up for cancer incidence is ongoing.

The Black Women’s Health Study (BWHS)
The Black Women’s Health Study is the largest medical study of African-American women to date. This ongoing study was designed to examine risk factors for cancer and other serious illnesses in African-American women. The cohort was established in 1995 when 59,000 black women between the ages of 21 and 69 years completed mailed questionnaires. The baseline questionnaire collected information on demographic factors, medical and reproductive history, use of oral contraceptives and other medications, physical activity, smoking, alcohol, diet, and other factors.

Beta-Carotene and Retinol Efficacy Trial (CARET)
The Beta-Carotene and Retinol Efficacy Trial was a multicenter randomized, double-blind placebo controlled chemoprevention trial that tested whether daily supplementation with 30 mg beta-carotene plus 25,000 IU retinyl palmitate would reduce lung cancer incidence in a high risk population. The trial was conducted among 18,314 heavy smokers, former heavy smokers and persons with occupational exposure to asbestos. All participants completed a food frequency questionnaire at baseline and every two years thereafter.

Campaign Against Cancer and Heart Disease (CLUE II)
In 1989, the Campaign against Cancer and Stroke was conducted in Washington County, MD. Using mobile trailers, the study was designed to collect blood samples from as many adults as possible to provide specimens for a serum bank. A brief medical history and baseline questionnaire was administered to 32,898 persons at the time of blood collection. About one-third of the adult county population participated with additional participants from surrounding communities. Participants were given a food frequency questionnaire to complete at home and were asked to return it.

Canadian National Breast Screening Study (CNBSS)
The Canadian National Breast Screening Study is an ongoing prospective study of 56,837 women living in 12 Canadian cities who had participated in a randomized controlled trial of mammography (n = 89,835 women) and had returned a self-administered food frequency questionnaire. The women were 40-59 years at enrollment between 1982 and 1987.

Cohort of Swedish Men (COSM)
The Cohort of Swedish Men began in 1997 when 48,850 men residing in two counties in central Sweden (Västmanland and Örebro) completed a mailed questionnaire. The men were born between 1918 and 1952. They completed a comprehensive questionnaire on lifestyle factors, diet, and medical history.

Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort (CPS II Nutrition Cohort)
The Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort is an ongoing cohort study comprised of a subset of participants in the Cancer Prevention Study II, a cohort study of approximately 1.2 million men and women that began in 1982. The Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort consists of 86,406 men and 97,788 women who completed a self-administered questionnaire on diet, lifestyle factors, and medical history in 1992. Participants were 50-74 years old at the beginning of the study.

Cancer Prevention Study II 1982 Mortality Cohort (CPS II 1982 mortality cohort)
The Cancer Prevention Study II is a cohort study of approximately 1.2 million men and women that began in 1982.

Canadian Study of Diet, Lifestyle and Health (CSDLH) The Canadian Study of Diet, Lifestyle, and Health includes 73,909 participants from all Canadian provinces and territories. Most participants are alumni from the Universities of Alberta, Toronto, and Western Ontario and were recruited between 1995 and 1998; some participants also were recruited through the Canadian Cancer Society mostly in 1992. At study enrollment, participants completed a food frequency questionnaire and lifestyle questionnaires, measured their waist and hip circumferences, and provided hair and toenail samples.

California Teachers Study (CTS)
The California Teachers Study, started in 1995, is an ongoing prospective study of 133,479 current and former public school teachers and other school professionals who participate in the California State Teachers Retirement System (STRS). The baseline questionnaire focused on potential breast cancer risk factors including a comprehensive assessment of diet, alcohol use, use of hormone therapy and oral contraceptives, physical activity, menstrual and reproductive factors, family history of cancer and other diseases, exposure to electromagnetic fields, and smoking.

European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)
The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study is one of the largest cohort studies in the world, with more than half a million (521,000) participants recruited across 10 European countries and followed for almost 15 years.

Golestan Cohort Study (GCS) The Golestan Cohort Study includes 49,173 women and men aged 40-75 years living in the Golestan province in Iran. At study enrollment, participants completed a food frequency questionnaire and lifestyle questionnaire; provided blood, urine, hair, and nail samples; and received a limited physical examination.

Generations Study (GS) The Generations Study includes 110,000 women from the British Isles aged 16 years or older at study enrollment who were recruited between 2004 and 2011. Participants include women recruited from a list of supporters of Breakthrough Breast Cancer, the charity who initially funded the study; women who contacted the study team expressing interest in joining the study; and women who were nominated by study participants. At study enrollment, participants completed questionnaires on established or suspected breast cancer risk factors.

Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS)
The Health Professionals Follow-up Study is an ongoing cohort study that was initiated in 1986 and consists of 51,529 male dentists, pharmacists, optometrists, osteopaths, podiatrists, and veterinarians aged 40-75 years at the beginning of the study.

Iowa Women’s Health Study (IWHS)
The Iowa Women’s Health Study is an ongoing prospective study of 41,836 postmenopausal women who were 55-69 years at enrollment in 1986. Participants in the study consist of women initially identified from the 1985 Iowa driver’s license list who completed a mailed self-administered study questionnaire.

The Japan Public Health Center-Based Study Cohorts I and II  (JPHC I & II)
The Japan Public Health Center-Based Study Cohorts I and II are ongoing cohort studies which began in 1990 and 1993, respectively. The two cohort studies consists of 45,452 men and 49,924 women who were aged 40 to 69 years at enrollment, and were identified using residence registries maintained by local governments in Japan. Each participant returned self-administered questionnaires that included dietary habits, previous medical history and other lifestyle factors.

Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study (MCCS)
The Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study is an ongoing cohort study of 24,479 women and 17,049 men aged 27-75 years (99.3% aged 40-69) who resided in Melbourne Australia between 1990 and 1994. Participants were recruited from electoral rolls, advertisements, and community announcements with oversampling of Italian and Greek migrants (30% of participants). Detailed information on lifestyle factors as well as blood samples and direct physical measurements was collected from all participants.

Multiethnic Cohort (MEC)
The Multiethnic/Minority Cohort Study was established in Hawaii and Los Angeles in 1993-1996 to explore the relationship of diet and other lifestyle factors to cancer. The cohort is comprised of more than 215,000 men and women primarily of African-American, Japanese, Latino, Native Hawaiian, and Caucasian origin, and is unique among existing cohort studies in its ethnic diversity and representation of minority populations. At entry to the cohort study, each participant completed a 26-page mail questionnaire that included an extensive quantitative diet history, as well as other demographic, medical, and lifestyle information.

The Nurses’ Health Study (NHS)
The Nurses’ Health Study is an ongoing cohort study of 121,700 U.S. female nurses who were residents in 11 large U.S. states and were 30-55 years old at enrollment in 1976. The nutritional component of the Nurses’ Health Study began in 1980; 89,538 women form the diet cohort.

The Nurses’ Health Study II (NHSII)
The Nurses’s Health Study II is an ongoing cohort study of 116,671 female registered nurses who were aged 25 to 42 years and living in 14 U.S. states at enrollment in 1989. The nutritional component of the Nurses’ Health Study began in 1990; 97,809 women form the diet cohort.

The NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study (NIH-AARP)
The NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study was initiated in 1995 to study relationships between diet and cancer. The study population consisted of 340,148 men and 227,021 women, who were members of the American Association of Retired Persons in six states and two metropolitan areas in the U.S., and were aged 50 to 71 years at the beginning of the study. Participants completed a mailed questionnaire that included the diet history, demographic characteristics and other potential cancer risk factors.

The Netherlands Cohort Study (NLCS)
The Netherlands Cohort Study on diet and cancer is an ongoing cohort study that was initiated in 1986. The study consists of 58,279 men and 62,573 women who were 55-69 years old at the beginning of the study and were identified from 204 Dutch computerized municipal population registries.

New York State Cohort (NYSC)
The New York State Cohort is a prospective study of 32,689 men and 25,279 women that was assembled in 1980 by sending a letter of invitation and questionnaire to all women and a sample of the men in New York State who had the same New York State telephone number for at least 18 years. Participants in this study were followed for cancer incidence though 1987.

New York University Women’s Health Study (NYUWHS)
The New York University Women’s Health Study was assembled between 1985 and 1991. It consists of 14,291 women who were 35-65 years at the beginning of the study, attended a breast cancer screening clinic in Manhattan, New York City, and had not used hormonal medications or been pregnant during the previous six months. Follow-up of the participants is ongoing.

Prospective Study on Hormones, Diet and Breast Cancer (ORDET)
ORDET is a prospective study of women who were living in Varese Province, northern Italy and were 35-69 years at the beginning of the study. Participants were recruited in 1987-1992 from the general population via radio, television and newspaper advertising and from women attending breast cancer prevention units.

Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT)
The Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial is a Phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of finasteride for the prevention of prostate cancer. A total of 18,882 essentially healthy men, aged 55 and older, were enrolled between 1993 and 1996 at 219 centers in the United States and Canada. The 9,598 men that were randomized to the placebo arm are included in the Pooling Project.

Physicians’ Health Study I and II (PHS I & II)
The Physicians’ Health Study began in the fall of 1982 to test the benefits and risks of aspirin and beta carotene in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer. The original randomized trial, PHS I, ended in 1995. Its finding that low-dose aspirin decreased the risk of a first myocardial infarction by 44% helped focus on the role of aspirin in primary prevention of coronary heart disease. A second randomized trial, PHS II, was started in 1997 to test the balance of benefits and risks of three other widely used, but as yet unproven, supplements for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease, cancer, age-related eye disease, and cognitive decline: vitamin E, vitamin C, and a multivitamin.

The Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO)
The Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial is a multicenter, two-armed randomized controlled trial that was designed to evaluate whether PSA (men only), digital rectal exam (men only), flexible sigmoidoscopy, chest X-ray, CA-125 blood test (women only), transvaginal ultrasound (women only) screening tests reduce deaths from prostate, lung, colorectal and ovarian cancer. Participants are to be followed for at least 13 years from randomization for cancer and death ascertainment. The trial recruited 154,938 men and women age 55 to 74 years, from 1992-2001.

Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS) The Southern Community Cohort Study was designed to investigate health disparities. It includes approximately 33,000 40-79 yr old women and men residing in 12-states in the US Southeast who were enrolled at community health centers or by mail. Participants completed in-person interviews at baseline on participant characteristics, food frequency questionnaire, other lifestyle factors, and medical history.

Singapore Chinese Health Study (SCHS) The Singapore Chinese Health Study includes 63,257 Chinese men and women who were recruited between 1993 and 1998. At study enrollment, participants were 45–74 years, were permanent residents or citizens of Singapore, were one of two major dialect groups of Chinese in Singapore (Hokkien or Cantonese), and resided in government-built housing estates. Participants completed a food frequency questionnaire and other surveys and collected blood and urine samples at enrollment.

Shanghai Cohort Study (SCS)
The Shanghai Cohort Study consists of 18,244 men in Shanghai, China, assembled during 1986-1989 when subjects were between the ages of 45 and 64 years. At recruitment, all cohort members provided detailed dietary and medical histories as well as blood and urine specimens. In the follow-up of 2000-2001, buccal cells were collected from 13,815 original cohort participants (92% of all surviving cohort members).

Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT)
SELECT was a clinical trial to see if one or both of these substances could help prevent prostate cancer when taken as dietary supplements. The trial was funded primarily by NCI and developed and carried out by SWOG, an international network of research institutions. Enrollment for the trial began in 2001 and ended in 2004. More than 400 sites in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada took part in the study. Over 35,000 men, age 50 and older at the start of the trial, participated in SELECT 1.

Sister Study (SIS) The Sister Study includes 50,884 U.S. women who were 35–74 years of age, had not previously been diagnosed with breast cancer, and had a sister who had been diagnosed with primary breast cancer at study enrollment in 2003-2009. At baseline, participants completed self-administered food frequency questionnaires, other lifestyle factors, early-life exposures, and medical history.

Swedish Mammography Cohort (SMC)
The Sweden Mammography Cohort is an ongoing study of 61,471 women living in two counties in central Sweden who participated in a mammographic screening program between 1987 and 1990. At enrollment, women were 30-74 years old.

The Shanghai Men’s Health Study (SMHS)
The Shanghai Men’s Health Study (SMHS) is a population-based cohort study of 61,480 Chinese men between ages 40 and 74 who lived in 8 urban communities in Shanghai at enrollment (2002-2006).

The Swedish National March Cohort (SNMC) The Swedish National March Cohort includes 43,863 women and men who were recruited at a 4-day promotional and fund-raising event in 1997 for the Swedish Cancer Society. Recruitment occurred in nearly 3600 Swedish cities and villages. At study enrollment, participants completed a questionnaire on diet and other lifestyle factors, demographic factors, early-life exposures, occupational environment, and medical history.

The Shanghai Women’s Health Study (SWHS)
The Shanghai Women’s Health Study is a population-based cohort study of approximately 75,000 Chinese women between the ages of 40 and 70 who lived in seven urban communities in Shanghai at enrollment (1996-2000). Participants completed surveys, provided urine samples, and provided blood or buccal cell samples at enrollment.

VITAL The VITamins And Lifestyle (VITAL) Study includes 77,738 men and women aged 50–76 years at study enrollment in 2000–2002 who lived in western Washington State. The cohort was designed to evaluate associations between supplement use and cancer risk. At enrollment, participants completed questionnaires on supplement use, diet, and other cancer risk factors and provided buccal cell specimens.

The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) is a national health study started in 1993 that consists of 161,808 women aged 50-79 at study enrollment. Participants in WHI were recruited into a) one or more randomized Clinical Trials testing the health effects of hormone therapy,  a low-fat dietary pattern, and/or calcium and Vitamin D supplementation or b) to an Observational Study. The study is focused on strategies for preventing heart disease, breast and colorectal cancer, and osteoporotic fractures in postmenopausal women.

The Women’s Health Study (WHS)
The Women’s Health Study is an ongoing randomized double-blind, placebo controlled clinical trial of 39,876 female health professionals age 45 years or older. The study, initiated in 1992-1995, used a 2x2x2 factorial design to randomize participants to aspirin or aspirin placebo, vitamin E or vitamin E placebo, and beta-carotene or beta-carotene placebo (this component was terminated in January 1996). Of the women in the trial, 39,345 completed a food frequency questionnaire during the run-in phase prior to randomization.

Women’s Lifestyle and Health (WLHS)
In 1991 approximately 50,000 women in Sweden aged 30-49 completed a mailed questionnaire. Detailed information was collected on a wide range of lifestyle factors with a focus on oral contraceptive use, diet, UV light exposure, reproductive factors and familial occurrence of cancer.