Epidemiology and Genetics Research Program Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences June 3, 2005

EGRP BULLETIN
From the Office of
Edward Trapido, Sc.D., Associate Director
Epidemiology and Genetics Research Program
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences
National Cancer Institute

Breast and Prostate Cancer Cohort Consortium Presentation Videocast Live on Tuesday, June 7

A presentation by investigators participating in the Breast and Prostate Cancer Cohort Consortium (BPC3) to the National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB) will be videocast live from 2:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Tuesday, June 7, 2005, via the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Web site. The presentation also will be taped and archived for later viewing.

In 2003 through the Epidemiology and Genetics Research Program (EGRP), the BPC3 received a 4-year grant to study the role of genetic variations in steroid receptor hormone pathways, the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) pathway, and associated receptor proteins in the etiology of breast and prostate cancer. Data and biospecimens are being pooled from 6 large cohorts to conduct research on gene-environment interactions in cancer etiology. The BPC3 combines the resources of these large prospective cohorts, three genomic facilities, and epidemiologists, population geneticists, and biostatisticians from multiple institutions. Data are drawn from 8,850 patients with prostate cancer and 6,160 patients with breast cancer.

The BPC3 is the first project to be conducted through the Consortium of Cohorts, a joint initiative of NCI's Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DCEG) and the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS), of which EGRP is a part.

Introductory remarks will be made by Robert Croyle, Ph.D., DCCPS Director, and Edward Trapido, Sc.D., EGRP Associate Director.

The investigators speaking are:

• Michael Thun, M.D., M.S., Vice President, Epidemiology and Surveillance Research, American Cancer Society -- Overview Study Design, Goals, and Achievements
• David Altshuler, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Genetics and Medicine, Department of Molecular Biology, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital -- Population Genetics/Genomics Subgroup: SNP Discovery and Haplotype Analysis
• David Hunter, Sc.D., Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Channing Laboratory -- Management and Integration Across Sites, Initial Results, and Plans for the Future

Copies of the speakers' PowerPoint presentations may be downloaded from EGRP's Web site the morning of Tuesday, June 7.

The Principal Investigators of the BPC3 are: Dr. Hunter, Harvard Cohorts (Physicians' Health Study I and II, Nurses' Health Study, Health Professionals Follow-up Study, and Women's Health Study); Dr. Thun, American Cancer Society's Cancer Prevention Study-II (ACS CPS-II); Elio Riboli, M.D., Sc.M., M.P.H., International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Study; and Brian Henderson, M.D., University of Southern California/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Multiethnic Cohort Study.

In addition, two cohorts participating in BPC3 are part of DCEG, which is an intramural research arm of NCI. The Principal Investigators are Richard Hayes, D.D.S., Ph.D., Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial; and Demetrius Albanes, M.D., Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention (ATBC) Study.

More information about the Consortium of Cohorts and BPC3.